End-of-life care

Generally covered

• Treatment of the underlying covered condition, up to the point you stop
• Diagnostics and consultations relating to it
• Palliative and pain management for a covered condition, on many plans
• Hospitalisation and supportive care
• Euthanasia, on a good number of plans, where it relates to a covered condition

Generally not

• Cremation, burial and memorial costs
• Euthanasia unrelated to a covered condition, on many plans
• Anything relating to a pre-existing condition
• Home visit fees, on some plans

The claim after

Claims can be submitted after a pet has died, and plans have submission deadlines, so it's worth doing when you're able rather than leaving it indefinitely.

You'll generally need the itemised invoice and the medical records. Ask the practice for both at the time — it's far easier than requesting them weeks later.

Cancelling the policy

Contact the insurer to cancel rather than stopping the payment, and ask whether any premium refund is due.

Do that after the final claim is settled, not before, and get written confirmation of the cancellation date.

If cost is affecting the decision

Say so to your vet. Practices deal with this constantly and there are usually more options than are volunteered — payment plans, adjusted treatment approaches, referral to a charitable fund, or a frank conversation about what's genuinely in the animal's interest.

A vet who knows the constraint can help with it. One who doesn't will keep presenting the full option.

Insuring another pet later

When you're ready, enrol the new animal as early as possible. Everything about pet insurance rewards enrolling before anything appears in the records, and that's the one thing you can control.