Paws & Policies: Choosing the right pet insurance for your puppy or kitten
Waggel & Find Your Paws
Introduction
Find Your Paws is a new online platform that connects mindful dog and cat breeders with responsible buyers; providing a user-friendly website with tonnes of useful features to list your beloved litters or find your new family member. In a world full of pet classifieds we’re proud to offer a more substantial service to users.
A huge part of the pet ownership journey is, believe it or not, insurance. In the haze of choosing your new puppy or kitten, it’s easy to think they’re unlikely to need insurance with being so young. The truth is that pets of any age can benefit hugely from a pet insurance policy. Deciding against insurance leaves you vulnerable to hefty vet bills and an inability to claim from accidents and illnesses, should they arise.
One of the most recommended pet insurance providers is Waggel. Waggel is all about being human and achieves this by making pet insurance simple and personalised. They offer only Lifetime policies and allow you to change both your Claim Contribution (excess) and Annual Limit every year so you can ensure you have a policy in place that suits your budget. Alongside this, they also have a unique membership platform where you can take advantage of deals, discounts and access to free online veterinary care.
Understanding the need for pet insurance
Just like us, our pets’ health can be unpredictable. Whilst we wish we could protect our pets from everything, some things are unforeseen.
Some of the most common claims Waggel sees are for kittens and puppies, meaning when they say to think about pet insurance from the moment you bring home your new addition, they really mean it.
Common risks include:
- Ingestion of harmful substances
- Choking hazards
- Falls and injuries
- Infections
Accidents and sudden illnesses can happen at any time, often requiring emergency veterinary care. The associated costs, including diagnostics, treatment, and potential surgeries, can accumulate rapidly, catching pet owners off guard.
The emotional strain and stress of a poorly pet combined with unexpected vet bills is something no one wants to go through – enter Waggel. With an insurance policy in place, you can focus solely on getting the best treatment for your pet so they can be on the road to recovery in no time.
When to insure your pet
The best time to get insurance is as soon as possible. Fortunately, Waggel insures puppies and kittens from as young as 8 weeks old. This helps to prevent pre-existing conditions from developing. If you were to wait a few years or even a few months to insure your pet, anything they’ve been diagnosed with or you’ve received treatment for in the past is likely to be considered pre-existing, meaning your policy won’t cover it.
Insuring your new pet as soon as possible means you can protect them instantly and make the most of your pet insurance policy.
If you don’t want to commit to a pet insurer just yet, it may be worth exploring temporary insurance. A temporary insurance policy or free trial policy can help you to test the waters before making a final decision.
Temporary pet insurance policies usually last for four weeks after you become the owner of your puppy or from the date you sign on with the policy.
Though it might feel easier to stick with the insurer who offered you a free or temporary policy, don’t forget to consider multiple options before signing up long-term.
It’s not always advisable to stick with the free option when other plans can provide more comprehensive and affordable coverage as well as discounts and rewards! This will help you get the best pet insurance plan in place not only for your peace of mind but also for your puppy or kitten’s needs.
Types of pet insurance offered by Waggel
Searching for the right pet insurance policy can be a bit of a minefield at times. This is why Waggel prides themselves on making things simple. Instead of offering a plethora of confusing policies, they provide just one: Lifetime. This means your pet is continuously covered for the rest of their life as long as you renew your policy each year.
Waggel’s Lifetime policies provide cover for vet bills up to £10,000 including dental care and medication – something lots of providers don’t include in their coverage. Waggel also offer flexible coverage to every customer so each year at renewal you can amend your Annual Limit and Claim Contribution (excess) to best suit your needs. This is just one of the many things that make them a cut above the rest.
Additional benefits of choosing Waggel
As pet owners themselves, Waggel want customers to get the most from their policies even when they’re not claiming. To do this, they’ve created a membership platform and a range of support options.
If you’ve got a question about your claim or policy, why not connect to one of their UK-based veterinary nurses? They’re on hand to answer any queries and are true experts in their field.
