Nose-to-Tail Cover
for your dog or cat

Pet insurance is a way to protect both you and your pet from unexpected vet bills. There is no need for your pet to suffer if veterinary care is too pricey, and no difficult decisions for you to make other than getting them the care they deserve.

Insurance is the one thing we pay for that we hope we never need to use. But when needed, pet owners are relieved to have it, because you can never predict when something might happen to your pet. Read more in our article ‘Is Pet Insurance worth it?’

Pet insurance generally covers unexpected illnesses and accidental injuries.

Subject to policy terms and conditions, accidental injuries may include things like:

• motor vehicle incidents;
• injuries caused by another animal including rough play;
• falls from heights;
• cuts, lacerations and stick injuries;
• grass seed embedment or entrapment;
• traumatically fractured teeth;
• burns, heatstroke or frostbite;
• exposure to venomous bites such as snake bite and tick paralysis;
• reactions to bites or stings from insects
• toxicity from ingesting harmful substances like chocolate, rat bait or grapes
• and ingestion of foreign objects.

Illnesses covered may include:

• skin allergies;
• ear infections;
• gastrointestinal conditions;
• masses, lumps and cancer;
• eye conditions;
• musculoskeletal conditions such as arthritis, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia, intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) or patella luxation;
• infectious diseases such as leptospirosis, heartworm, cat flu or kennel cough;
• urinary diseases such as urinary infection, blood in urine or blocked bladder;
• endocrine diseases such as diabetes, Cushing’s or hyperthyroidism;
• emergency situations such as gastric dilatation and volvulus (GDV), seizures and anaphylactic reactions;
• kidney diseases;
• respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia

You can find full details of what is covered under Bow Wow Meow’s Nose-to-Tail cover in our Product Disclosure Statement.

Dental conditions and routine care (vaccinations, desexing and other preventative measures) are excluded from cover under most policies, or may be offered as an optional benefit (that you pay additional premium for).

Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance offers the following optional add-ons:

• Booster Care for specified dental conditions and specialised therapies;
• Routine care (non-insurance benefit) provides a contribution to items such as desexing and vaccinations;

You should check the Product Disclosure Statement or pet insurance provider’s website for more information on available options.

Accidents happen. Illness happens. It’s just a fact of life. No matter how well you look after them, most pets will require veterinary treatment at some stage.

Vet treatment nowadays is highly advanced, but that often comes with a hefty price tag. Unfortunately there is no Medicare for pets, so if anything happens to your pet, you will need to foot the entire bill. With the cost of veterinary care outstripping inflation and advances in available treatments, vet care for an ill or injured pet can quickly add up to thousands of dollars, particularly if you visit an emergency clinic or the condition is chronic and ongoing. Unless you have savings to cover this, it can be very difficult to find the money to pay for the care your cat or dog needs.

Pet insurance is a way to help protect both you and your pet from unexpected vet bills, to help your pet get the treatment they need when they need it.

Just like humans, the older our pets get, the more likely they are to have health issues crop up. Cats and dogs age faster than we do, which means that their veterinary treatment costs go up rapidly each year too.

We hear from thousands of pet owners that pet insurance gives them peace of mind, providing them with the security that they will never have to choose between money and the life of their beloved pet.

Pet Insurance, like all insurance, has limits and exclusions that differ from one policy to another. Typically, the higher your level of cover, the more you will be able to claim for eligible veterinary costs.

When researching pet insurance products in Australia, try to get an understanding of what is covered by the different products on the market. While the product names and benefit amounts may change, the main types of pet insurance cover are generally quite consistent, ranging from plans that only cover accidental injury to those that include extra benefits like routine care items, dental and other behavioural and alternative therapies.

To understand a pet insurance product and determine if it suits the needs of you and your pet, it’s important to carefully review the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Policy Brochure. These documents will clarify the limits of the product and what you can claim for in relation to your pet.

Once you have determined what type of cover you would like to get, it can be helpful to look at reviews of providers from other pet owners. Reviews from pet owners can give you an indication of service levels, as well as an idea of the good and the bad that can occur. Reputable sites include Google and Product Review.

Pet insurance works much like other types of insurance, but it’s designed specifically to help cover the cost of veterinary care when your pet gets sick or injured. Here’s how it usually works:

1. Choose a policy – Select a pet insurance policy that suits your needs. Each policy is different in terms of coverage, premiums, excess, and benefits. Bow Wow Meow’s Nose-to-Tail Cover gives you the option to choose your annual benefit limit (up to $30k), your benefit percentage (up to 90%), and whether to add an annual excess. Read more.

2. Pay premiums – Keep your policy active by paying regular premiums. Bow Wow Meow offers the choice of fortnightly, monthly or annually.

3. Visit the vet – If your pet becomes injured or seems unwell, take them to your regular vet, emergency vet or animal hospital for care.

4. Pay the bill or the gap – After your appointment or when collecting your pet, you’ll need to cover the vet bill. If your vet clinic offers GapOnly®, Bow Wow Meow policyholders can claim on the spot and pay only the gap, the difference between the vet’s invoice and the calculated benefit.

5. Submit a claim – If you haven’t claimed through GapOnly®, there are a number of ways Bow Wow Meow policyholders can claim. Your vet can submit an eClaim on your behalf, or you can upload the claim yourself via our Pet Portal. Read more.

6. Claims review – Your insurer reviews the claim to make sure it’s covered under your policy and not affected by things like waiting periods or pre-existing conditions.

7. Reimbursement – If approved, you’ll be reimbursed for the eligible portion of your vet bill, usually as a percentage of the costs. Bow Wow Meow processes 90% of claims within a day, once all documents are received.

8. Ongoing cover – You can keep claiming as long as your policy is active, so each time your pet needs treatment, the process repeats.

Pet insurance premiums are calculated based on factors such as the breed and age of your pet, and the type of cover you have chosen. To keep pet insurance fair for all customers, high risk breeds pay a higher premium than low risk breeds. Premiums also increase as pets age. This is because, as pets age, the risk of suffering from age related conditions are much higher.

You should also be aware that your premium will be recalculated each time your policy renews. To get a truly accurate idea, we suggest you get a pet insurance quote.

To help reduce your pet insurance premium costs, you may choose to add an excess to your policy. An excess is a fixed amount that you pay out-of-pocket before your insurer starts contributing toward a claim.

Many pet insurance providers have a Per-condition excess. This means you pay the excess for every separate and unrelated health condition that you claim for within your 12-month policy period.

In contrast, Bow Wow Meow’s Nose-to-Tail Cover offers the option of adding on an Annual excess. The difference is that you are only required to pay this excess once per policy period. The excess amount is applied to each claim in the policy period until it is fully paid.

Bow Wow Meow offers you the option to add an annual excess of $250 or $500. We do not apply any per-condition excesses, so with Bow Wow Meow, you only pay one excess per policy year, no matter how many different conditions you claim for.