Pet Insurance for Spitz
The Best Pet Insurance for Japanese Spitz?
It’s a total minefield, we know. It’s one of the first and most common questions we get continually asked in our group when new puppies arrive. With over 4 years in Pet Insurance here’s my top tips and (unbiased or neutral) recommendations when it comes to picking insurance for your Spitz.
1. Only ever purchase Lifetime Coverage
The type of policy your purchase will make a huge impact on your coverage and your annual spend limit. Simply put Lifetime coverage is the best policy out there and the others usually have a range of loop holes to catch you out. It means what it says, lifetime - to cover your pet for the duration of its life and renewing your annual limit per year.
The loop? As with all insurance, if you cancel your first lifetime policy (due to possibly increase in price or whatever reason) you can be left with pre-existing conditions on your pets record. It’s best to try and stick with the original insurance company if you can!
2. Know your Annual limit & your excess
Currently the highest Annual Limit for pet insurance (in the UK) is £15,000 per anum with Bought By Many. This essentially means how much you can claim in one year for your Spitz veterinary treatments and conditions. This might seem excessive at first, but if you are looking at your Spitz having chronic conditions such as Cancers - this can add up. The average price of tumour removal in the UK coming in at (£942.00 during 2020) and the highest 10% of tumour removal coming in at (£2,730.00) remember this doesn’t necessarily include on going after care afterwards such as recovery and physiotherapy.
Your excess can change the price of your monthly price on your insurance, so please double check what works best for you. It is always worth claiming for anything (even if the treatment is less than your excess, exception of routine vet checks, vaccinations etc). The reason I state this is Insurance companies have access to your pets medical records & in this instance, claiming can lower the amount of excess you pay on the same condition within the same year.
The loop? Some insurance policies have a claim contribution limit at a certain age. For example paying 20% of a claim PLUS your excess when your pup reaches a certain age. Always check your terms and conditions and work out if this is a more viable option for you. Opting for this can sometimes lower your monthly premiums.
3. Coverage limits & terms and conditions
I can’t emphasise enough to read, read and ask everything regarding your terms and conditions. Although many insurance policies will have an annual limit, there are also sub limits to be aware of. Let’s say you have an annual limit of £15,000 as an example, many brands will have sub limits for example only £1,000 of that £15,000 can be spent on dental per anum or complementary therapies (such as behavioural training). Double check and check again, if in doubt feel free too ask our group who have a wealth in experience in spotting the subtle wordings!
4. Know your breed bias
It always helps to know your breed and what Spitz are prone to. Although they are relatively healthy breed, they are prone to certain problems such as - allergies & luxating patella. We always recommend asking your breeder for the parents Luxating Patella scores - as this can help reduce and give confidence in the best breeding for your puppy. It’s always best to check in with your vet too and make sure none of these become pre-existing conditions or considered congenital before purchasing your policy.
5. How pricing is worked out
You’ll find pricing always varies when it comes to pet insurance and your policy might be cheaper or more expensive in comparison to your dogs sibling or another in the group. Know that pet insurance policies counter in the following things:
Breed of your pup
Age & sex of your pup
Possibly neutered or spayed or unneutered/unspayed
Your postcode/address and location
The Loop? Yes the following things can all increase or decrease the cost of your insurance policy. Why? It’s all abut a matter of risk, they use a huge algorithm to work this out and most notably your address can influence the average pricing of veterinary bills. Your monthly premium will change to reflect this.
6. Why cheapest isn’t always the smartest
It may seem tempting to go for the cheapest option with the highest coverage, after all why should you pay more when your puppy is currently young and healthy? Now if you don’t know about pet insurance… you must have heard the stories of huge “increases” or “jump ups” in pricing after your pup reaches a certain age or even after you’ve claimed. That’s right all of a sudden your premium has increased by 30% or more just because your pup has turned 3 or 6 or 8.
This is the way in which insurance factors for the higher risk of claiming as your pup ages - it’s also the way insurance brands lure you in. By offering you the cheapest option up front then increasing your policy leaving you outraged and possibly trapped into paying this price (if your pup has claimed for certain conditions or chronic issues) leaving you with pre-existing if you were to leave.
Sometimes cheapest isn’t best - it’s better to look for a brand with a good reputation, great reviews and consistency in not upping their premiums purely because they are offering you an fair price upfront.
**Our members recommend the following brands they use the most: Bought By Many, Waggel, Agria/Kennel Club
If in doubt, please do not hesitate to contact the group and ask questions!