Dog Insurance

The cost of your Dog Insurance will depend on several factors, including:

• Age - Older dogs can be more expensive to insure as they tend to need more medical care. If your dog is over a certain age, you will find that there are more restrictions on your policy. Similarly, if your dog has a pre-existing medical condition, expenses related to this will not be covered on your insurance.

• Breed - Sadly, many dogs have ailments that are specific to their breed as a result of inbreeding. For example, dogs with flatter faces like Pugs or Bulldogs tend to have breathing difficulties, and Alsatians may suffer from hip problems. If your breed of dog is unfortunately associated with any health problems like this, they may be more expensive to insure. Similarly, pedigree dogs are more expensive to insure for this reason.

• Your location - Living costs vary across the country, and so do vet bills. As a result, you might get more expensive vet bills in larger cities. This is accounted for in the price of your premium.

No, Dog Insurance doesn’t usually cover microchipping — but be sure to double check in your policy before you book an appointment, just in case. While we do offer cover for non-chipped pets, Swinton Dog Insurance does not cover the cost of microchipping your dog.

Sometimes, microchipping is a requirement for Dog Insurance. In this case, not having this done could invalidate your policy. 

Microchipping is now a legal requirement for all dogs in the UK. Under the microchipping law that came into effect in April 2016, all puppies must be microchipped and registered by the time they’re eight weeks old.

• Pre-existing conditions — this includes anything your pet has, has had symptoms of, or has had medication for or advice from a vet about
• Everyday checkups and treatments — for example, vaccinations, flea treatments, grooming and nail care, neutering or blood and urine tests
• Dental treatments — if they could have been prevented through regular checkups
• Any treatments not prescribed by a vet
• Costs associated with pregnancy or giving birth

For full details of all exclusions, please refer to the policy wording.

If your pet falls ill or is injured and needs treatment by a vet, this will be covered in your Dog Insurance policy (exclusions apply — check your policy wording for details). 

Your dog will also be covered for complementary treatments including physiotherapy, osteopathy, hydrotherapy, and behavioural problems caused by injury or illness.

The excess or co-payment you will be required to pay following a claim for treatment is based on the age of your pet:

• For dogs under 5 years old you will pay a fixed excess. This will be either £99 or £139 depending on the breed.
• For dogs aged 5 years or older you will pay a fixed excess and a 20% co-payment fee.

Fixed Excess: This is the amount you must pay for each separate injury or illness in each policy year when you make a claim for your pet. Your Swinton policy will cover the remaining cost of the claim or any other eligible claims for the same condition within that year, up to the benefit limit. If your pet receives treatment for the same injury or illness in separate policy years, then we will apply the excess to the first claim in each policy year.

Co-Payment fee: This is the portion of the vet fees that you are responsible for paying, in the event of a claim, once any fixed excess has been deducted for dogs aged 5 years or over. Co-payment is commonly used in the pet insurance industry.

You’ll find information about the fixed excess and co-payment fee that is applicable for your pet each policy year in your schedule of insurance. These amounts may change at renewal so it’s important to check your schedule should you need to make a claim.

Here’s an example of how it all works

Let's say you make a claim for £499 relating to treatment for your 6-year-old dog for a new condition, firstly the fixed excess is applied - for this example we’ll say it’s £99. Once this has been deducted the remaining amount of £400 would be subject to a co-payment fee due to the age of your dog. In this case, you would be responsible for paying 20% of that £400, which is £80, so your contribution for the treatment would be £179 in total (£99 fixed excess + £80 co-payment fee). The remaining costs of £320 would be covered by your policy, up to any benefit or individual treatment limits.

You then make another claim for £300 for further treatment related to the same condition in the same policy year. In this scenario there would be no fixed excess to pay as the claim is related to the same condition, so you would be responsible for paying the co-payment fee of 20% of the total amount of £300, which is £60. Subject to any benefit or individual treatment limits your policy would then cover the remaining costs of £240.

Yes, the insurance policy will cover your dog’s dental care if it’s the result of an accident or injury. However, it doesn’t cover dental treatment due to illness or routine preventative dental care. Cover limits apply.

Sadly, a lot of dogs suffer from health problems, some of which are hereditary or associated with particular breeds. Examples include respiratory conditions, cruciate disease, and arthritis.

In most cases, we’ll pay the vet directly. However, if you’ve already settled the invoice yourself, we’ll pay you instead.

With Swinton Classic Pet Insurance, your dog will be covered if you take it abroad. Included is:

• Vet fees abroad
• Holiday delay or cancellation
• Maximum trip length per year (varies depending on the cover you’ve chosen — check your policy)
• Cost of emergency accommodation for up to 14 days (check your policy)

However, the policy does not cover: 

• Accommodation and expenses for more than one person
• The treatment of illnesses which were known of before travelling
• Travel outside of the EU

Please note that travel cover is not included in our Essentials policy.

Although many insurance companies will not cover pre-existing medical conditions within your policy, this won’t prevent your dog from being insured altogether. However, you should declare this condition so that your policy is not invalidated. 

With Swinton Pet Insurance, dogs with pre-existing medical conditions can be covered for future accidents and injuries, but not for treatment of the pre-existing conditions themselves. Please refer to your policy wording for full terms and conditions.

To make a claim on your insurance, please visit our claims page. Be sure to have your insurance documents to hand to reference your policy number and anything else you may need.