dog in circle

Dog-lighter Dog insurance

Dog insurance is a great way for pets to receive the care they deserve if an accident or illness requires emergency care.

After working with the Australian Veterinary Profession (AVA) and vets across Australia for over 25 years, too often we’ve heard stories about pets not receiving the care they need due to large vet bills for emergency care. And that’s why we’ve worked together with the AVA to build the only vet endorsed dog insurance in Australia for your pet.

Our policies are loaded with the flexibility to help you choose the combination that’s best for your dog. See how you can customise your policy by choosing your level of cover, excess when making a claim and even add on dental cover below.


Why choose Vets Choice pet insurance for my dog

Designed by vets

Most pet insurance in Australia is the same with different branding, our pet insurance is designed with the help of hundreds of vets and is completely underwritten in-house.

Flexible options

We have two main policy types to cover the major events like accidents and injuries but we also have additional options like added dental and dental routine care, or extra cruciate ligament so you can choose what's best for your pet. 

Cover for life

Lifetime cover for your dog for the entire time they are insured with Vets Choice

Third-party cover

Third-party liability cover standard for all Vets Choice dog insurance policies - Read more about third-party pet insurance

 

Select a cover that suits you and your dog

1. Pre-existing conditions are excluded. Exclusions, limits and sub-limits may apply.

 

 

Want to compare dog insurance?

Knowing what dog insurance is right for you and your pet can be difficult. There are a lot of things to consider. Like the choice of excess, and what excess even means... Does the policy cover everything things like cancer, and dental? 
We answer some of these questions to help you when you're comparing more than just price.

Visit our pet insurance comparison

 

 

 

Vets Choice AVA and Guild Insurance Logos

About Vets Choice

Since the beginning, Vets Choice was developed with the AVA to ensure pet owners have access to pet insurance that’s created by vets for pets. Every aspect of our policies are informed and shaped by the input of hundreds of Australian vets, to make sure our policies cover the accidents and illnesses that real pets face.

Read more about Vets Choice

 

Dog breed information

Even though dogs all originated from the same genealogy after thousands of years of evolution, they have become very different among the breeds. We have information on over 200 dog breeds including physical features, psychological traits, health information and their ability to be trained.

View over 200 dog breed pages

dog-breed-list-page
 

 

 

Insuring your adopted pet

Choosing to adopt a pet is a big decision, one that will change not only your life, but that of the animal that you choose. By adopting, you’re giving an animal a new chance at a happy and healthy life, with a family that loves them. Endorsed by the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) and partnered with the Lort Smith Animal Hospital, Vets Choice insurance for pets wants to ensure that your life with your rescue animal is safe and happy. That’s why we want to make sure your adopted pet is covered too, keeping them protected now and in the future.

What Information We Need

Age and Breed
Vet History

Expand all

Collapse all

What conditions won't be covered

Waiting Periods
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

Expand all

Collapse all

Hear from our customers

Pet insurance is one of those things you pay for but do not want to use. But when you do have to use it you want to make sure it's the right one. Hear from some of our customers who now know they chose sensibly with Vets Choice.

ide

Ide the Cavoodle

“I’ve never had such a good experience with an insurance company. Such a good experience during such a difficult time”.  
– Sandra, owner of Ide in NSW. 

 

full-circle-cat-407x407

Vegas

"Ella from Vets Choice was super helpful; She really took the time to explain everything in detail, simplified the language and gave step by step guidance"
Vegas' owner, Sarah from WA.

 

Frequently Asked Questions


Vets Choice currently only provides cover for cats and dogs.

Dogs and cats between the ages of 8 weeks and 8 years. With guaranteed lifetime cover for pets as long you join before they reach their 9th birthday and the policy remains active.

Your vet will be able to provide you with an estimate of age after a physical examination, which will be accepted by Vets Choice as your pet's age, we don’t need your pet's date of birth, just how old they are in years.

Yes, we offer a 5% discount where there is more than one pet listed on a policy.

We will treat most hereditary and congenital defects for your pet if you or your vet were not aware of, or could not reasonably have known of, at the time of your cover commencing under this policy. Exclusions are listed here.

No. Medical records are not required at the time of taking our pet insurance. You will however be required to provide your pets medical history to support a claim.

No. Pre-existing conditions and waiting periods apply. These are listed here.

This is an accident and specified illness policy and was specifically designed to keep the cost of pet insurance down for pet owners. As such routine care, vaccinations and check-ups etc. are not covered. For more details about what is and isn’t covered by this policy check here.

Yes. For scheduled procedures, it is possible at our discretion to arrange for the claim to be pre-approved. You will need to provide a detailed quote from your vet. This means that you pay your excess only, and we will settle the bill with your vet for costs covered by the policy up to the amount quoted by the vet. We will work with you throughout to assist and provide guidance.

Vets Choice offer a benefit level of up to 80% on both our Pro and Elite Cover plans. This means we will pay up to 80% back on eligible claims or vet bills, after you pay your nominated excess, and up to your annual benefit limit and any other applicable sub-limits. For example, if you have an Elite Cover plan with a $500 excess, and your pet undergoes a $10,000 treatment, Vets Choice will cover up to 80% of $9,500, as long as it’s within your annual benefit limit. Please keep in mind that some accidents, illnesses, and dental covers may have sub-limits. This means that we can only pay up to a certain amount as indicated on our product comparison table and Product Disclosure Statements (PDS).

We support and promote positive pet ownership and therefore recommend proactive preventative measures wherever available. This is why our pet insurance policies don’t cover preventable conditions. But, we will cover certain aspects of preventable illnesses, read more about that here.

A pre-existing condition is a temporary or permanent illness or injury that occurred before the pet insurance policy's start date or during the policy's waiting period(s). We have specific rules around what's covered under pre-existing conditions, and you can read more about pre-existing conditions here.

Pet insurance information for specific breeds

 

Pet care information

Responsible pet ownership begins with proper pet care. When bringing a new pet into the home, it's critical to realise that you're making a lifetime commitment to a furry family member who depends on you for both health and well-being.


Happily, the increased responsibilities that come with having a furry friend are more than offset by the unconditional love and joy that pets bring into our lives. We've compiled a series of articles to help inform and guide you through some of the more unknown territories of pet ownership.

 

What can you give a dog for pain relief?

Published: 5 Jul 2023

When our puppies hurt, seeing them like that can almost leave us just as sore. Not knowing what to do to help them can leave us feeling even worse, so here are a few tips for when your furry friend is in pain.

Read more » 3 min. read

Can dogs see in the dark?

Published: 14 Jun 2023

Sometimes, on cold winter nights when you’re taking your pup out for a toilet before you both go to bed, shivering in the dark, you’ve probably wondered what your dog could possibly be staring at that’s stopping them from going to the toilet. They might start barking at a tree or running up and down the fence, but there’s nothing there!

Read more » 3 min. read