What’s Included in Dog Insurance?
Dog insurance can be hard to navigate, and it’s not always easy to see clearly what is and isn’t included. Just like with other types of insurance, taking out a policy for your dog provides important peace of mind.
Ideally, you should arrange the insurance before you bring your puppy home, so that the cover starts as soon as you become responsible for the puppy.
Below, we explain in more detail what dog insurance usually covers and what you should think about when choosing a policy.
What Does “Veterinary Cover Amount” Mean?
When we talk about dog insurance, we’re usually referring to veterinary cover. This is the part of the insurance that reimburses you for the cost of examinations and treatment at the vet. Veterinary insurance can also cover medication, rehabilitation and sometimes other costs.
The veterinary cover amount is the maximum amount you can be reimbursed per year. Insurance companies often offer different packages with different levels of veterinary cover. That’s why it’s important to choose a package that matches your dog’s health, lifestyle and needs.
Which Insurance Company Pays Out the Most?
The maximum compensation you can receive under a dog insurance policy varies between insurers and is often somewhere between SEK 30,000 and SEK 160,000. However, this doesn’t mean you can receive the maximum amount for every type of illness or injury your dog might suffer. There may be limits or special conditions that affect how much you actually get back.
If you choose a lower veterinary cover amount, it may mean you have to pay for some treatments yourself, because the total annual amount is relatively low and applies to a 12‑month period. For example, if you have a dog that needs care and treatment frequently, it’s an advantage to have dog insurance with a higher veterinary cover amount. For many owners, an annual cover level of SEK 80,000 is enough.
What Is Life Insurance for Dogs?
In addition to veterinary insurance, you can choose to take out life insurance for your dog. Life insurance can provide financial compensation if your dog goes missing, is stolen, or becomes so ill or badly injured that it dies or has to be put to sleep.
Life cover may be included in the dog insurance or, in some cases, purchased as an add‑on.
How Do You Know if Life Cover Is Included?
When you visit an insurer’s website, there are usually different packages to choose from. There should be a clear comparison table showing what is and isn’t included in each package.
Life cover can appear as an optional add‑on to the veterinary insurance you choose, or be included in premium packages. You choose the sum insured for the life cover – this amount is usually based on what you paid for the dog, or it can be higher if the dog has gained merits in, for example, competitions or working trials.
Life insurance can also include something known as compensation for loss of function or loss of usefulness. In those cases, you may receive compensation if, for example, a breeding dog can no longer reproduce, or if a working dog such as a hunting dog is injured to the point that it can no longer work.
The Importance of the Excess (Deductible)
You will always pay part of the veterinary costs yourself. Most dog insurance policies have both a fixed and a variable excess (deductible). At each vet visit you pay a fixed excess, and then the variable excess is a percentage of the remaining cost. You can usually choose the level of excess when you take out the policy. If you choose a lower excess, the insurance premium will be higher, but you’ll pay less out of pocket when something happens to your dog.
The length of the excess period also affects how much you end up paying yourself. During one excess period you only pay the fixed excess once. If your dog insurance has a long excess period, you can save quite a bit of money if your dog needs to see a vet multiple times within that period.
Q&A: What’s Included in Dog Insurance?
Does Dog Insurance Cover Dental Care?
Tooth fractures, broken teeth, cracks and similar injuries are usually covered, as long as the fracture wasn’t caused by an underlying disease.
Dental diseases such as caries, periodontal disease, gingivitis and problems related to tartar are normally not covered by insurance. As a dog owner, you can help your dog maintain good dental health by brushing its teeth.
What Do Breed‑Specific Exclusions Mean?
Some insurance policies have breed‑specific exclusions, which means that certain treatments are not covered for specific breeds. In those cases, you won’t receive financial compensation for examinations or treatment relating to excluded conditions.
There may also be special conditions when there is a health programme in place for the breed. All exclusions, limitations and special conditions are set out in the full policy terms, which are usually easy to find on the insurer’s website.
Can You Get Compensation for Dog Rehabilitation?
Sometimes your dog may need rehabilitation after an injury. Common rehabilitation treatments include swimming, coordination training and underwater treadmill. Rehabilitation is included in some dog insurance policies, for example Trygg‑Hansa’s veterinary insurance Dubbel or Trippel.
See Trygg‑Hansa’s dog insurance
How Do You Know What’s Not Included in a Dog Insurance Policy?
Insurers’ websites usually have a clear overview where you can see what is and isn’t included in the dog insurance. You can also compare dog insurance policies using various comparison sites.
