Insurance Info

Insurance Claims

As a practice we strongly support the concept of pet insurance and therefore, offer a personalised claim service. Customers can decide whether they would prefer to make a direct or indirect claim, both of which are explained below.

At Shepherds we understand how hard it can be for some clients to pay for treatment up-front. Therefore, we are pleased to offer a direct claims service to our insured clients. There is an administrative fee for this service. Clients can either choose to pay per claim (£22) or to pay annually (£40) for unlimited claims for a 12-month period. Both fees are per pet.

For any advice regarding your insurance, please contact your insurance company directly.

Alternatively, you can contact our insurance administrators for support on the claims procedure. She is available on 01656 653918 Monday – Friday 9am - 5pm.

Please note the direct claim facility is only available for established clients.

Indirect claim

An indirect claim is when your insurance company reimburses you personally.

What we need from you:

A claim form with all owners’ sections fully completed - Please ensure you details are correct and match the details we have for you on our computer system, with policy number included and the policy holders’ signature to state to pay yourselves. You may also be asked to complete the diagnosis section of the form, if you are unsure of the exact condition, please state symptoms that the pet was brought in for, i.e. limping/vomiting/breathing issues etc., failure to do so will result in a delay in processing your claim.
Full payment of your account is required to us before we can process the insurance claim. Any outstanding payments will prevent your claim from being processed and will delay payment.
A claim form must be provided for each treatment you wish to claim for, if treatment is ongoing, we are happy to accept a claim every 3 months for continuation claims.
We will request payment of the insurance administration charge of £20 (or £35 annually) at the time of handing the form into reception. Please note this fee covers the completion and time it takes our administrator to collect clinical notes, print the invoices, processing and posting the insurance claim. It will also cover costs of communications between us, yourselves and the insurance company when dealing with queries or complications once the form is submitted to the insurance company.
Following receipt of the claim form, your insurance company will pay you directly.

What we will do:

We will complete the veterinary section of your claim form and process it within 2 weeks, providing you have completed your sections and paid your account in full as described above.
We will have your insurance form signed by an authorised member of staff.
We will send all invoice(s) for the condition(s) you wish to claim for together with our medical notes and any other information requested by your insurance company.

Direct claim

When your insurance company reimburses us.

What we need from you:

A claim form must be handed in for each condition you are claiming for. We request one form at time of procedure/treatment and then a follow up form for continuation treatment of this condition every three month.
A claim form with all owners’ sections fully completed - Please ensure your details are correct and match the details we have for you on our computer system, with policy number included. You may also be asked to complete the diagnosis section of the form, if you are unsure of the exact condition, please state symptoms that the pet was brought in for, i.e. limping/vomiting/breathing issues etc.
All forms must be signed and dated stating that payment should be made directly to us (Shepherds the Vets ltd). Failure to do so will result in a delay with processing the form and settling the payment.
We will need you to pay the excess amount due when handing in the form, where this amount is not known, it shall be assumed to be £100.
We will request payment of the insurance administration charge of £20 (or £35 annually) at the time of handing the form into reception Please note this fee covers the completion and time it takes our administrator to collect clinical notes, print the invoices, processing and posting the insurance claim. It will also cover costs of communications between us, yourselves and the insurance company when dealing with queries or complications once the form is submitted to the insurance company.
A claim form must be provided for each invoice/treatment you wish to claim for, if treatment is ongoing, we are happy to accept a claim every 3 months to complete for continuation claims.
Following receipt of the claim form, your insurance company will pay us directly. Any amount leftover after payment will need to be settled in line with standard procedure. The insurance shortfall balance will be for charges the insurance company has excluded, such as your excess payments or any treatments exempt from your policy. The insurance shortfall is required in full within 7 days of notification.

What we will do:

We will complete your claim form and process it within 2 weeks, providing you have completed your sections fully and paid us the administration fee and excess, where excess is unknown, we will take £100 as explained above.
We will have your insurance form signed by an authorised member of staff.
We will send all invoice(s) for the condition(s) you wish to claim for together with our medical notes and any other information requested by your insurance company.
We will contact you to advise the insurance payment has been received and to give a breakdown on how your insurance shortfall is calculated. Your insurance shortfall should be paid in full within 7 days of this notification.

More information about Insurance Policies

Pet insurance helps to cover the cost of your vet bills following your animal’s treatment in the event of your animal falling ill or being injured in an accident. For many it provides a safety net to help protect against unexpected, unplanned or large costs related to your pet’s medical bills.
As a practice we strongly support the concept of pet insurance and therefore, offer indirect and direct claims as we understand how hard it can be for some clients to pay for treatment up-front.
Some policies will also pay out if a pet passes away, is lost or stolen. Some will even provide further cover such as third party damages, third party injuries, complimentary treatments etc.
Our furry companions are an important and big part of our family, for many owners, insurance cover is a fundamental part of caring for their pets and providing them with the best health care.

The basics

Types of Policies

There are many types of cover to suit your circumstances and your pet. We always recommend reading through all the terms and conditions of each policy before making a decision.

Pet owners can choose from three main types of cover:

Lifetime Policy

Lifetime pet insurance will cover your animal for illness/injury occurring throughout the lifetime of your pet. Most lifetime insurance will provide a broad range of cover and is designed to cover long-term, chronic or recurring illness.

12-month policy

It will pay vets' fees for accidents and illnesses, but only for a maximum of 12 months from when the problem was first noted. So, if/when the bill goes over 12 months, you will have to start paying

and this condition will not be covered again. Be aware sometimes the trigger is renewal date rather than 12 months of treatment.

Accident Cover

This is a basic cover that only covers a pet if they need treatment after an accident, but will not cover any illness.

Please Note – Pet owners often have to select a maximum level of coverage, this is the total monetary amount the policy will cover. Check in the small print if this amount is per year, per condition or policy. It is always worth insuring your pet for the highest amount possible to cover the more expensive treatments e.g. a broken leg in a large dog could result in approx. £3000/£4000 in surgical costs.

Policy Excess

For all types of pet insurance owners must pay an excess which is a monetary amount towards a claim submitted to the insurance company. This amount is usually a flat-rate excess. The amount and frequency in which you have to pay an excess can vary depending on the policy you hold. The majority of insurance covers require an excess, per condition, per policy year. For example if your pet becomes ill in January , the renewal date on your policy is February and treatment continues until March, you may have to pay two excesses

Co-payment

Some policies also charge a co-payment excess on every claim submitted this is normally a percentage of the invoice submitted that the policy holder will be required to pay in addition to the excess. A co-payment differs depending on the insurance policy you hold.

Pre-existing medical conditions

A pre-existing condition is any injury, illness, or irregularity noticed by you or your veterinarian before the insurance has been taken out or during your waiting period set out by your insurance company.

This waiting period differs per policy and insurance company. The “waiting period” is the term generally used for the time between the start of the policy and when your cover actually starts. It is normally a period of 14 days from the start of policy and exists to prevent fraud. However, any illness that occurs during this waiting period will be not be covered under your insurance.

Please Note – Pre-existing conditions can also occur due to clients swapping insurance companies or switching to a different plan within the same company (this can even be upgrading the policy). When you change companies or change your policy, any conditions prior to this change/move will be deemed pre-existing. Example: 9-year-old Labrador has arthritis and has claimed under the insurance company for 6 years. When you switch to a different company or upgrade your plan, this arthritis may now be not claimable as it is pre-existing the new insurance policy.