When we bought a gorgeous Labrador puppy for our son’s birthday I decided to take out pet insurance. Little did I realise that this was one of the best financial – and emotional – decisions I would ever make.

Since we live in an area surrounded by natural veld, tick bite fever is a real concern for pets. With this in mind, and on our vet’s recommendation, we signed up with Medi-Pet at her first inoculation when she was eight weeks old.

Five months later our puppy developed a limp. X-rays revealed that it was hip dysplasia – according to our vet , it was “the worst case of hip dysplasia I have ever seen in a puppy.” She was going to require an operation on one hip, and possibly both, at a cost of around R7 000 per hip – which excludes rehabilitation therapy.

A year earlier our neighbour had had to euthanise her dog as she simply could not afford the operation. When I contacted Medi-Pet they confirmed that as it was not a pre-existing condition when we took out the insurance, they would pay all bills up to R25 000.

The vet recommended we first take our puppy to a physiotherapist to strengthen the hip before the operation, as the dog loses a great deal of muscle mass after the op. Once again Medi-Pet paid the weekly physio bills in full – we were paying in R140 per month and the insurance was paying us R1 000 a month. I just wish human cover was as good! After several months of physio our puppy made such good progress that the operation was postponed. She is now three years old and Medi-Pet continues to pay for the ongoing monthly physio treatment she requires in order to remain pain free.

Then about five months ago our dog decided to swallow a rubber ball which got stuck in her intestine. This resulted in an emergency operation as well as a visit on a Sunday night to an emergency vet. Again all the bills, which amounted to nearly R10 000, were paid in full.

Without the cover we would have been faced with some very traumatic decisions. Needless to say, I am a big fan!

How it works

You have to pay the bills upfront and then submit the invoices to your pet medical aid. You are then reimbursed and the money is paid directly into your bank account.

You can get an annual limit of up to R25 000 per pet and any pre-existing conditions are usually not covered or are excluded. The premiums will cost you anything from R175 to R248 a month, depending on the level of cover you take. It is worth comparing different medical aids as some routine costs that are covered by one medical aid may be excluded on a different scheme. For example, Medi-Pet does not cover routine medical care such as annual check-ups, vaccinations, worm/tick/flea control, and spaying or neutering.

On the other hand, Petsure offers you the Hollard Pet Insurance Routine Care Cover Option, which provides you with cover for annual vaccinations and even dental scaling and polishing of your pet’s teeth.

Questions to ask

Some of the questions you should be asking when you take out pet medical aid include:

• What are the exclusions? These would typically include any pre-existing conditions, pregnancy, elective procedures, special foods, behavioural problems, tick paralysis and congenital conditions.
• Are there any age limits? You may find that pets over a certain age are not accepted as new members of a pet medical aid. However, if you take out pet medical aid for a young pet, then that pet will enjoy cover for the rest of its life as long as you pay your premiums.
• Does the pet have to have a microchip? Some pet medical aids insist on the animal being microchipped before they will accept the policy. A microchip ensures that your animal can be identified if it is lost or stolen.
• Who are the underwriters? If the companies that underwrite your pet insurance are large, established players in the market, this carries some reassurance that it is not a fly-by-night scheme. For example, Hollard and Renasa, which are well known in the insurance industry, underwrite the two largest pet medical aid schemes.
• Is there a waiting period? Typically, your cover kicks in 30 days after you take out the policy.
• Can I use any vet of my choice? This is usually not restricted but it is always a question worth asking upfront when dealing with medical schemes.
• What is the excess payable? Some claims may not be paid out 100%. However, the benefit can still be significant, as shown in the table below.

*Actual claim figures supplied by Petsure