Compare and save up to 67% on your puppy insurance
Having a puppy in the family is both an exciting and exhausting time. As well as loving and learning to train your new pup, it’s probably a good idea to think about buying puppy insurance. This protects you financially if your poor pooch has an accident or illness and needs vet treatment.
Vet fees can be expensive, sometimes amounting to a staggering sum, depending on what your furry friend needs to get back to full form. Investing in puppy insurance gives you peace of mind, knowing you’ll be able to claim to meet the cost of any treatment.
There are four main types of puppy insurance policies available:
This is the cheapest policy available and only covers treatment related to your pet having an accident, not illness
Time- limited policies usually run for 12 months and there’s usually a cost limit. They’re good for short-term illnesses and injuries
This covers each new medical condition up to the cover limit, for as long as the policy runs
The most comprehensive policy is lifetime, which if you renew each year will cover new and recurring conditions up to a cost limit
The cost of puppy insurance depends on several factors, but on average, puppy owners pay £401 a month to insure their pup. It's usually cheaper if you pay annually, costing on average £3841 a year and offering an average saving of £961.1
The cost of puppy insurance depends on several factors including:
Remember to check what’s included and excluded in a puppy insurance policy. A typical pet insurance policy will cover your pet if it suffers from illness, injury or disease but won’t cover routine treatments or specific conditions. This is particularly important if your new pup is a pedigree and susceptible to hereditary conditions.
A pet policy may cover some of the following:
If you had to go into hospital and didn’t have anyone to look after of your puppy, this would take care of kennel fees
Some policies will cover you to the value of your pet if they were to pass away. This is usually up to a certain age
If you want to take your pup on holiday with you, this will cover any medical costs, should anything happen to them
Some policies provider cover for your pet to receive alternative therapies like homeopathy and hydrotherapy
Every policy will be different, but you will usually find a number of common exclusions. Make sure you read over your policy carefully and arrange any specialist cover that your puppy might need. Common exclusions include:
Our puppy insurance comparison search is free, quick and simple to use. All you need to do is give us a few details about your pooch, like their date of birth, gender and medical history and you could have a policy set up in minutes.
For more information about pet insurance policies, read our pet insurance guides.
Most standard policies won’t offer cover if your puppy has a pre-existing condition, but there are specialist insurers that do.
You can still get pet insurance with standard pet insurers but your pet’s pre-existing conditions will be excluded.
There are a few things you can do to reduce the price you pay for puppy insurance:
Paying a higher excess usually means you will be rewarded with a lower premium. Just make sure you can afford the excess in the event of a claim
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Taking good care of your puppy will reduce the chance of them needing treatment by your local vet, meaning your premium should be less
Some insurers offer a discount for micro-chipped pets because they are easier to locate if they are lost or stolen, so consider microchipping your pet
Insurers often offer a discount of between 5% and 10% if you insure more than one pet, so take advantage and insure your pets together
Some pet insurance companies charge more if you want to spread the cost of cover over monthly installments. It can therefore work out cheaper to pay for your policy upfront
Neutering or spaying your pet can potentially lower your premiums because it reduces the chance of your pet developing certain conditions, and also makes them less likely to stray
You may be surprised to hear that where you live can also have an affect on how much you pay for puppy insurance. This is primarily because the cost of vet treatment varies from place to place.
The breed of your puppy can affect your insurance quote. That’s because some breeds are more prone to illnesses and health conditions, meaning insurers see them as more of a risk. Pedigree dogs are often more expensive to insure than hybrid or mixed-breed dogs.
You can usually get puppy insurance when your dog is between six and eight weeks old, meaning you don’t have to wait too long before you can compare policies and protect your pup.
Puppy insurance policies don’t tend to cover vaccinations. Under some policies, you can opt to have preventative or routine care cover (that can include vaccinations) up to a limit, but this will cost more.
All puppy owners should consider taking out pet insurance, in case of emergencies. It means you won’t be dealt a large and unexpected bill for an injury or illness and can focus on nursing your pup back to full health.
Yes, it’s now a legal requirement to have any dog over the age of eight weeks microchipped in England and Wales.
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