I know this has been done over and over, but I would appreciate some clarification. I am getting puppy in July and have been researching canine insurance/costs/cover etc. I really need help from experienced owners in making a decision on what policy I should go for once I have my new puppy.

I have summerised the ocver and the costs below (I am so sorry for the long thread!) but it is very hard to make a decision without hearing the opinions of experienced owners and breeders. All the quotes take into account where I live (the south east) and the breed of dog (German Shepherd):

Marks & Spencers:

Up to £7,000 veterinary fees each year (An excess of £40 to £80 and 15% of claim may apply depending on pet and location.)
Pay a small additional premium to remove your policy excess for pets aged 8 and under Up to £750 for complementary treatments
Up to £2m third party liability Upto £1,500 for accidental death Up to £1,000 for death by illness Up to £1,500 theft or straying Up to £1,000 for advertising costs Up to £500 reward costs
Up to £750 for emergency kennels
Up to £2,500 holiday cancellation Free pet travel cover Free Helplines

Total cost: £166.22 per year

Pet Plan:

Vets Fees:  £4,000 P/A
Third Party Liability: 1 million
Boarding Fees: £250 p/a
Advertising & Reward: £250
Death from illness: £1000
Death from accident: £1000
Theft or Straying: £1000
Holiday Cancellation: £1000

Total cost: £312.29 (monthly = £34.90)

More Than:

Veterinary fees: £6000.00
Advertising and reward: £600.00
Boarding fees: £600.00
Missing, stolen or accidental death to your pet: £600.00
Fatal illness before 11 years old: £600.00
Public liability: £1 million
Bereavement counselling
24hr free phone Included
Missing Pet Bureau 1 year free membership Included

Total cost: £203.88

Tesco:

Veterinary Fees Cover: Each condition is covered for 12 months from its onset, up to a maximum of £2,500.
Accidental Death: Reimbursement of the purchase price should your pet die as a result of an accidental injury.
Theft or Straying: Up to £500 towards advertising expenses. Reimbursement of the purchase price if your pet is not recovered within 45 days.
Boarding: Up to £500 towards boarding your pet if, unexpectedly, you have to go into hospital and stay for more than 4 consecutive days.
Holiday Cancellation & Curtailment: Up to £1,000 towards non-recoverable expenses should you have to cancel or cut short your holiday, either during or within 7 days of departure, due to your pet becoming lost or needing emergency life-saving treatment.
Third Party Liability: For dogs only. Cover for damage or injury your dog causes, for which you are legally responsible as the person in charge of the pet, up to £1,000,000. Excess £250 for property damage claims.
Pet Travel Cover: Extends the cover above for trips to countries included in the Government´s Pet Travel Scheme. Cover is for a maximum of 30 days per trip and 3 trips per 12 month period, and is only valid if all the criteria of the Pet Travel Scheme are followed. Choosing this cover gives you:
Quarantine Costs - Reimbursement up to £1,500 should the microchip fail or if, due to an illness your pet has to go into quarantine.
Loss of Health Certificate - Reimbursement up to £250 towards the cost of a replacement pet ´passport´ should this be lost during your holiday.
Repeat Tick and Worming Treatment - should the original treatment need repeating due to the transport company delaying your return travel.
Emergency Expenses - Up to £300 towards accommodation, transportation or repatriation of you under certain specified circumstances.

Total cost: £12.10 per month

I know the RSPCA also provide pet insurance, but I was unable to get an online quote from them. Just to add to this information, I would not be breeding in the future, and am purchasing a puppy as a loved family pet. I live near a town and there is a road outside my house, but the front of the house is secure with surrounding walls and a gate. The garden is also going to be fully securred before we bring the puppy home.

I am just looking for people's experiences and advice regarding the outlined policies, or if anyone can suggest other insurers I should look into. Thanks xx

I'm in the same boat - currently undecided between M&S and More Than.  Wasn't keen on some of the others due to the cover only being for 12 months per condition, whereas M&S and More Than are unlimited.

