Dog health insurance

If your dog needs surgery as a result of an accident, illness or injury, the veterinary costs are particularly high: cruciate ligament rupture approx. 1600 €, gastric torsion approx. 1200 €, joints approx. 1000 €, bone fractures approx. 1400 €. In addition, there are the costs for a preliminary examination and follow-up treatment. With an OP insurance, you only pay the co-payment specified in your tariff.

Surgery insurance covers the costs of necessary surgical procedures under anaesthesia in case of illness or accident. This also includes the initial consultation and diagnostics, the follow-up treatment and the stay in the veterinary clinic, which is usually limited to 12 to 15 days. As a rule, castration and sterilisation are excluded, exceptions apply only in cases of medical necessity. Breed-specific hereditary diseases as well as elbow and hip dysplasia are often only insured with restrictions or not at all. Most insurances cover veterinary costs up to three or even four times the GOT rate. This is the amount specified in the veterinary fee schedule for each treatment. In the case of complicated treatments or treatments outside office hours, the veterinarian may charge double or triple the rate, and even four times the rate in the case of emergency services.

Dog surgery insurance policies generally include a waiting period, which indicates how much time must elapse between the start of the policy and the first operation for the insurer to cover the costs. It is often one to three months, sometimes with further restrictions. Only in the case of a necessary operation after an accident do most tariffs offer immediate cover.

Dogs can be insured from the age of 8 weeks, with most insurers limiting the entry age upwards to between 5 and 9 years, depending on the insurer. Some insurers do not set a maximum age for entry.

Similar to OP insurances, most insurances have a waiting period of one to three months. There is one exception: Deutsche Familienversicherung DFV offers immediate cover with dog health insurance without a waiting period. However, there is a limitation of benefits for the first two years of insurance.

Dog health insurance protects you against unforeseeable expenses in the event of an accident or illness of your dog and includes various other benefits. The surgery insurance covers the costs associated with an operation performed under anaesthesia, regardless of whether the operation was performed due to an illness or an accident. In contrast, accident insurance only covers surgery and treatment costs resulting from an accident. If you have chosen full cover for your dog health insurance, many other benefits are included in addition to surgery cover, depending on the tariff you have chosen. No matter what you choose: the older your dog, the higher the premium.