Pet insurance can help with the cost of veterinary treatment when your pet becomes unexpectedly ill or injured.
Exactly what’s covered will depend on the type of pet insurance, level of cover and policy terms you choose. Some policies provide ongoing protection for illnesses and injuries, while others are designed for shorter-term conditions or accidents only.
Understanding what is – and isn’t – covered can help you choose a policy that provides the right level of protection for your pet and your budget.
What can pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance is primarily designed to help with unexpected veterinary costs arising from eligible illnesses and injuries.
Depending on your policy, this can include veterinary consultations and treatment, diagnostic tests, surgery, hospitalisation and prescribed medication.
Some policies can also provide cover for other treatments or benefits, such as complementary treatment, behavioural treatment, third-party liability for dogs, emergency boarding fees or costs associated with your pet being lost or stolen.
However, what’s included – and how much you can claim – varies between policies, so it’s important to check the detail rather than relying solely on the headline vet fee limit.
Does pet insurance cover illnesses?
Many pet insurance policies cover eligible illnesses, but the way that cover works can differ significantly.
Scratch & Patch offers three types of insurance that can cover eligible new illnesses: Lifetime, Maximum Benefit, and Time Limited.
With Lifetime cover, your vet fee allowance refreshes each policy year, meaning eligible ongoing conditions can continue to be covered year after year while continuous cover is maintained.
Maximum Benefit provides a set amount towards each eligible condition, which can be used over multiple years until the available amount for that condition is exhausted.
Time Limited provides cover for an eligible condition for up to 12 months from the first date of treatment, or until the applicable financial limit is reached – whichever happens first.
Accident Only insurance doesn’t provide cover for illnesses.
Related guide: What type of pet insurance is right for me?
Does pet insurance cover accidents and injuries?
Yes, eligible accidental injuries can be covered by pet insurance.
This might include unexpected injuries requiring veterinary investigation or treatment, such as wounds, fractures or other injuries caused by an accident.
Scratch & Patch’s Lifetime, Maximum Benefit, Time Limited, and Accident Only policies can all provide cover for eligible accidental injuries, subject to the terms and limits of the chosen policy.
Accident Only insurance is specifically designed for this type of protection and doesn’t provide cover for illnesses.
Are diagnostic tests and scans covered?
Diagnostic tests can be an important part of identifying what’s wrong with your pet and determining the treatment they need.
Eligible diagnostic investigations can be covered as part of your veterinary fee allowance. These could include blood tests, X-rays, and other investigations required to diagnose or treat an eligible illness or injury.
Some specialist diagnostics, such as MRI and CT scans, may have their own inner limit within the overall amount of vet fee cover available.
Related guide: What are inner limits in pet insurance?
Does pet insurance cover surgery?
Eligible surgery can be covered where it’s required to treat an illness or injury covered by your policy.
This could range from relatively straightforward procedures through to more complex operations and associated hospitalisation.
The amount available will depend on your chosen cover level, remaining vet fee allowance and any applicable inner limits, excess, co-payment or other policy terms.
Does pet insurance cover medication?
Eligible prescribed medication required to treat a covered illness or injury can form part of your veterinary fee claim.
It’s worth remembering that the amount an insurer contributes may not necessarily equal the amount charged by your veterinary practice. Insurers can have specific terms relating to medication costs, so these should be checked in your policy documents.
Does pet insurance cover complementary treatment?
Some pet insurance policies can contribute towards complementary or alternative treatments when they’re required as part of the treatment of an eligible condition.
Scratch & Patch cover can include eligible treatments such as physiotherapy, hydrotherapy and acupuncture, subject to the applicable policy limits.
These treatments can have their own inner limits, so it’s important to check how much cover is available under your chosen policy.
Does pet insurance cover dental treatment?
Dental cover varies between pet insurance policies and is an area where it’s particularly important to understand the terms.
Scratch & Patch can provide cover for eligible dental treatment where it’s directly required as a result of an accident or injury, subject to your policy terms and limits.
Routine and preventative dental care isn’t covered, so pet insurance shouldn’t be considered a replacement for looking after your pet’s teeth and attending appropriate veterinary checks.
What else can pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance can offer protection beyond veterinary fees.
Depending on the Scratch & Patch policy selected, additional benefits can include third-party liability for dogs, emergency boarding and pet-minding fees, holiday cancellation, loss and recovery, and death from illness or injury.
Different limits and eligibility requirements apply to these benefits, so always check your chosen policy for details.
Scratch & Patch customers also have access to our 24/7 Vet Careline, providing veterinary advice whenever it’s needed.
What doesn’t pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance isn’t designed to cover every veterinary cost.
For example, Scratch & Patch policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions. This means illnesses, injuries or relevant clinical signs that existed before the applicable cover began may be excluded.
Routine and preventative care – such as vaccinations, flea and worm treatments and routine health checks – isn’t generally what pet insurance is designed to pay for either.
Other exclusions, waiting periods and restrictions can apply, so it’s important to read your Policy Schedule and policy documents to understand the cover you’ve purchased.
Related guide: What is a pre-existing condition in pet insurance?
Will pet insurance cover my entire vet bill?
Not necessarily.
Even where treatment is eligible, several elements can affect the amount ultimately paid by your insurer.
For example, imagine your pet has £5,000 of vet fee cover. That doesn’t automatically mean every eligible £5,000 veterinary bill would be paid in full.
Your contribution could be affected by your excess and any applicable co-payment, while particular treatments may have an inner limit. Costs outside the scope or limits of the policy may also remain your responsibility.
This is why it’s useful to understand all four elements:
Vet fee limit → Inner limits → Excess → Co-payment
Together, they give you a much clearer picture of how your cover could work when you make a claim.
Related guides: How much pet insurance cover do I need? | What is an excess in pet insurance? | What is a co-payment in pet insurance?
How do I know exactly what’s covered?
When comparing pet insurance, don’t look at the headline price or vet fee limit in isolation.
Consider the type of cover, overall vet fee limit, inner limits, excess, co-payment, additional benefits and exclusions together.
Your Policy Schedule and policy wording will provide the full details of the cover you’ve purchased, including the applicable limits, conditions and exclusions.
Choosing the right protection for your pet
Ultimately, what pet insurance covers depends on the policy you choose.
Scratch & Patch offers Lifetime, Maximum Benefit, Time Limited, and Accident Only insurance, providing different ways to protect against unexpected veterinary costs.
Understanding not only what’s covered, but how much is covered and for how long, can help you make a more informed decision about the protection that’s right for you and your pet.
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