Your pet will get older. Their risk of illness will too. Accident-only cover is not enough

For most pet owners, accident-only cover will not provide the protection they’ll want over their pet’s lifetime. It covers eligible accidents and injuries, but not illnesses, and the decision you make while your pet is young and healthy will matter years down the track. Once a medical condition develops, switching insurers or moving to broader cover can become more complicated, as that condition may then be considered pre-existing and excluded from cover.

We’ve seen pet owners come to CoverMy Pet wanting broader protection after starting with more limited cover with other insurers. Our advice? Think beyond what your pet needs today and consider the protection you may want as they get older.

That’s why CoverMy Pet is designed to cover eligible illnesses, accidents and injuries from the start – while keeping premiums affordable over your pet’s lifetime. It’s straightforward protection that helps you plan for the long term, without paying for expensive extras you may not need.

Don’t just think about what your insurance costs today

Accident-only pet insurance can look like a simple, lower-cost option when your pet is young and healthy.

But choosing pet insurance shouldn’t only be about today’s premium.

Think about where you and your pet could be in five or ten years.

Your puppy will become an adult and eventually a senior dog. Your kitten will grow older too. Along the way, their medical history may grow with them.

They might develop skin problems, joint conditions, cancer or another illness that requires veterinary treatment.

And that’s where the type of insurance you chose at the beginning can become much more important.

“I can always change my cover later” – it’s not that simple

You can change pet insurance providers or move from accident-only to accident and illness cover. But changing later doesn’t reset your pet’s medical history.

If your pet has developed an illness, condition, or signs and symptoms before starting a new policy, it may be considered a pre-existing condition and excluded from cover under that policy.

Imagine choosing accident-only insurance for your healthy young dog.

A few years later, your dog develops recurring skin problems (which is VERY common). You realise you’d prefer insurance that also covers illnesses, so you start looking for a different policy.

You can still change providers.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the condition your dog has already developed will be covered by the new insurer.

Suddenly, changing insurance isn’t simply a matter of finding another policy at a better price. Your pet now has a medical history to consider.

Your first pet insurance decision can matter more than you think

This is why it’s worth thinking long-term from the beginning. When comparing pet insurance, don’t only compare the monthly premium or introductory offer. Look at the type of protection you’re actually buying and consider whether it’s the protection you’ll still want as your pet gets older.

Ask yourself:

Does this policy cover my pet if they’re injured?

But also:

Does it cover them if they become ill?

And:

If I want broader cover in a few years, what happens to any conditions they’ve developed in the meantime?

CoverMy Pet is designed around that longer-term thinking, with cover for eligible accidents and illnesses rather than accidents alone.

Accident and illness cover doesn’t have to mean an expensive premium

There’s another reason some pet owners may be drawn to accident-only insurance: the assumption that broader pet insurance must be significantly more expensive.

But that doesn’t have to be the case.

CoverMy Pet was designed to provide the essential protection pet owners may need without loading policies with expensive extras.

In our comparison, traditional pet insurance can cost around 133% more for cats and 300% more for dogs than CoverMy Pet over the comparison period.*

So you don’t necessarily have to choose between affordability and having protection for both eligible accidents and illnesses.

CoverMy Pet focuses on the essentials, including cover for eligible conditions such as cancer, cruciate ligament injuries, paralysis tick, hip dysplasia and skin conditions, as well as eligible accidents and injuries.*

Your pet is healthy today. That’s exactly when to think about tomorrow.

Nobody knows which pet will develop an illness or when.

That’s the point of insurance.

Waiting until your pet becomes sick to think about illness cover can mean the condition you’re now worried about has already become part of their medical history.

That’s why the best time to think about the type of protection you want for your pet isn’t necessarily when something goes wrong.

It’s while they’re healthy.

CoverMy Pet gives you protection for illnesses, accidents and injuries from the start with a model designed to keep pet insurance affordable as your pet gets older.

Always look beyond accident-only cover

Accident-only insurance can suit pet owners who specifically want protection against eligible accidents and are comfortable paying illness-related veterinary costs themselves.

But understand the long-term trade-off before choosing it.

Your pet will get older. Their health needs may change. And changing insurance later may become more complicated once pre-existing conditions are involved.

So rather than simply asking:

“What’s the cheapest policy today?”

Ask:

“What protection do I want my pet to have for the years ahead?”

With CoverMy Pet, you don’t have to choose between protection for eligible accidents or illnesses. You can have both – with straightforward cover designed to deliver serious value throughout your pet’s life.

They’re healthy today. Protect them with tomorrow in mind.