Pet insurance

Name: Defaqto 5 Star Rated Pet Insurance | 10% Online Discount | LV=
Brand: LV=

From queasy kittens to poorly puppies, our pet insurance has your cats and dogs covered

Insuring your pet

Look, we all know that cats think they have nine lives and dogs often think they’re humans, so as a pet owner, the health of your companion comes first. From health conditions to unexpected accidents, you want to know that your animals are protected… that’s where we come in!

LV= pet insurance gives you peace of mind when your pet is poorly, so you can just focus on giving them the TLC they need. We’ll even help you out if they go missing.

Want to know more? Let’s get into it…

What's covered by our pet insurance?

We're here when your cats and dogs need more than a little TLC

Get a 10% discount for your first year of cover when you buy online
Free 24/7 access to online vets
We’ve teamed up with FirstVet to offer you free 24/7 video consultations with qualified vets.
£10,000 Vet fees
For illness and injury, we cover up to £10,000 per year with our Lifetime pet cover
Choose between Lifetime and Time Limited cover
Our £10K Lifetime pet policy is Defaqto 5 Star rated
Lost pet?
We'll reimburse you for up to £1,500 to advertise for your missing cat or dog; including up to £500 that can be used for a reward
Third party liability
Our pet policies offer you up to £2million third party liability cover for costs and compensation if your dog has injured someone, or caused damage to someone's property and you're legally responsible
Complementary therapies
We cover treatments like acupuncture, hydrotherapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy or chiropractic therapy
As an existing LV= customer with a car or home insurance policy, you'll also get a 10% multi-product discount on your pet insurance

More about LV= pet insurance

What's not covered?

Pre-existing conditions (e.g. injuries or illnesses that showed symptoms before your pet’s policy)
Injuries and illnesses that happen in the waiting period:
- For injuries, this is the first 48 hours of your pet’s policy
- For illnesses, this is the first 14 days of your pet’s policy
Food (unless it’s being used as an alternative to medication and to treat an injury/illness)
Having your pet cremated or buried
Pregnancy and breeding
Routine treatments (e.g. worming and flea treatment)
Preventative care (e.g. vaccinations)

All our policies are subject to Terms and Conditions - please read them carefully to understand what you're covered for.

About our cover

More information about our pet cover

More information about our lifetime and time limited cover...

Vet fees

Worried about unexpected vet bills? At LV=, all of our policies cover vet fees up to an agreed limit.

A Time Limited policy provides cover for an illness or condition for up to 12 months from the date of your pet's first treatment. There are two levels of Time Limited vet cover: up to £1,500 or up to £2,500.

Lifetime lets you claim for vet fees up to your chosen limit each year. There are three levels of Lifetime vet fee cover: £3,000, £5,000 or £10,000.

Don't forget: if your pet has any pre-existing medical conditions when you take out your policy, we may not cover these or any condition linked to them.

Complementary treatments

Pooch off to physio? Cat need to see a chiropractor? Our pet insurance includes complementary treatments.

At LV=, our pet insurance policies - Time Limited and Lifetime - include complementary treatments.

So if your vet recommends a treatment like acupuncture, hydrotherapy, osteopathy, physiotherapy, laser therapy or chiropractic therapy, these will be covered under your ‘Veterinary fees’ cover and maximum benefit.

What's included?

Time Limited - 10 sessions (of each therapy type, for each separate injury/illness, up to the vet fee maximum benefit/time limit)

Lifetime - 10 sessions (of each therapy type, for each separate illness/injury, in each policy year)

Liability to other people for injury and property damage

Imagine you're out for a lovely walk in the country with your dog. They are off the lead, exploring all the rabbit holes and sploshing in puddles. Suddenly, they catch sight of someone on a bicycle, chase and bump into them, causing them to fall off and hurt themselves.

Because you're responsible for your dog's behaviour, the cyclist could sue you for negligence. They could make a personal injury claim to cover the cost of medical treatment or demand compensation.

Our policies offer you up to £2million, for each incident, for costs and compensation if your dog has injured someone, or caused damage to someone's property and you're legally responsible.

Overseas cover

Off on an adventure? Here's one less thing to worry about: if you take your pet on holiday and they get ill, we'll cover the cost of vet care abroad up to the limit on your policy.

