Pets and vets but guess who wins prizes?

Jobs & Money is accustomed to hearing about insurance horror stories. How people pay premiums for years, but are rejected when they claim. How the small print is used to dodge claims, how payouts are delayed.

So recently, when we asked readers to tell us about their experience with pet insurance, a new and fast-growing market where pets mean premiums, we expected the usual tales of woe.

But the feedback from readers and their furry friends is that even an insurance company can be cuddly and loveable.

Some readers expressed concern about the cost of excesses, variations in the level of cover offered by different insurers, and the fact that many exclude older animals or those with ongoing illnesses.

But the overwhelming view was that monthly premiums were low enough to be affordable, and that cover was comprehensive enough to meet most eventualities.

However, the experience of some suggests that not all companies in the market are consistently up to scratch.

One of the pet owners who contacted us, Anna Farlow from London, believes insurance to be a good idea. However, she is concerned that some providers increase premiums when an animal is above a certain age or animals with ongoing ailments - many won't cover animals over eight at all.

Another owner, Jane Fleming, is concerned that recent inflation in vet costs - 11% a year - has been encouraged by the proliferation of insurance cover.

She thinks that pet owners should shop around veterinary surgeries to find one not attached to a single insurer.

In common with other insurance, there appears to be a degree of scepticism about the small print.

But since pet insurance is more likely to be claimed against than any other type of insurance - PetPlan says one in three of its half a million policyholders will claim in any single year - signing up to a good policy could be a very wise move.

National Pet Week begins today and includes 700 events nationwide. Check www.nationalpetweek.org.uk or call 020 8428 7369.

I shopped around and chose Tesco

Jane Fleming, Peterborough

"I have a cat which must have used up most of its nine lives. First it was adopted from a dog kennels - the owner had abandoned it. I had it neutered and vaccinated and insured it with Pet Plan when I took it on. I called it Daf after the trucks.

After I had taken it in, it developed a 'bare nerve' condition that prevented it from eating well, so I went to a vet who knew about this. His quote was more than £200 - which was extraordinary.

I said I wanted another quote from another vet. The second vet said the cat needed an anaesthetic and a small stitch for about £83.

The first question vet number one asked me was whether I had insurance. I think that's wrong. The first thing they should ask is 'What is wrong with your pet?' In my view, just because Daf was insured, the first vet over-quoted.

I switched to Tesco pet insurance on principle because I could choose any vet I wanted but then the cat was run over. Tesco dealt with the vet directly to sort out payment rather than me having to go through the hassle of paying and then claiming it back. This was really good. The actual cost of treatment was hundreds of pounds. Except for a £45 excess, it was all paid for by Tesco.

The vet advised me that as the cat was an old one, I should be aware that PetPlan covers late onset diabetes while some other policies don't. I think its okay for vets to advise on this but I'd be nervous of one tied in to just one insurer."

Making life easier for Muffin the rabbit

Marianne Wilson, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire

"We have insured our rabbit, Muffin, with PetPlan for £4.65 per month for the past four years. We also insured our last rabbit with them.

We are very happy with what they offer and they are always very good to deal with, and our vet, who deals with them on claims, says the same.

One of the things we like is that there is only one excess of £35 in any given year, no matter how many claims are made. And, unlike car insurance, they don't load your premiums the following year if you do make a claim.

It may surprise you, but rabbits can run up enormous bills with dental operations and check-ups, but we have had all three of our claims paid without delay or quibble - even a large backdated one. We didn't realise we could have a backdated payment but because Muffin's condition was congenital, PetPlan paid for it.

Some dental problems are excluded from policies but this is understandable because rabbits often get problems which result from not being looked after properly. Recently we had more than £100 refunded after the rabbit got recurring cystitis. The insurance really is well worth it. We took it out because my mother-in-law had had a good experience. When her puppy died, PetPlan paid for a replacement.

Vet bills are getting more expensive because technology has moved on. And no one wants to be stuck with a big bill they can't afford. I realise the premiums can vary depending on where you live, but overall I think it's good value."

The cat that no-one lese would insure

Sarah Felton, Bristol

"In response to your article on pet insurance, I wanted to tell you how great I have found the insurance for my cat, Pickles, to be. He is insured with JLT in Birmingham and I took out a policy with them because he was an older cat - when he came to live with us, he was 10 and no one else would insure him.

The premiums are just under £6 a month and well worth it. He initially had treatment for bad bouts of sneezing. As I was trying to avoid an anaesthetic, the vet treated him in other ways for about four months.

When the crunch came, and there was no avoiding surgery to find the cause of the illness, the fact that I didn't have to worry about paying the bill, was such a huge relief. Pickles needed X-rays, a drip, a special diet for a month and then treatment for the start of kidney disease, which was discovered at the same time.

The cause of the sneezing was sinusitis and when it became apparent that he was likely to need antibiotics for the rest of his life, I sought the advice of a homoeopathic vet ... and not an antibiotic in sight since.

The total bill (with ongoing treatment for his kidneys) must now be about £1,000. The homoeopathic vet would also have been covered on the insurance if we had had a proper consultation. But as it happened, he was happy to consult over the phone and only charged £10.

I feel that we received very good service from the insurers and that they appear to have paid the bills direct to the vet promptly.

How I solved an age-old problem

Anna Farlow, London

"I decided not to use PetPlan - which is heavily promoted through veterinary surgeries - because I'd heard too many stories about them increasing their premiums at a time when they know it will be difficult to obtain alternative insurance cover. That is to say, when your pet reaches a certain age, or has been diagnosed with a chronic condition.

Last year, my vet's bills in London for treating a cat who had been hit by a car amounted to just over £1,500 - and he had no broken bones which would have incurred heavy orthopedic expenses. I don't know how anyone with a pet can afford this sort of money without insurance. Everyone should have pet insurance. I use Jar dine Lloyd Thompson's Moggies and Mongrels insurance for my 13-year-old mongrel, Digger and four and a half-year-old, Allie (although they have this year vastly increased the excess on Digger's policy to £125 plus 15% of the remainder).

To insure my cat Mishka, I use Petsure, who have likewise, this year, altered their conditions so that pets aged 12 years and over will only be covered for fees up to £1,500.

I asked More Th>n (Royal Sun Alliance's policy) for alternative quotes but they were very, very expensive. To insure Digger with them would cost me £323 a year when my current policy with Thompson is £105.44. It's just so difficult to get affordable insurance for older animals.

I just wish that veterinary surgeries would supply details of all of the insurance companies to increase the competition."