Based on reviews of all products
Cover that’s there for you if your pet is involved in an accident
We know it’s something you’d rather not think about. However, having Accident Only Pet Insurance gives you peace of mind that you have measures in place to try and help you overcome the financial implications of an accident or injury involving your pet, giving you more headspace to focus on their recovery.
Why consider Healthy Pets for an Accident Only policy?
- £1,000 towards accident and injury-related vet fees
- The insurer pays for treatment directly if mutually agreed by you and your vet. Subject to the policyholder paying their excess (and any applicable co-insurance fee) to the vets
- Cruciate ligament cover up to £500 for as long as your policy is in place
- Healthy Pets have over 1,900 5* reviews across all products on Trustpilot as of December 2023
- Connect with fellow pet owners through Facebook, Instagram and X
What benefits does an Accident Only policy cover?
Vet fees – If your pet is involved in an accident or suffers an injury, your insurer will cover the costs up to your agreed cover limit.
Third party liability (dogs only) – If your dog was to injure another dog, injure a person, or damage someone else’s property, your policy would cover you for up to £1,000,000. A £250 fixed excess applies.
Cruciate ligament and bilateral conditions – Common health issues for dogs, expensive surgical treatment is often required to treat ligament degeneration. Accident only insurance covers up to £500 per 12-month policy period. Occurrences in subsequent policy periods will be considered a separate incident.
| Feature/benefit | Accident Only | |
| Vet fees | £1,000 | |
| Cruciate ligament* | £500 | |
| Max fees per condition | £1,000 | |
| Time limit | 12 months from date of first treatment | |
| Max fees per condition for lifetime of pet | £1,000 | |
| Total conditions covered | Unlimited | |
*Included in the overall vet fee limit. Maximum limits shown. Other features, benefits and limitations exist. Please contact us for details.
| Third party liability | ||
| Dog Liability - Personal | £1,000,000 | |
| Dog Liability - Property | £1,000,000 | |
| Excesses (These change dependent on your pets age and are payable each year for recurring conditions) | ||
| Excess starting at £125 | £125 | |
Compulsory Co-insurance % Information on co-insurance is available in the FAQ section of this page | 15 / 20% | |
Age for cats when co-insurance applies Age for dogs when co-insurance applies | 15% -5 years; 20% - 6 years 15% -5 years; 20% - 6 years | |
Excess (All liability claims) | £250 | |
| Exclusion Periods | |
| Initial Exclusion Period - Accidents | 2 days |
Initial Exclusion Period - Illness | 10 days |
Minimum Pet Age for New Customers | 5 weeks |
Maximum Pet Age for New Customers | Dogs - 11 years Cats - 13 years |
FAQs about Accident Only Pet Insurance through Healthy Pets
Accident Only cover can be provided for cats and dogs through Healthy Pets so long as they are 5 weeks old or above. New policies can insure cats up to 13 years old and dogs up to 11 years old.
Unfortunately, Healthy Pets can’t offer cover for horses, rabbits or other pets. Your cat or dog can only be insured for accidents – medical conditions they have or develop can’t be covered. You must also be a UK resident if you wish to take out Pet Insurance through Healthy Pets.
You can check our excluded breed list on our FAQ page.
The cost of Pet Insurance depends on the product and the tier of cover you choose. Other factors which will also be considered include the age of your pet and where you live. Higher tiers of cover than Accident Only will cost more; however, if your pet requires more extensive treatment, you’ll have a broader range of protection available to you. Costs may also vary between veterinary practices and due to the breed of your pet. All of these things combined will impact the amount you’ll be able to claim for an accident.
You are not legally obliged to take out Pet Insurance. However, for pet owners without a policy, vet bills can add up. With that in mind, you may like to consider taking out cover, as it could help towards fees if your pet has an accident.
Exclusions will apply to your Accident Only policy; we have included some below. Further details can be found in your policy wording.
- Claims for accidents within the first 48 hours of the policy start date
- Claims for illness within the first 10 days of the policy start date
- Pre-existing conditions, these are any injuries that happened or illnesses that showed symptoms before your cover started with us
- Death from illness or accident
- Costs related to theft or straying
- Accidents outside of the UK
- Dentistry
- CT/MRI scans or associated costs
Your insurer will normally pay the surgery directly; this is subject to the excess fee being paid to the vet by the policyholder. However, if the invoice has been settled, they will pay you instead.
There are several causes of increased premiums over time. These may include:
- Your pet’s claims history
- Ageing pets
- Vet treatments rising in cost due to complexity
- The cost of living in your area causing vet fees to rise
Yes, please check your policy schedule for the fixed excess and co-insurance (where applicable) that applies to your pet. You can find out more about co-insurance in the answer to the next question.
The fixed excess is the amount you must pay towards treatment for each condition in a policy year when you make a claim. Your insurer will cover the remaining cost of the claim or any other eligible claims for the same condition during that policy period, up to your cover limit. If your pet is treated for the same illness or injury in separate policy periods, the excess will be applied to the first claim in each policy period.
Once your pet reaches a certain age, co-insurance payments will come into effect on your Pet Insurance policy. Check your policy wording each year for details.
Paid alongside your compulsory fixed excess, the mandatory co-insurance payment is an amount you will put towards the cost of your insurance claim. Your co-payment amount may change at renewal, so please make sure to check your schedule for the latest figure when the policy renews, and also if you need to make a claim.
Some policies allow you to include co-insurance from birth if you wish, and others let you choose a different excess. Once co-insurance is added to your cover, it will remain for the duration of the policy.
So, how does it work?
- You put in a claim for £499 to treat your 6-year-old dog for a new condition
- If you have a Maximum Benefit policy you’ll pay a fixed excess of £125, leaving a vet bill of £374
- You then pay a co-insurance of 20% from the vet bill after the fixed excess has been deducted of £74.80
- This means your insurer pays the outstanding balance of £299.20
- In total, you pay £199.80 (fixed excess plus 20% co-insurance payment)
The idea of adding compulsory co-insurance payments to your Pet Insurance policy is to try and help keep premiums lower.
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