On this page we provide a list of answers to the common pet insurance plan questions. We are responsive to all new questions regarding insurance cover for your pet. Whether it is cat insurance or cover for your dog, we can help.

If you have a question that isn't listed below, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.

FAQs about our Pet Insurance

Our Maximum Benefit policies can pay up to the policy limit (£1,000, £4,250 or £7,500) for each condition, dependent on the cover selected. There is no limit on the number of conditions you can claim for over the policy lifetime. There is also no time limit on claiming for a condition, however cover for a condition will cease once the Maximum Benefit for it has been reached.

Our Lifetime pet insurance policies can pay up to the annual limit (£2,000 or £4,250) in each period of insurance.  The Lifetime Extra policy is subject to a maximum limit of £1,000 for each condition in each policy year.  The Lifetime Premier policy is subject to a maximum of £3,250 for each condition in each policy year.  There is no limit to the number of conditions you can claim for over the policy lifetime.

Our Accident Only policy can pay up to the policy limit (£1,000) per accident over a 12 month period, subject to you renewing your policy with us and premiums being paid up to date. Cover for an accident will cease once the financial limit has been reached or after 12 months from the date of the first treatment, whichever comes first. There is no limit on the number of accidents you can claim for over the policy lifetime.

Our Maximum Benefit policies will cover your pet for its lifetime up to the maximum amount of benefit for each separate condition (£1,000, £4,250 or £7,500), subject to you renewing your policy with us and premiums being paid up to date.

Our Lifetime policies will cover your pet for its lifetime up to the maximum annual limit (£2,000 or £4,250) and the condition limit of £1,000 per condition pet policy year on the Lifetime Extra or £3,250 per condition per policy year on the Lifetime Premier.

Bronze, Silver and Gold Maximum Benefit policies will cover you for eligible ongoing conditions that start after the inception of your policy, up to the maximum benefit of your chosen level (£1,000, £4,250 or £7,500) and subject to you renewing your policy with us and premiums being paid up to date.  

Our Lifetime policies will cover you for eligible ongoing conditions that start after the inception of your policy up to the annual condition limit of £1,000 on the Lifetime Extra cover or £3,250 on the Lifetime Premier cover with an annual limit of £2,000 or £4,250 dependent on your chosen level. The limits reinstate when the policy is renewed subject to the premiums being paid up to date.

Accident Only Cover provides £1,000 per accident for treatment costs for up to 12 months from the date of the first treatment after your pet is hurt in an accident, subject to you renewing your policy with us and premiums being paid up to date. Please see our Policy Benefits for more details.

Third party liability cover comes as standard for dogs on all our levels of cover.  Cover for this section is up to £1 million with an excess of £250.

We cannot cover any conditions which your pet has had symptoms of or received treatment, medication or advice for at any time prior to the policy coming into force or 12 months prior to inception of your pet insurance and will exclude them at the start of the policy. This will not affect your premium and there is no small print catch with Healthy Pets. See the Specimen Policy for more details.

Healthy Pets plan for the future. We will cover your pet for veterinary fees for its lifetime providing you renew your policy each year!  If you've got an older dog, aged 10 or under, or an older cat, aged 12 or under, we can start a policy for you.  Once your pet is insured with us, we will continue to insure them, subject to you renewing your policy with us and premiums being paid up to date.

There are times when alternative remedies may be viable options. Healthy Pets covers this within our veterinary treatment benefit when recommended by your vet.  Complementary medicine treatment is usually limited to an inner limit as stated on your policy documents.

A company who make communication simple is likely to make claiming easy too. Healthy Pets is run by animal lovers. You can telephone, e-mail or use our online claim form.

We can either pay the policyholder or your vet direct, providing your vet is agreeable to this. Claims are usually assessed within ten days of receipt of a completed claim form.

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 Healthy Pets 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-insurance 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. Co-insurance is commonly used in the pet insurance industry, and it helps us to reduce the cost of your pet insurance premium.

You’ll find information about the fixed excess and co-insurance 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 £500 relating to treatment for your pet for a new condition, firstly the fixed excess is applied - for this example we’ll say it’s £125. Once this has been deducted the remaining amount of £375 would be subject to a co-insurance fee. In this case, you would be responsible for paying 20% of that £375, which is £75, so your contribution for the treatment would be £200 in total (£125 fixed excess + £75 co-insurance fee). The remaining costs of £300 would be covered by your policy, up to any benefit or inner limits.

You then make another claim for £500 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-insurance fee of 20% of the total amount of £500, which is £100. Subject to any benefit or inner limits your policy would then cover the remaining costs of £400.

Microchipping is a great way of ensuring you and your pet are reunited should you become separated.

Dogs over 8 weeks old must be microchipped as per UK law (applicable from April 2016).

From 10 June 2024, cats in England will need to be microchipped by the time they’re 20 weeks old. 

Once your pet is microchipped, owner details should be kept up to date. Further details of how and when to microchip your pet are available at your vets.

We will not offer insurance on any of the following breeds, or any pet crossed with one of these:

Dogs: 

  • African Crested Dog
  • American Bandogge
  • American Bulldog
  • American Mancon
  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • American Staffordshire Terrier
  • Argentinian Mastiff
  • Australian Dingo
  • Bandogge Mastiff
  • Bandogs
  • Boar Hounds
  • Boerboel
  • Bully Kutta
  • Canadian Inuit
  • Canary Dog
  • Cane Corso
  • Cao Fila
  • Chinese Shar Pei
  • Cirneco Dell Etna
  • Czechoslovakian Wolfdog
  • Dingo
  • Dogo Argentino
  • Dogue Brasileros
  • Dogue de Bordeaux
  • Dorset Old Tyme Bulldog
  • Fila Braziliero
  • Grand Bleu de Gascoigne
  • Inuit
  • Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Japanese Tosa
  • Korean Jindo
  • Laika
  • Lybian Desert Dog
  • Mexican Hairless
  • Northern Inuit Dog
  • Old Tyme Bulldog
  • Perro De Pressa Canario
  • Pit Bull Mastiff
  • Pit Bull Terrier
  • Portuguese Podengo
  • Pressa Canario
  • Racing Greyhound
  • Saarloos Wolfhound
  • Segugios Italiano
  • Shar Pei
  • Tamaskan
  • Tosa Inu
  • Utonagan
  • Victorian Bulldog
  • Wolf Dog
  • Wolf Hybrid
  • Working Sheepdog

Cats: 

  • Savannah

Or any animal registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 or the Dangerous Dogs (Northern Ireland) Order 1991 or any subsequent amendments. If you do have any queries regarding a particular breed, do not hesitate to contact us direct and we will be happy to help.

Unfortunately we are unable to offer insurance for any pets that have been used in connection with commercial guard, security work or racing. Similarly, if your pet has shown aggressive tendencies, or if your pet has any pending third party prosecutions we would be unable to insure them.

Get a pet insurance quote

Get a quote