Welcome to K9Insurance.co.uk – the free independent guide to the top dog insurance deals, discounts and dog insurance tips.

On this site you will find our guides to buying dog insurance, evaluating the best policies for your particular dog and understanding how to get the best value dog insurance cover.

Is My Dog Eligible For Dog Insurance?

Some breeds are subject to certain or are very hard to get cover for at all. In the United Kingdom, breeds that are banned under the dangerous dogs act which include:

American Pit Bull Terriers
Japanese Tosas
Dog Argentinos
Fila Braxilieros
Wolf hybrids

would not be eligible for insurance cover.

Some insurers will not offer insurance to ‘commercial’ animals as they are not considered pets. A commercial animal would be defined as one that earned its owner financial reward, such as a racing greyhound or working sheepdog. Always ensure that you clarify exactly what your dog is used for if it is in anyway possible that is might be considered a ‘commercial’ animal.

Age is a significant factor in determining whether your pet can be insured. While some companies are happy to insure a pet for it’s entire life, others will terminate the policy once a pet has reached a certain age. It may be more difficult to initially get cover for an animal over the age of 8 years old which is another good reason for insuring your pet at the earliest possible opportunity.

If a pet has suffered with a prolonged illness or injury that has been subject of regular veterinary attention, insurers may be reluctant to hand out an initial policy or the premium may be much higher. Insurance companies do have the right to check with your vet to see if a pet has been subject to ongoing treatment prior to a policy being given out.

In general, if you own a dog or cat under the age of 10, be it a mixed breed or pedigree, that is not considered ‘commercial’ or dangerous you should be able to find a company willing to offer you suitable insurance cover.

You can find out whether your dog is eligible or if you could get a more suitable policy by using our very own ‘Quote Buster’ service.

The volume of third party pet insurance claims has increased in recent years. It seems the public are readily seeking cash compensation from the courts when they are harmed in incidents involving other people’s dogs. Dog owners that do not possess this relatively new third party pet insurance might therefore be at significant financial risk. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re thinking of insuring your dog or you already have dog insurance, then it stands to reason that you are conscious of their health concerns. One of the most common questions we get asked here at Top Dog Insurance is do dogs suffer from passive smoking? Read the rest of this entry »

It’s estimated that around 90% of the UK’s dogs are not insured. We ask some of the UK’s leading pet insurance experts and members of the Top Dog Insurance asks – what’s the real deal with pet insurance?

If the figures are to be believed, there are around 7 million or so dogs in Britain who are not covered by a specialist pet insurance policy. That begs the question, is pet insurance a luxury financial product with which UK dog lovers can happily live without or are there 7 million dog owners who could potentially be gambling their dog’s health for the sake of about £15 per month?

We put forward some of the common concerns held by our readers about pet insurance to Chris Price and David Keel, who are professional dog insurance experts.

K9) Surely there is an upper-limit as to the amount of financial burden a pet could leave you with? It can’t be the same as a car or home when potential expenses could run into thousands. Is insurance for pets a gimmick or a genuine necessity?

Chris) – There is no absolute upper limit on how much a pet’s veterinary treatment could cost someone, although for the majority of consumers it will not exceed the limits most insurance companies put on their policies. Certainly the costs could run into thousands if the pet had an ongoing condition that required regular check ups, treatment and medication.

Pet insurance is certainly not a gimmick. Whilst the cost of veterinary treatment may not be as much as the value of someone’s car or house or home contents, the cost is very much unknown and therefore it could be argued that it is a harder risk to self insure against. Also, as our country is becoming increasingly litigious, having protection for any damage a dog does to a person or to someone’s property for which the owner is legally liable, is almost essential.

David) – The costs of veterinary treatment are rising all the time as the science of veterinary medicine advances and it is common for courses of treatment to run into thousands of pounds. Petplan pays out over a million pounds in claims a week so pet insurance is far from being a gimmick.

Third party cover is also becoming increasingly important as the concept of strict liability for owners has been enforced by the courts. In these cases the potential cost of a single claim could run into tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Pet insurance is there to meet the potential cost of unexpected veterinary treatment to help make sure that an animal can receive the best possible care and to avoid the owner facing heart-breaking decisions.

11.Thirsty German Shepard Lucy received a nasty gash to the back of the head after a toilet lid slammed down on her.

12.Melanie Silcox had to rush Duke, her six month old Rottweiler, to the vet after her three year old son fed him the contents of a pub ashtray with his dinner.

13.A Dalmatian puppy called Jordan caused trouble for himself in Portsmouth after licking the wet paint from the side of his kennel. Luckily he only suffered a mild case of poisoning .

14.Charlie, a Yorkshire Terrier from north Wales, managed to damage his left eye severely after pulling a cuckoo clock from a wall and onto his face. The cost of his treatment more than £1,000.

15.‘Sam has always been a naughty dog, but he has done nothing like this before’ was the response of a woman rendered homeless by her dog’s actions. Sam chewed through an empty aerosol can, sending a fire ball through the property completely destroying it. No dogs were hurt, just two cats.

16.Firemen in Blackpool spent two hours trying to release Danny, a two year old Springer Spaniel, from underground piping in a children’s play park near his home. He got stuck in the same place two weeks later.

17.Leo, a five year old Labrador from Harrow in Middlesex, ended up underneath his owner’s motorbike after chewing through the kickstand. Leo didn’t regain full mobility for five weeks.

18.Embarrassment was overcome by fear for one dog owner in Devon. He had to drive his Manchester terrier, Alfie, to the vet after he ate his wig.

19.Junior, a mixed breed from Warrington, put the frighteners up owner, Lindsey South. Whilst out walking, Junior ran off to fetch a stick that Lindsey had thrown for him. When he returned he had an unused firework hanging from his mouth.

20.Berry, a ten month old collie, suffered in the name of football. The family’s eight year old son had put his Manchester city strip on the dog, inadvertently restricting her walking ability. It was only a matter of time before poor Berry went flying down the stairs severely hurting her front leg. The cost of her treatment more than £1,000.

1.Luke, a four year old Doberman from the West Midlands, ran up a bill of more than £215 after a 38 inch leather belt had to be removed from his stomach.

2.Rusty, a Bull Terrier from Kent astonished vets after managing to consume a pair of bicycle handle bars.

3.Mr A Mills of Motherwell, whose Border Collie was not insured, attempted to claim on his home insurance after an accident in his back garden, when he accidentally peppered poor Mandy with air rifle pellets.

4.Following an attack from a pet Burmese python, Rudy’s injuries cost his owners the princely sum of £2,400, plus the loss of the snake.

5.Bayley, a five year old Dachshund from Hinckley in Leicestershire, required urgent attention after snacking on two of his owner’s golf balls.
6.Sian, a three year old mongrel from Swansea, broke her leg after falling from a sit-down lawnmower. This cost Huw Pickering, a retired insurance broker, £2,000 in vet’s bills.

7.Lee Sidney was left in tears after falling on top of his West Highland terrier, Jake, and fracturing two of the dogs ribs during a barbecue at his rugby club.

8.Lincolnshire couple Ruth and Marco LaBrie were charged £216 by the vet that removed assorted nuts and bolts from the stomach of Nelson, their Bassett.

9.Gemma, a miniature Schnauzer from Reading, diced with danger after swallowing a tube of super-glue. A second operation was necessary when the stitches became loose.

10.Gentle giant Mal the St Bernard needed surgery after destroying his gums by trying to clean the remaining bits of potato from a potato peeler at his home in St Helen’s.