Dog Insurance

You can start Post Office Dog Insurance from 8 weeks up to their 8th birthday. However, for certain breeds of dogs (see below), insurance can start from 8 weeks up to their 5th birthday.

Dog breeds: Beauceron, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Estrela Mountain Dog, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Old English Bulldog, Old English Sheepdog, Poodle (Standard), Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Shar Pei, St Bernard, Standard Poodle, Tibetan Mastiff, Utonagan.

Once insured, you may continue your dog’s cover for life, provided you continue to pay your premiums.

Contact the rescue centre, as most reputable centres will vaccinate their dogs and should be able to tell you for certain. If they haven’t vaccinated your dog or don’t know its vaccination status, we recommend taking it to the vet. They’ll be able to tell you what course of action is recommended.

This is the most comprehensive form of Dog Insurance and offers vet fees cover up to a maximum amount, which is reinstated each year. If your dog develops a long-term chronic illness such as diabetes or an ongoing skin condition, provided it didn't pre-date the policy, it'll be covered for the rest of your dog's life.

Dog insurance policies vary. A Post Office Dog Insurance policy will typically cover:

• vet fees
• death from an accident or illness
• holiday cancellation in the event your dog is unwell
• advertising fees and reward money if your dog goes missing, is stolen or strays
• boarding fees if you have to stay in hospital
• overseas travel
• access to a veterinary helpline

You’ll find more information on the levels of cover for each of the above and exclusions in the policy document.

Yes, we can’t cover certain types of dog. This includes any dog that must be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 and The Dogs (Muzzling) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1991.

We also don’t cover any of the following breeds, including crossbreeds:

American Bulldog, American Indian Dog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American Bully, Bandog, Boerboel, Bully Kutta, Canary Dog, Cane Corso, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Dingo, Dogo Argentino, Dogue Brasileiro, Fila Brasileiro, Gull Dong, Husky Wolf Hybrid, Irish Staffordshire Blue Bull Terrier, Irish Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Pit Bull Terrier, Saarlooswolfhound, Tosa, Tosa Inu, Wolf Hybrid, Wolfdog, XL Bully

If you buy a policy from 25 June 2024, the following breeds and crossbreeds of dog are covered, except for third party liability:

Akita, Cirneco dell'Etna, Dogue de Bordeaux, Japanese Akitas, Korean Jindo, Mexican Hairless, Neapolitan Mastiffs, Northern Inuit/Eskimo Dog, Portuguese Podengo, Seguguio Italiano

If you bought a policy before 25 June 2024, Akitas, Japanese Akitas and Neapolitan Mastiffs and crossbreeds of these dogs aren’t covered for third party liability.

Yes, and it will depend on several factors, like your dog's age, breed and the condition being treated. If you have a Lifetime policy, your excess will be fixed for each yearly period and reviewed annually. Your fixed excess could change if your circumstances change during a fixed period (e.g., moving to a new area).

Up to the time your dog is 5 years old or 8 years old, depending on its breed, your excess will be a defined amount that we'll tell you following each annual review. After this time, it will change to a newly defined amount or a percentage of your contribution – whichever is greater.

In every instance, we'll write to you to let you know a year in advance of the change.

The dog breeds for which your excess calculations change at five years old are Beauceron, Bernese Mountain Dog, Bulldog, Bullmastiff, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Estrela Mountain Dog, Giant Schnauzer, Great Dane, Irish Wolfhound, Leonberger, Mastiff, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Old English Bulldog, Old English Sheepdog, Poodle (Standard), Pyrenean Mountain Dog, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rottweiler, Shar Pei, St Bernard, Standard Poodle, Tibetan Mastiff and Utonagan.

The way claims are processed depends on how they are submitted.

Claims submitted by your vet in Vet Pawtal go through the following steps:

1. Claim submitted: Once your pet has received treatment, your vet will submit the claim in Vet Pawtal. 
2. Claim received: Your vet will have provided us all the information, medical records and invoices to process the claim.
3. Pending approval: Our assessors will review the claim and come to a decision. On average, it takes 5 days to assess a claim.
4. Claim processed: Once your claim is processed, we’ll let you know the outcome. 

When you submit a claim in My Account Pet, it goes through 5 steps before it’s completed. Our summary below outlines our online vet fees claims process:

1. Claim submitted: Once your pet has received treatment, you can submit your claim. All you will need to do is answer a few questions, give us your vet's details, and tell us who we need to pay.
2. Awaiting vet completion: We'll contact your vet to confirm the treatment and costs. On average, vets come back to us in 8 days, depending on your vet. We'll chase your vet at days 5, 10, and 15 if we haven't had a response.
3. Claim received: Your vet will have supplied us with information we need to move forward.
4. Pending approval: Our assessors will review the claim and come to a decision. On average, it takes 5 days to assess a claim, but sometimes this can take longer if we need more information.
5. Claim completed: Once your claim is fully assessed, we'll let you know the outcome. If you submit a paper vet fees claim form, the process is different and can take longer. Once you’ve downloaded and completed your part, you will need to pass it to your vet to fill in. Once they have completed their section, they will post it to us to review.

If your claim is submitted via Vet Pawtal or in My Account Pet, you can track it straight away in our Claims Tracker. For paper claim forms, you will only be able to see their progress in the Claims Tracker once we’ve received it and uploaded the information to our system.

If you’re signed up for SMS, we’ll also send you text messages with claim updates.

For customers who receive their documents in the post, we’ll keep you updated by letter. However, if your claim was submitted by your vet in Vet Pawtal, we will update you with text messages and emails because Vet Pawtal claims can be processed so quickly. Please be aware, this doesn’t affect your chosen preferences for all other communications.

Visit our Pet Insurance support page

No, we're unable to cover pre-existing conditions that are known before you take out your policy.

When you get a quote, we’ll ask if your dog has seen a vet for any reason other than their annual health check, routine vaccinations or other preventative care. We’ll request a few details about their condition from you and your vet and explain what we’ll cover and any exclusions that might apply on the policy.