Pet Plan was a bit too expensive for me and didn't really offer anything that the cheaper ones didn't. 

I'm currently wavering towards More Than.

I feel the same as you about More Than. I was shocked at the cost per year, particularly considering they are not offering much more than other plans. I have heard good things about Marks & Spencer, but was hoping for some feedback from experienced owners and breeder - I guess we will both have to wait and see what people say!

Are you getting a puppy or a new dog soon then?

Well I have 2 dogs insured with Tesco which costs 18.51 a month. I took this out last May when Sam was 3 months old. Last Oct he was very poorly after eating stones so he was operated on because of that,then he had a hygroma the size of an apple on his neck at the end of Dec, probably as a result of an injection. In Feb he went for his 2nd walk off the lead and managed to cut his pad v badly so he had to have that stitched up. This week he had the head of a tick removed. I must say Tesco Insce have been absolutely brilliant. I don't think another company would insure him now.
Ange

The only problem with TESCOS (and its a big problem) is that they only cover a condition for up to 12 months  and so if your dog has an on going illness cover will stop after 12 months
I am with M&S and although have never had to claim their cover is fantastic for the price
Archer

Be careful as MT hiked my pet insurance from £22 per month and wanted just over £40 a month!!
I decided to cancel my policy with them.

A friend recently has had this happen to her dog, they were charging approx £40 per month
and now want £60 per month!

I know both the above dogs are now classes as veterans Moo nearly being 7 yo (policy renewal was
when she was 6 1/2 yo) and the friends dogs is nearly 8yo. We both live in different postal code regions.

Have you seen Pinnacle insurance for pets?

I could not decide so I have one with Sainsbury's at £10.00 a month and one with m&s at about the same price, both seemed about the same in benefits and both had good write ups.

I'm with Sainsburys and pay £13 a month (for a Leonberger) and its a for life policy. PPand MT wanted £30. TOOOO expensive!!!!

Hi Nannyogg
I have just taken out a policy for my cat on this one and intent to insure our pup with them too when we get him in a couple of weeks. I like the fact that all of its net profits are donated to animal welfare charities

Also the policies are pretty varied depending on what you want I have taken out the Gold Standard as although there is a limited payout per conditon per year, it does cover it for life:

http://www.animalfriends.org.uk/pet_insurance_dog_to_8.html
I was with Pinnacle insurance who have the same prinicple covering for life but they are pretty pricey.
Hope this helps :-)

I have all mine insured with The Kennel Club.  Can't rate them highly enough. Our boys have cost a fortune and Kennel Club have been fantastic and don't put time limits on illness's and they pay v. quickly

Don't go just on price. We are with Pet Plan and our 13 month old Bichon has just had surgery for correction of a heart murmer. The vet and the Edinburgh veterinary hospital billed them direct without us having to pay upfront then claim back. Many vets do this for Pet Plan because they settle claims quickly, but may not do the same for other insurance companies. Check with your local vet.
Regards and Good Luck

just what I was going to say. :-) My vet only claims from 8 companies direct and there are some they refuse to deal with as they just don't pay out. Mine are with Petplan, they aren't the cheapest but they do pay with no problems. The best thing to do is ask your vet and then make a decision as if you cannot pay the bill yourself this would certainly limit your choice of company. They paid out for treatment for a dog that I eventually lost to cancer, but one thing I never had to worry about was whether I could afford the treatment. Some companies don't pay out for hereditary conditions, HD for example and some don't pay for behaviourists or complementary medicine or chiropractors or swimming the list is endless. You have to decide what you need from a company and not make a decision based solely on price :-)

One of the vets in my area refuse to claim insurance direct full stop, needless to say I stopped using them as I felt they didn't trust people to be honest.They wouldn't even phone the insurance companies to check that premiums were up to date.

Please check with your vets what their policies are on insurance claims first!!

i'm with Virgin Pet Insurance and they are very good, but very rare! They cover for over 12 months and so far I have no complaints. My other dog is with Direct Line and to be honest they are rubbish! So he's changing to Virgin asap.