The claims process itself is entirely digital and user-friendly, removing the need for you to be placed on hold or wait by the door for an important letter to arrive. Though fear not, if you do need to speak to their team via the telephone, they’ll be more than happy to help.
One of the best things about Waggel is that the Customer Champions who manage the claims side of things keep you informed every step of the way. With Waggel, there’s no being left in the dark. You can log in to your account and track the progress of your claim without any stress or confusion. You’ll also receive an email whenever a decision regarding your claim has been made.
When it comes to unique member benefits, Waggel has it all. Their easy-to-use member platform means that you can gain access to exclusive discounts from independent pet brands every single month.
Included in your Waggel membership is the ability to connect to a vet any time of day with Joii – the online vet care provider. For those with dogs, you’ll also be able to schedule behaviour and nutrition consultations with Junior Hudson of Heal The Dog – a holistic pet service helping owners get the most out of their relationship with their dogs.
What does Waggel cover?
So now you know more about what Waggel provides, what do they actually cover? As a general summary, Waggel policies cover veterinary costs and associated bills for accidents, injuries and illnesses up to your chosen Annual Limit (which can be changed each year). In addition to this, policyholders can also claim up to £1,000 for dental-related treatment as well as £1,000 for complementary and behavioural treatments, if recommended by a vet.
Waggel policies also cover the purchase price of your pet up to £1,000 in the event they pass away, are stolen or go missing during the time your policy is active.
If you own a dog, third-party liability coverage is included in your pet insurance policy. This means you are covered up to £2 million if your dog is responsible for injuring or damaging another person or their property.
While Waggel policies do cover the majority of issues that might occur within your pet’s life, there are some things they aren’t currently able to cover.
Firstly, your pet will not be covered for treatment that occurs within the first 14 days of the policy – this is known as your warm-up period. Though you can’t make claims in this period, you can amend your Claim Contribution and Annual Limit.
Waggel is also unable to offer cover for routine, elective or preventative treatments such as neutering and grooming, for example. This is a very common exclusion amongst UK pet insurance providers.
Pre-existing conditions are currently not covered by Waggel, as mentioned above. These are conditions that occurred before your pet was insured with them. Advanced treatments such as stem cell transplants and gene therapy are also not currently covered along with notifiable diseases.
Though Waggel provides third-party liability coverage, this doesn’t apply to claims made by family or your work, or if your dog has a history of aggression or causes injury to other animals.
Why insurance is important for puppies and kittens
Unfortunately, pets can experience accidents and illnesses no matter their age but with a Waggel policy in place you can rest easy knowing your pet is in safe hands. And after all, who wants to face a hefty vet bill?
Taking out an insurance policy for your pet is a great way of securing peace of mind. With a policy in place, you can give the necessary medical care to your furry friend without worrying about the cost. Because after all, who wants to face a hefty vet bill?
Kittens and puppies are susceptible to various health conditions, accidents, and injuries, which can be costly to treat so it’s best to safeguard their health sooner rather than later.
Pet insurance can cover lots of big, and quite frankly, stressful costs including emergency care, surgery and medication, so you don’t have to choose between your pet’s health and your finances.
By choosing a Lifetime insurance policy from Waggel, you can ensure that you’re prepared for the unexpected and can provide the best possible care for your new friend.
Conclusion
If you’re a new or potential Find Your Paws user, we already know you want what’s best for your pet – because we do too! And though it might not seem like something you need to deal with right now, we highly recommend pet insurance for all the benefits it brings.
Puppies and kittens can get into all sorts of predicaments, so isn’t it better to be prepared? Pets are like family, and we always want to give them the best care possible.
Fortunately, advanced and specialised veterinary treatments have become a lot more widely available but it can lead to higher costs for pet owners. Having a Waggel pet insurance policy in place means you don’t have to second-guess getting your pet the latest and greatest treatments – they’re already covered.
To sum it up, pet insurance is an investment in your pet’s well-being. It makes sure you can always do right by your four-legged friend without breaking the bank.