{"id":44222,"date":"2025-11-28T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T08:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/nos-conseils\/comment-bien-choisir-la-mutuelle-pour-votre-chien-et-votre-chat\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:09:04","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T09:09:04","slug":"how-can-you-choose-the-right-insurance-policy-for-your-cat-or-dog","status":"publish","type":"nos-conseils","link":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/our-advice\/how-can-you-choose-the-right-insurance-policy-for-your-cat-or-dog\/","title":{"rendered":"How can you choose the right insurance policy for your cat or dog?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When you become a pet owner, you need to\u00a0consider the impact of every related costs<\/strong>\u00a0on your household budget.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Over the course of its life, it is estimated that owning a\u00a0cat<\/strong>\u00a0involves expenditure of\u00a0\u20ac14,663<\/strong>, compared to\u00a0\u20ac22,878<\/strong>\u00a0for a\u00a0small dog<\/strong>\u00a0(Source: veterinary media \u2013 L\u2019Essentiel N\u00b0434 p.8). Healthcare costs constitute a significant proportion of this expenses. Indeed, the\u00a0costs of veterinary<\/strong>\u00a0treatment can sometimes be\u00a0substantial<\/strong>, particularly in the\u00a0event of an accident<\/strong>, and must be met in full by the animal\u2019s owner, unless he\/she has subscribed to a\u00a0pet insurance<\/strong>. However, in\u00a0France<\/strong>, less than\u00a04%<\/strong>\u00a0of pet owners have chosen to take out insurance, compared to 20% in Great Britain and 80% in Sweden (Source: ifaheurope.org). Nevertheless, it is not always easy to understand the wide variety of policies to\u00a0choose from in the market<\/strong>. Here is some information that will help you to find the\u00a0most suitable package<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1. Pet insurance for dogs and cats: the options<\/h2>\n

There are three main levels of insurance cover available for pets:<\/p>\n

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  • Basic and intermediate<\/strong>: treatment costs following\u00a0illness\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0accidents are compensated<\/strong>. However, there are reimbursement ceilings in the annual coverage depending on the package chosen.<\/li>\n
  • Premium:<\/strong>\u00a0in addition to the\u00a0expenses named above<\/strong>, it also covers the\u00a0whole\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0part\u00a0<\/strong>of\u00a0preventive treatments<\/strong>, such as vaccines, anti-parasite courses, worming, neutering and some hygiene or care treatments.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Note: did you know that\u00a0several Dermoscent®<\/sup><\/sup>\u00a0products<\/strong>\u00a0can be\u00a0covered by insurance<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

    Some insurance policies can require\u00a0deductible<\/strong>, so don\u2019t hesitate to find out more from your insurer when asking for a quote. In addition, there may be a\u00a0delay in coverage<\/strong>\u00a0starting after your subscription (between one week and six months), time period in which your pet won\u2019t be insured.<\/p>\n

    Cancellation conditions<\/strong>\u00a0can also vary between insurers. It is important to understand them thoroughly to ensure that there are no bad surprises when the time comes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    2. Criteria for ensuring that your cat or dog is insured<\/h2>\n

    Before taking out any policy, you need to check whether your pet meets the\u00a0eligibility criteria<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Age and breed:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Puppies and kittens must be at least\u00a0few weeks to months old<\/strong>, depending on the country, and\u00a0must be vaccinated<\/strong>\u00a0and must\u00a0have a microchip<\/strong>. Some insurers don\u2019t allow you to take out a policy for animals that are\u00a0older than seven years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \u201cHigh-risk<\/strong>\u201d breeds with a\u00a0shorter lifespan<\/strong>\u00a0(such as Mastiffs, Great Danes, English bulldogs, Newfoundlands and French bulldogs) could have\u00a0higher contributions<\/strong>\u00a0compared to other breeds.<\/p>\n

    State of health:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Depending on the animal\u2019s medical history, insurers may\u00a0exclude one or more diseases<\/strong>\u00a0from coverage. It is therefore recommended that you\u00a0insure your animal as early as possible<\/strong>\u00a0to avoid this kind of problem. Insurers can sometimes require a\u00a0medical check<\/strong>\u00a0to understand the animal\u2019s overall health before taking out a policy.\u00a0Good health<\/strong>\u00a0must be confirmed by the owner or by the veterinarian and the\u00a0vaccinations\u00a0<\/strong>must be\u00a0up-to-date<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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    3. How much does it cost to insure your pet?<\/h2>\n

    The\u00a0contribution\u00a0<\/strong>is set depending on your\u00a0animal\u2019s species<\/strong>\u00a0(dog, cat, rabbit\u2026) and breed.<\/p>\n

    For\u00a0dogs<\/strong>, the\u00a0subscription fee for basic packages<\/strong>\u00a0ranges\u00a0between<\/strong>\u00a0\u20ac10 and \u20ac25 per month<\/strong>\u00a0and covers costs linked to major accidents. A\u00a0\u201cpremium\u201d package<\/strong>\u00a0covering ongoing costs would be expected to cost\u00a0between \u20ac35 and \u20ac65 per month.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Steps required to obtain reimbursement for veterinarian\u2019s fees:<\/p>\n

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    1. Pay the veterinarian<\/strong>\u00a0and request an invoice<\/li>\n
    2. Have\u00a0the veterinarian complete the treatment record<\/strong>\u00a0provided by the insurer<\/li>\n
    3. Send\u00a0<\/strong>the treatment record and the related invoice to\u00a0the insurer<\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. A\u00a0bank transfer<\/strong>\u00a0will be made a few days after your claim has been processed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":44220,"template":"","categories":[],"categories-conseils":[262],"class_list":["post-44222","nos-conseils","type-nos-conseils","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-conseils-practical-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils\/44222","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/nos-conseils"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/nos-conseils\/44222\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44222"},{"taxonomy":"categories-conseils","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dermoscent.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-conseils?post=44222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}