Labrador insurance is a great way to protect your finances while looking after your Labrador Retriever.
The Labrador Retriever is one of the most popular dog breeds in the UK having historically been favoured as both a working dog and a family companion.
But while Labrador Retrievers are generally very healthy they can still develop health problems. Labrador pet insurance is there to help if your Labrador is injured or ill and needs medical attention.
Labrador pet insurance should be easy to find and well priced because these traditional dogs don’t really have many health conditions as a result of inbreeding. Because of that they are not a particularly high insurance risk and so most dog insurance cover providers should be happy to take them on.
At EmeraldPet – provided by Covea Insurance – we offer Labrador pet insurance with four flexible levels of vet fee cover from £1000 to £7500. Our dog insurance also comes with complementary treatments such as hydrotherapy and chiropractcy as well as cover for behavioural training and clinical diets.
Your Labrador can also benefit from optional pet insurance extras such as overseas travel in Europe and third party dog liability cover.
If you have multiple labradors, or other dogs of different breeds, you can also benefit from our 10% multi pet discount for even better value cover.
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What Problems Do Labradors Have?
A dog’s breed is often a good indicator of the medical conditions it is more likely to develop as they get older. This is the kind of information that helps insurers to price pet insurance correctly.
However, you as a Labrador owner should also keep in mind the kind of conditions to look out for, particularly as pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions unless you get a specialist policy. Conditions that show symptoms within 14 days of buying a policy are also excluded.
While labrador retrievers are generally a healthy breed, they are commonly affected my conditions such as:
- Hip dysplasia – hip joint laxity as a result of poor development, which will eventually lead to arthritis.
- Elbow dysplasia- elbow joint laxity as a result of poor development, which will eventually lead to arthritis.
- Prone to obesity
- Progressive retinal atrophy – gradual deterioration of the retina of the eye. Symptoms can start with night blindness and progress to total blindness.
These should also inform your choice of pet insurance cover because you are more likely to claim for these conditions if you have a labrador.
For instance, hip dysplasia and elbow dysplasia are long-term conditions that are likely to get worse over time. You should therefore consider a lifetime pet insurance policy rather than a time-limited policy. A lifetime pet insurance policy will keep covering the same condition over time, providing you bought the policy before symptoms showed and you renew every year.
A time-limited pet insurance policy on the other hand may cover a year of related treatment but no more after that for that condition, which would then be excluded as a pre-existing condition.
Obesity is another issue to be aware of with labradors as it puts your Labrador at higher risk of further conditions. Pet insurance for overweight dogs is not normally an issue but if your dog develops any medical conditions before buying a policy then those conditions will be excluded.
How Much Is Labrador Insurance?
The cost of Labrador insurance cover will vary based on a variety of different factors. The age of your Labrador affects how likely you are to make an insurance claim. Your postcode will have an impact on vet fees depending on location – and therefore the cost of any possible pet insurance claims.
In general though Labradors are not seen as a particularly high insurance risk, unlike Pugs and French Bulldogs, and so insurance cover for a Labrador should be cheaper than other breeds such as these.
Nevertheless prices are very likely to vary between pet insurance cover providers. One pet insurance provider might care more about your postcode than another. Or a different pet insurer may decide it wants more labradors to balance its risk profile and so will lower prices.
Therefore when looking for Labrador Retriever insurance it pays to shop around. And don’t assume that a comparison site is going to give you the right answer. Comparison sites are very price driven, whereas the actual insurance policies on offer may vary considerably in terms of what they do and do not cover. Also remember that no insurance comparison site gives a full view of the market – EmeraldPet isn’t on any for a start.
Labrador Insurance Exclusions
When comparing quotes for Labrador insurance make sure to check the exclusions of your favourite pet insurance policies. These are ultimately what define the value of an insurance policy as they directly affect what you can claim for.
Some of the big exclusions with EmeraldPet cover are:
- Elective treatments like vaccinations, castration and pregnancy are not covered.
- Dentistry, unless it is the direct result of an illness or injury.
- You cannot claim for any pre-existing medical conditions or conditions that show symptoms within the first 14 days of starting the policy. That is why it is often a good idea to buy pet insurance when your labrador is young and healthy. Lifetime cover – such as EmeraldPet – will then cover medical conditions that develop as long as you keep renewing the policy.
That is also why it is important to choose the right pet insurance for you and your labrador early on because changing can be difficult if your dog has a health condition which would be excluded if you changed provider.
Excesses
When comparing different dog insurance quotes another pitfall to watch out for is excesses. This is the amount you contribute towards any claims. That’s perfectly normal with any pet insurance policy, but they should be reasonable and clear and can vary between providers.
With EmeraldPet your excess will depend on the age of your pet. This is also common with dog insurance.
Dogs under eight years old have an excess of £100.
Dogs more than eight years old have an excess of £110 plus 15% of the remaining cost of treatment.
These excesses are per condition per year. That means if you have to claim one year and then the next, you will pay the excess twice in total. Similarly if your labrador requires treatment for two different conditions in the same year then that will also require two separate excess payments.
Third Party Dog Liability
An optional add-on you may want to consider with labrador insurance cover is third party liability in case your dog causes damage or bites someone.
There are nearly 7000 dog bites annually in the UK. If your dog injures someone or another dog then you could face legal action.
Dog liability insurance aims to protect you by providing legal fees, or vet fee cover if your dog bites another dog that then requires vet treatment.
To include third party dog insurance of up to £1 million per event, simply add it when prompted in our quote or when you call. Note that third party dog insurance includes its own excesses and exclusions. For instance, there is no cover if your dog has previously shown aggressive tendancies.
Dog breeds registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act are not elligbile for third party dog insurance but labradors do not fall under that restriction.
Other Extras
EmeraldPet comes with a variety of extra optional benefits including:
- Missing pet advertising and reward costs of up to £1500 per year. This means if your pet goes missing you can pay for advertising as well as offering a cash reward to encourage people to help find your dog.
- Emergency boarding or daily minding if you are hospitalised. While it’s not a situation any of us would want, imagine a crisis and not knowing if your dog will be looked after if you are taken into hospital.
- Holiday cancellation of up to £5000 if you have to cancel your trip because of emergency vet treatment
If you’re looking for great value cover for your Labradors then EmeraldPet is an excellent choice for your consideration.
Emerald Life was started to disrupt the insurance industry by bringing a better standard of inclusion and service to an outdated industry. We know how much your pet means to you and so are proud to offer EmeraldPet alongside our range of comprehensive, inclusive insurance products.
Call us today or get a quote online to see if our cover is right for you.