LV= pet insurance also covers quarantine costs and replacing travel documentation for your pet.

Our overseas pet cover means you (and your furry family member) can kick back, relax and enjoy your holiday.

Advertising/rewards

Lost pet? We'll cover you for advertising and reward costs, so you can be reunited sooner

We know it's stressful and upsetting when pets go missing. If your pet's lost or stolen and you need to advertise to find them, we'll reimburse your advertising costs up to £1,500. We also give you the option to offer a maximum reward of £500, so you can be reunited with your pet sooner.

This cover is included in all our Time Limited and Lifetime policies.

Death from illness or accident

We'll cover you for the death of your pet from illness or accident.

Pets are like family, and we know losing them can be devastating. Our Time Limited and Lifetime policies include death from illness cover. We’ll reimburse you for the price you paid for your pet up to £1500 if they die from illness (before the renewal following their 9th birthday for dogs and 11th birthday for cats). We’ll also cover this at any age if your pet dies from an accident.

Boarding or pet minding fees

If you're in hospital for two days or longer, and no one's able to look after your pet, you can claim up to £1,500 to cover boarding costs for the whole of your hospital stay.

Lifetime policies also include additional boarding costs if you're delayed returning from your holiday.

Theft and straying

Fido wandered off? Beloved moggy been stolen? We're here to help.

We'll reimburse you the amount you paid for your pet if they're lost or stolen, up to a maximum £1,500.

Holiday Cancellation

If you have to cancel your holiday at the last minute because of your pet, we can help with that too.

LV= pet insurance will reimburse your holiday costs if you have to cancel or cut short your holiday because, within fourteen days of your departure date, your pet went missing or needed veterinary treatment because they suffered a serious and unexpected deterioration in health.

Our Time Limited policies will pay up to £1,500, and our Lifetime policies up to £3,000.

Compare our pet insurance

Policy documents

Cover Options

Not sure what cover your pet needs? Here are two options to get your teeth into

Lifetime

Our Lifetime policies will provide cover for all illnesses or conditions that occur in the policy year, up to the policy limit you choose. The policy limit is then refreshed and applied again at renewal, so you know your furry family member is always covered, provided you remain insured with us. This is reassuring if your pet develops a long-term illness or injury

Time Limited

Our Time limited pet policies will cover an illness or condition for a maximum of 12 months from the date of the first treatment up to the limit you choose. This cover is most suited for short-term illnesses and injuries

Learn more about our cover options

UK Pet Insurance for Dogs, Cats or Multi Pet Cover

Multi Pet Cover

Having one pet is a full-time job, let alone having multiple! With our multi pet insurance, you can cover puppies, dogs, kittens and cats, and can tailor the level of cover to the needs of each individual pet.

More about multi pet cover

Insurance for your Dog

Your puppy deserves only the best in life. With coverage from LV=, you can make sure they always get it. Our dog insurance protects you from unexpected vet bills, and we also cover complementary treatments like physio or acupuncture, should your dog ever need them.

More about dog insurance

Insurance for your Cat

Make sure your feline friend is protected with LV= cat insurance. Our coverage makes sure you can rest easy, even if your cat requires unexpected medical treatment.

More about cat insurance

Frequently asked questions

Can I insure my pet with a pre-existing condition?

Yes, you can still insure your pet.

However, LV= may not cover the pre-existing condition. You will need to tell us about any injury, illness or symptoms that your pet has had when you set up a policy, so we can advise you whether this will be covered or not.

We may place exclusions due to the information you tell us about. Some exclusions are temporary and, on your request, may be removed by us providing certain criteria are met.

If you want to know if a pre-existing condition will be covered, we're happy to talk to you about this before you set up a policy.

What animals do you insure?

We insure domestic cats and domestic dogs as long as they're over eight weeks old when the policy starts.

We cover all domestic dogs as long as they’re not required to be registered under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, the Dangerous Dogs (Amendment) Act 1997 or any further amendments to this; and/or are crossed with, a Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, Fila Brasileiro, Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, Saarloo Wolfhound/Wolfdog or any wolf hybrid.

When can I get pet insurance for my puppy or kitten?

Will you stop insuring my pets when they get to certain age?

Do you offer a lifetime pet insurance policy?

