How to claim

The excess on your pet insurance policy is your contribution towards the cost of your claim. You choose the excess at the start of your policy and as with any insurance provider, it allows us to ensure that premiums remain affordable for our policyholders.

A fixed excess is the amount you will pay every policy year for each condition. 

The percentage excess is calculated after the fixed excess is deducted along with any other deductions applied to your claim.

Sometimes, treatment claimed for may fall under the fixed excess amount, whether this is a new condition or if a condition is split over policy years. The treatment can still be claimed for and will show as a settled amount of £0. If there is continuation treatment following an under excess claim, then some fixed excess may be taken from this claim along with the percentage excess.

Your fixed and percentage excess can be found on your Policy Schedule.

The fixed excess is payable once per condition, per policy year. The percentage excess is a percentage of the vet bill you pay each time you make a claim.

For example:

Based on a fixed excess of £170 and a percentage excess of 10%; if you submitted a claim for £1000, you would pay the first £170 which would leave £830. You would then pay 10% of the remaining bills which is £83 and Royal Kennel Club Pet Insurance would pay the £747 left.

If you then submitted a claim for another £500 for the same condition in the same policy year, you would only pay the 10% which is £50 and Royal Kennel Club Pet Insurance would pay £450.

You can only claim for treatment that has already taken place. All claims need to be submitted with a supporting invoice by the vet who has seen your pet, confirming what has been charged for.

Any sign of illness, disease, behavioural issue, or injury that your dog has before the policy starts.

For example, if your dog has a sore front leg before the policy starts that turns out to be elbow dysplasia then the first clinical sign of that illness is pre-existing to the policy.

As long as the medication was prescribed by the vet treating your dog, you are able to make a claim for the medication you have sourced at alternative accredited pharmacies. Please note that we will need a copy of the prescription issued by your vet to support your claim as well as the receipts for any medication you have purchased.

To comply with our dental terms and conditions, your dog must have had their teeth checked in the 15 months prior to the illness being noted. Any veterinary treatment recommended as a result of this health check must be carried out within 12 months of the recommendation. *Please contact us if treatment was delayed outside of this time frame due to your dog’s health.

A dental health check is a veterinary check of the teeth and gums. We ask you to do this to ensure that any dental disease is treated as quickly as possible and shows us that you have taken steps to prevent severe dental disease for your pet.

The Breeding Risk benefit has to be in force for a period of 12 weeks prior to mating.

Please note, we will not cover:

• Any costs for veterinary treatment if your dog was pregnant at the start of this policy section, or became pregnant within the first 12 weeks of the start of this policy section.
• Anything over the maximum benefit of this section
• Any costs if your dog is less than one year old or is eight years old or more.
• Any cost if your dog has had more than four pregnancies
• We will not cover any cost for the following breeds to have caesareans:
  • Bulldog
  • French Bulldog
  • Boston Terrier
  • Pekingese

Please refer to your policy Terms and Conditions for further information regarding this benefit.

If your dog has been referred to a specialist practice by your usual vet. You can claim up to 25p per mile to and from the specialist practice, toll road charges, standard ferry fees and accommodation if the specialist is too far away to travel to and back in one day.

Send us an email or letter explaining the reasons for your travel and accommodation, where you travelled from and to, how many times you made the journey and how many days you stayed away from home. Make sure your policy details are clearly stated. Send this to us with receipts for any travel and accommodation expenses.

The limit on the policy will be on your Policy Schedule.

To claim under the Overseas Travel section, you must have added it to your policy at least 10 days before your travel.

You must pay the veterinary surgeon at the time of treatment and obtain an itemised receipt with the name and address of the veterinary practice on it:

Send us an email or letter and include;

• Your policy number, full name and address, and dog’s details
• Itemised receipt explaining what was wrong with your dog, what treatment they received and the date(s) the treatment took place.
• Include their clinical history if you have it.

Claim payments are made directly to you in pounds sterling at the current rate of exchange.

Please see your Policy Booklet for the full details regarding this section of cover.

To claim under this section, you must have added it to your dog’s policy before you became unwell.

When you leave hospital, obtain a medical certificate stating your medical condition and the number of days you were in hospital. Send us this medical certificate along with:

• The receipt from the boarding facility.
• If you paid someone to look after your dog, a receipt with their full name and address to support your claim.

If you are still unable to care for your dog after you leave hospital, we will also need:

• Your hospital admission and discharge note.
• The receipt showing each day your dog was in the boarding facility or looked after by a pet sitting service.

Please see your Policy Booklet for the full details regarding this section of cover.

Depending on your policy and level of cover, you can claim up to £1000 in costs for trying to find your dog. This includes £250 for any reward you pay the person who finds your dog.

You cannot claim if your dog goes missing within the first 10 days of your policy starting.

We do not cover the costs of any online company that offers to search for your dog for you.

Please see your Policy Booklet for the full details regarding this section of cover.

If your dog has gone missing we advise you could contact your local veterinary practices, rescue centres, local authorities and dog warden and tell them that your dog is missing.

To make a claim for the Death benefit we require confirmation from your vet of your dog’s death, along with the purchase receipt.

We must advise we are unable to pay your claim unless your vet certifies that your dog has died.

Please visit our website to make your claim.

Refer to your policy Terms and Conditions for further information regarding this benefit.

Depending on your policy and level of cover, you can claim up to £150 for the cost of cremation, burial and a house visit by a vet to put your dog to sleep.

For more information on your cover, please refer to your policy Terms and Conditions

Vaccinations, preventative parasite control and routine neutering are some examples of routine treatment.

Preventative treatment would be treatment that your vet recommends to prevent an illness or disease for example removing a dew claw that is not injured but may lead to injury in the future. 

Why isn’t it covered?

Pet insurance is in place to provide peace of mind for unexpected illness, disease, or injury.