Hi all

My dad has got a new puppy a Giant schnauzer and his 4 weeks free insurance with pet plan will be coming to an end in tow weeks and he's got a few qoutes and is unsure which to pick so thought I would ask on here. Friends have recommended vetsure, more than and PDSA. The 4 weeks free is with petplan and these are the qoutes he's been given all the qoutes are for the covered for life or lifetime option on all qoutes.

Vetsure- £98.00 a month and vet fees are £5000 per condition.

More than - £98.38 a month and vet fees £12000 a year ( £4000 per condition \ illness )

PDSA - £67.89 a month and vet fees £8000 a year

Petplan - £182.65 a month and vet fees £12000 a year

So he's unsure which to choose and if any are enough cover for a giant schnauzer.

Which would you pick or any recommendations of good insurance company's?

The vet she's with is a vetsure approved vet clinic?

I would have said Petplan without question but the quote seems very high.
Petplan tends not to raise the price unduly on renewal, more often or not the ones that start out cheaper become very expensive within a few years.

I was shocked as I thought it was high to but he did a quote online with petplan and for a giant schnauzer who is female, not neutered ( obviously as she's on 10 weeks old) , came at £182 like I said. Shocking really.

The petplan qoute is not a renewal it's the qoute for his first year insuring her.

Wow they all seem high. Ours works out to be thirty something a month, it's three hundred and something a year, lifetime cover.

Forgot to mention that his vet , and neighbor both have told him to to stay with petplan because petplan might seem expensive in the first year of insuring compared to others but they don't charge double at renewal as his vet said that petplan at renewal tend to charge around £5 more each month at renewal were other companies charge double.

Anyone have any idea why petplan is charging so much?

She's a healthy 10 week old Giant schnauzer puppy , and he lives in Staffordshire? And this is for covered for life plan the £12000 one?

I was with more than with my girl for a couple years as we had planned a litter and the animal friends who she was with won't touch dogs used for breeding when more than allow 2 litters. But the third year I cancelled it as the price hike was ridiculous, they wanted an extra £100 and we hadn't even made any claims! We went back to our previous insurer, much better price and when I've had to claim on them in the past found them great, although I know some who don't like them.

> Anyone have any idea why petplan is charging so much?

Breed and location can greatly effect insurances price.

Ok so I just did a quote for him on petplan and it said £162 a month , he did his qoute a few days ago.

I would have recommended Petplan too but was also surprised to see such a high premium.  However, with Petplan there is usually a choice of plan.

Are all the quotes "like for like"?  It's important to make sure you get cover "for life".

I notice your father's quote is for £12,000 vet cover per year which is a very high level.  Have you explored a quote for cover for a lesser amount?    As I recall there are usually options for cover up to lesser (but still good ) amounts - e.g. £7k.  Might be worth double checking exactly what the £12k covers and you may decide that you are satisfied with slightly less cover at a cheaper premium. 

I have always found Petplan very good - and as others have said I have not experienced them hiking the costs year after year - but yes, area and breed do significantly affect premiums.

Have a look at the supermarket ones, nfu, direct line and also brought by many.
All are very good too.

The covered for life £7000 would be £113 a month and the £4000 would be £97 a month.

I’ve insured mine with Petplan lifetime policy with a limit of £7000 which seemed a suitable amount and we are currently paying about £42 a month for a five year old golden retriever.

I am with the Kennel Club and premium is very reasonable and they paid out within 3 days when my boy ruptured his cruciate ligament.  (they paid direct to my vet) . Also considering that we had made a claim the renewal didnt go up by much at all.

I just did a qoute Jodi for a golden , kept all my dad's details the same and the only thing I changed was breed I put a golden retriever instead of a giant schnauzer and the qoute said £58 a month for £12000 cover , the £7000 cover like what you have Jodie is the same £45 a month so just £3 more than your paying now.

I wonder why giant schnauzers are so more expensive than a golden , as there's a £124 difference between the tow.

I'm amazed too, it seems really odd to be so much more expensive. They are not a breed I know a great deal about, are they prone to anything in particular?

Them figures are wrong sorry I was supposed to Wright , £12000 cover £51 and £7000 cover £39.  Sorry I read them wrong.

I'm not sure as I don't know much about them either I just know my dad said they are a breed that to end up at the vets a lot.

I just text my dad and he said Giants are prone to....

1) enzyme disorder called Low RBC Thiopurine Methyltransferase (TPMT)
2)Symmetrical Lupoid Onychodystrophy ( a disorder in the toenail)
3) heart disease and other heart defects
4)Thyroid problems
5)skin allergies
6) Epilepsy
7) Blood disorders
8)Hyperuricosuria ( bladder stones)
9)Skin cancer
10)patellar luxation
11)hip and elbow displasia
12)bloat
13) eye problems

I think I know why there expensive now.

I chose pet plan after using a number of others over the years and finding  various issues Including having to seek ombudmams help and  winning the  case against animal friends
have a word with vip4u specialist  insurance brokers .they are very good at giving u decent companies to consider that suit your situation

Some breeds like the extra large and giant breeds and a set breeds are in the higher price bracket.

In 2009 i got a petplan quote and not for the highest policy for a Bernese aged 8 weeks and that came in at £75.
Looks like GS are in the higher price bracket.

Interesting , I did a qoute for the Bernese too and for the £12000 cover it was the same as a giant schnauzer £182.

Put the money in a separate Bank Account!!   Not that interest rates are anything to talk about these days - but why 'save' with an insurance company who not only will wriggle out of paying if they can, but are NOT there for you!   They are there to make money, which clearly they do.   And what are the excess figures for those quotes?   I think you'll find that unsurprisingly, most are about the same as a 'normal' vet visit.   So you end up paying that horrendously high figure (Pet Plan) + the vet visit cost!!    Buy well, feed and rear well, exercise sensibly = you shouldn't have a high vet bill.   And if you have vets like I've had over the years, most will allow stage payments if you hit a bad patch.

We never insured our hounds when we ran numbers - pointless.   Now down to just two, a Whippet and a Basset, I took quotes - nearly died .... I wanted insurance, not to buy the company.

I'd also look at Agria and the Kennel club Insurance which they run.

It's important to see who the underwriters are.  Not much use to get lifetime Insurance and then the company no longer offering Insurance a few years down the line, as has happened in the past.

Although having a savings pot works for some remember  u only need one large claim to wipe that out and more.i would not have been able to give mine the care i  wanted or they  needed without insurance .however if u choose the savings route don't forget to get 3rd party insurance.  easiest is to join the dogs trust as it's included in their membership .

Wow, £162 a month (Petplan), the first insurance quote that makes £150 for a 13 year old Basset with multiple problems seem reasonable.
He was with the Kennel Club for all his life.

About 5 yrs ago I tried Petplan to get a quote for 'lifetime cover' for Zuma, had problems and thought it was a glitch on their site, I rang them and got told -
We wouldn't be able to give you cover .... He is a GSD over SIX years old

That's a crazy amount of money from petplan,  but is clearly based on their experience of giant schauzers. My silkens aren't insured but out of curiosity I ran a petplan quote for a silken pup, covered for life £38.84 ultimate, 28.09 for the classic+ and 24.12 for classic, so they can be reasonable for some breeds.

I have no expereince of them but have a look at bought by many they deem to be getting popular.  Np idea what the claims experience is though which in any insurance is the crux of the matter.
I an with pet plan for  my 7 year old flattier euth an exclusuin on her allergies at £89 per minth after her pre.iums went up to £300 per month with animal friends