Dog insurance

Dog insurance is designed to protect you against the cost of vet treatments, should your dog fall ill or get injured. Some providers also cover you if your dog passes away, if they’re lost or stolen, or if they cause damage to a third party’s property.

Insurance for dogs isn’t compulsory. But it’s worth remembering that owning a dog can be expensive. For example, the cost of vet bills has risen steadily over the past few years. If your dog were to become ill or suffer an injury, could you afford to pay for treatment? Pet insurers paid out over £750 million in vet bills in 2019, that’s the equivalent of £2 million every day. By choosing dog insurance, you can give yourself financial protection if something were to happen to your dog.

Get a quote here >

Put simply, Accident and Illness dog insurance protects your dog from accidents that may arise, as well as illness and sickness, which requires medical attention. Accident and Illness insurance is suitable for you if you want some financial protection against the cost of vet bills, should your dog fall ill or suffer an accidental injury.

Accident Only dog insurance is suitable for you if you only want to cover yourself against the cost of vet bills, should your dog suffer an accidental injury only, not if your dog falls ill. Some people choose Accident Only dog insurance while their dog is still a puppy and less at risk of developing a health condition.

Insurance for your cat or dog can start as soon as possible! Our cover starts for cats and dogs aged eight weeks and over. We cannot cover claims arising within the first 14 days of your insurance starting and pre-existing illnesses and conditions are not covered.

Public Liability insurance for your dog, sometimes referred to as Third Party Liability insurance, can provide up to £2million per event if your dog injures someone or damages property and you are held liable.

If you’re out for a walk with your dog and they were to knock somebody over, then we can keep you covered if you’ve chosen our Public Liability option. Heading out for a dog walk shouldn’t end in hefty compensation costs, which is why we offer dog owners Public Liability protection for claims of property damage or injury from a third party.

Cover only applies in the UK.

Some dog breeds cannot be covered by our Third Party Liability option, see “Are there any breeds of dog that you are unable to insure?” For assistance dogs to qualify for Third Party Liability cover, they must have been trained by a member of, and within the guidance of, the organisation of Assistance Dogs UK.

Standard dog insurance policies usually last for a 12-month period. After this time, you’ll need to renew the policy you have, if you want to keep the cover in place. If you choose to look elsewhere for your policy, then be aware that any long-term or pre-existing conditions will probably not be covered by a different pet insurance provider.

Having insurance for your dog means that you can be covered against the cost of potentially very expensive trips to the vet.

You get to choose either Accident Only cover or cover for Accident and Illness for your dog. We offer three levels of vet fee cover, which means that you can be covered for up to £3,000, £6,000 or £12,000 per year.

If your claim has been successful, then we can pay the agreed amount, less any excess, either:

• Straight into your bank account so you aren't left out of pocket, or;
• To your vet if this is more convenient for you and your vet.

All vet fee claims are handled in the UK by Covea Insurance. While your claim is being dealt with, you can receive regular updates on its progress via email or text message.

Yes! Our dog insurance includes mixed breed dogs, as well as pedigree and cross breed dogs. If you’ve got a mixed breed pooch, then we can include them on your policy.

Unfortunately, we cannot cover (whether pedigree, cross breed or mixed breed) any of the following: Dogo Argentino, Fila Brazillero, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull, Shar-Pei, Wolf or Wolf Hybrid dog and any animal registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and/or the Dogs (Muzzling) regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 or any amendments.

There are additional breeds that we cannot cover for our optional Third Party Liability cover, see “Are there any breeds of dog that you are unable to insure?”

BOAS (Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome) is a condition which is a progressive disorder that can impair the ability of certain breeds of short nose dog to exercise, play, eat and sleep.

We are able to consider claims provided that there are no pre-existing signs, symptoms or advice provided by a vet. In practice this usually means that the dog has to be insured with us from a very young age.

Unfortunately, for all of our policies, we cannot provide any vet fees or liability cover for any animal registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and/or the Dogs (Muzzling) regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991 or any amendments; or (whether pedigree, cross breed, mixed breed or known or classed as the names listed) an Abruzzese Mastiff, African Crested Dog, African Wild Dog, Alangu Mastiff, American Bulldog, American Bully, American Bully XL, American Indian Dog, American Mancon, American Mastiff, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Argentine Dogo, Argentinian Mastiff, Australian Dingo, Bandogge, Bandogge Mastiff, Blue Bull Terrier, Boerboel, Bole, Brazilian Mastiff, Bully, Bully Kutta, Canadian Inuit Dog, Canary Dog, Canary Mastiff, Cane Corso, Cão de Fila de São Miguel, Cão Fila, Chinese Shar Pei, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dingo, Dogo Argentino, Dogue Brasileiro, East Siberian Laika, Fila Brasileiro, Gull Dong, Husky Wolf Hybrid, Inuit Dog American, Irish Staffordshire, Irish Staffordshire Blue Bull Terrier, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Irish Wolfhound, Italian Mastiff, Japanese Mastiff, Japanese Tosa, Johnson American Bulldog, Korean Jindo, Korean Mastiff, Laika, Libyan Desert Dog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Northern Inuit Dog, Pakistani Bull Dog, Perro de Presa Canario, Pit Bull Mastiff, Pit Bull Terrier, Pocket Bully, Presa Canario, Racing Greyhound, Sarloos Wolfhound, Shar Pei, South African Boerboel, South African Mastiff, Tamaskan Dog, Tibetan Mastiff, Tosa, Tosa Inu, Utonagan Dog, Wolf Hybrid and Wolfdog.

No, we cannot cover pets that are used for guarding.

Yes, we are able to cover a crossbreed dog.