Emergency Board Cover

One of the things which people often don’t consider when deciding how to insure their pet is cover for emergency boarding which may need to be used at some point. Any type of insurance is really all about preparing for the unexpected or unlikely and this is no exception.

It might be a little bit of a morbid thing to think about but have you ever considered what your pet would do if you were to have an accident in your home or were suddenly called away on business or for a family related problem? We love our pets and we always want them to be looked after but with our modern day lives as hectic as they are, sometimes this just isn’t possible. This is why emergency board cover has benefits for all people.

if you work a lot then an emergency business trip needn’t stop your pet getting the care it needs, if you have a young family then any problems can be made a little less stressful by removing pets from the household for a little while. If you’re elderly then you can ensure that should you have a trip or a fall, your pet will still be taken care of.

Pet boarding homes, kennels and catteries are highly professional environments and will ensure the best level of care for your pet. This however comes at a price. A week’s holiday for your pooch or moggy could set you back around £140 a week. This is an amount of money which most people don’t have readily available to them particularly if an extended stay is necessary.

Compare Pet Insurance
Insurer Policy Name Policy Type Maximum
Vet Cover
Online
Discount
Multi Pet
Discount
Get a Quote
M & S Premier Lifelong £7,000 25% 5%
M & S Standard Lifelong £4,000 25% 5%
Direct Line Essential Annual £4,000 20% 15%
Direct Line Advanced Per Condition £6,000 20% 15%
Churchill Pet Emergency Annual £1,500 20%
Churchill Pet Insurance Annual £3,000 20%
Sainsburys Option 1 Annual £3,000 20% 5%
Sainsburys Option 2 Per Condition £7,500 20% 5%
Asda Finance Value Annual £1,500 10% 10%
Asda Finance Standard Annual £3,500 10% 10%
Asda Finance Superior Annual £6,000 10% 10%
Pet Protect Lifelong Extra Lifelong £6,000 10% 5%
Pet Protect Lifelong Plus Lifelong £4,000 10% 5%
Petplan Essential Annual £3,000 10%
Petplan Classic Lifelong £4,000 10%
Petplan Ultimate Lifelong £12,000 10%

This is where pet insurance steps in; most policies will include an option to claim for the partial or whole costs of putting your pet into temporary accommodation in light of an emergency. All policies will likely put a ceiling on how much you can claim and thus it might not solve the financial problem entirely but it will certainly go a long way towards easing any worries which people might have at what is already probably a highly stressful and emotional time. Some policies include emergency board cover as standard whilst others tag it on as an optional extra; you should look carefully into any policy which you are considering to see whether or not you are going to be expected to pay more for extras such as this.

As most people never end up using emergency cover it can often seem like a wasted expense but it is always reassuring to have the safety net in place which ensures that should something happen to you, your pet will still be looked after!

To be able to claim for the costs of your pet’s boarding, you will need to ensure that they are placed in a properly licensed kennel or cattery as claiming money because your auntie had your cat for two days is not going to go down too well with your insurer.

Also, some policies are built around a mechanism which means that you will only start to receive money once you have been unable to look after your pet for a few days. This means that for very short term absences, it may not be appropriate. As should be expected, you will also need to provide all receipts from your pet’s place of boarding in order to prove the amount of money you are claiming for is indeed correct and proper.