We're going to pick up our first puppy next weekend - Is it advisable to take out insurance?

Most of the ones I've looked at seem to have an excess of £99. Am I likely to get many bills much more than that in a young dog?

What breed puppy?

We spend 2500 in vet bills the first 18 months for our bernese mountain dog.
All paid for by the pet insurance.
As we knew the risk on having a big breed, went for top pet insurance, petplan livetime.

There are other things to consider beyond vet bills, for example third party liability. If something nasty should happen, and again there are plenty of examples such as the dog getting hit by a car, you are liable for any damage to the car, assuming the car didn't mount the pavement. If your dog bites someone, think parcel delivery man or something, you would face a legal bill. Best to have insurance in place for such eventualities.

Regarding the £99 excess, that tells me the insurance companies have statistics which show nothing untoward in that breed. Most vet bills for the normal stuff come in under that. But there's no harm in doing your own research on the particular breed. Some are hardy and rarely get sick whereas there are some which seem to live at the vet's place.

He's a Labradoodle.

We've got two proper Labs ( - only kidding) - both insured with NFU. With them, if you have their house insurance, you can add dogs onto that policy - and save yourself a packet !

Don't go for the cheapest - the worst case scenario is if, heaven forbid, your dog needs regular medication for it's entire life. That's what you need cover for.

My older dog, now thirteen, has had both cruciate ligaments repaired. The bills totalled over £2000 - paid for by insurance. Sounds expensive, but some people pay more than that a year on medication . . . . .

Food for thought ?

 Where do you go after one of these . . . ?

Ours is insured with PetPlan, not the cheapest, but the best value IMO. Our neighbours 4 year old Doberman just had an operation £4,500 and PetPlan paid out no problem. Current MY2020
Gone: 1 x L405 and 2 x L322's