Pet Insurance cover for Boarding Fees

Most owners are aware that pet insurance is available to cover the costs of vet bills when their pet is unwell. However pet insurance can also cover the cost of someone else caring for your pet if you are ill or injured and need to be admitted to hospital.

To find out if your pet’s insurance policy will cover boarding fees you need to check your insurance policy documents. Not all insurance offers the same levels of cover, so you need to check the small print of the policy carefully. You are looking for the terms regarding boarding fees or hospitalisation cover. Here are some of the most common pet insurance term and conditions:

Amount of Boarding Fees Covered

Pet insurance policies vary a great deal; some may cover hundreds of pounds of boarding fess, some none at all. If you policy includes cover, there will be a set limit per year and possibly a set daily limit. You may also need to cover the excess of your insurance policy before making a claim.

Insurance Policy Conditions

You should check the conditions you need to meet to make an insurance claim in advance, as they may affect your choice of boarding. Some common conditions and points to check are:

• A restriction on where you board your pet, such as a requirement to use a licensed boarding cattery or kennel. Most insurance companies will not pay towards a friend or family member caring for your pet.
• A minimum period of hospital admittance, for example more than 4 days.
• If the hospital stay is for a condition that you had before you took out the pet insurance policy you may not be covered.
• Check the type of facilities they count as ‘hospitals’, for example a nursing home or rehabilitation centre may not count.
• Some reasons for hospital admittance may be excluded such as pregnancy.
• Some insurance policies will cover both the owner and their partner’s hospital admittance.

Making an Insurance Claim

Insurance companies will require proof of both your hospital stay and your boarding fees. Check the claim form for details; it’s likely to include:

• A receipt from the boarding establishment listing the dates your pet was boarded and the costs incurred.
• A letter from your doctor listing the dates of your hospital stay and a statement that the reason for it is not on the list of excluded conditions.