Yes, we offer three lifetime policies with different levels of vet fees cover. The vet fees cover limit on Lifetime policies is the maximum amount we will pay out for vet fees during the policy year.

When you renew the policy the vet fees cover is reinstated and you have that amount available again. The lifetime vet fees cover limits we offer are £3,000, £5,000 and £10,000.

Find out more about our Lifetime and Time Limited cover.

Does your pet insurance cover dental treatment?

Yes, dental treatment is covered and each type of policy offers different levels of cover.

Our Lifetime policies cover dental treatment for your pet as long they’ve had an annual dental examination and any treatment recommended is carried out within 6 months.

Our Time Limited policies only cover treatment for dental or gum problems which are caused by an accidental injury. The only exception to this is that we’ll cover the cost to remove the first milk teeth when your pet is 6 months or older providing he/she was under 16 weeks old when the cover started.

None of our policies cover scaling and polishing of the teeth or any other routine or preventative dental treatments.

How much of a pet insurance claim do I have to pay?

Excess is an amount that you will need to pay when you make a claim. The vet fees excess is made up of a compulsory flat excess plus any additional voluntary excess amount you have chosen.

On our Time Limited policies the excess applies once for each condition. On our Lifetime policies the excess applies to each condition each policy year i.e. the compulsory flat excess plus any voluntary excess will be taken again if the claim for treatment continues into a new policy year.

If you have a lifetime policy, at the renewal following your pet’s 8th birthday for dogs, and 10th birthday for cats, a 20% excess is introduced. This means that after the flat excess amount(s) have been taken from your claim, you’ll also pay 20% of the remaining vet fees for all claims that are covered by the policy.

For third party liability claims the excess is £250 for each property damage claim. (Please be aware that if your pet causes injury to another pet, this is damage to a person's property and the £250 excess will apply).

There is no excess for other types of claim, such as holiday cancellation, advertising and reward, or death from illness or accident.

Does LV= pet insurance cover vaccinations for my dog?

Does LV= pet insurance cover vaccinations for my cat?

Our pet insurance policies don't cover the cost of vaccinations.

However, your cat should be vaccinated against illnesses such as cat flu, feline infectious enteritis and feline leukaemia virus and regularly have boosters throughout their life.

If you choose not to have your cat vaccinated, any claims on your LV= pet insurance policy connected to any of these diseases may not be paid if your cat becomes ill.

Have another question?

Multi pet cover

More than one in your pack? We'll cover the whole gang

Cover for puppies, dogs, kittens or cats, we offer different levels of cover to suit you and each of your pets
Protection if you're faced with unexpected vet fees
We insure kittens and puppies from just eight weeks of age

Learn more about multi pet cover

Everything you need to support you and your cats and dogs.

FirstVet video consultations

We offer our existing pet insurance customers access to free veterinary video consultations with FirstVet. With the FirstVet service, you can video chat with a vet all from the comfort of your own home!

Find out more about FirstVet

Pet breed guide

Not sure which dog breed is right for you, or want to learn more about your cat? Our guides feature in-depth info on the temperament, personalities and general health of popular cat and dog breeds.

Check out our pet breed guides

Pet magazine

Browse our pet insurance articles for tips on everything from keeping your pets happy whatever the weather to tips on bringing home your first pet. There's something for everyone.

Read our pet insurance magazine

What factors can affect the price I pay?

Many factors affect the price you pay for your pet insurance. Remember, sometimes the cheapest pet insurance may not offer the most comprehensive cover. Here's what we take into account:

Your pet’s breed. The breed of your pet will impact the price of your insurance.
Your dog or cat's age. The cost of insuring your pet will go up as they get older.
Your pet’s gender. Normally, you will pay more for your pet insurance if you have a male cat or dog.
Liability. As the cost of liability claims increase, prices have to go up to cover these costs.

Where you live. Areas with typically higher treatment and medication will have a bearing on the cost of your pet insurance.
Advances in medical treatment. With so many developments in medicine and complementary therapies, it means the cost of treating cats and dogs is going up.
Changes in legislation. Insurance companies have no say on how much tax is charged on each policy. The government sets the rate of Insurance Premium Tax (IPT).

Want to know more about how we calculate your premium? Read our guide.

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Defaqto 5 Star rated £10k Lifetime policy

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Insuring your pet