Pet Insurance Reviews by Satisfied Customers in Australia

At Petplan, we know it is never easy when your pet is sick or has had an accident, however we hope they are now back up to speed.

Petplan Pet Insurance is dedicated to pets being able to have the best veterinary care available when they need it most.

We love to see happy, healthy Petplan protected pets, so why not share with us how Petplan helped you what they were sick. Either post a picture of your pet and your story on our Facebook page or email us the details.

When you are evaluating the various pet insurance providers across Australia, you want to ensure you get the most competitive quote and comprehensive cover for your needs, but you’ll also be seeking to ensure you take out a policy with a provider you can really trust and depend on.

Providers can promise the world, but if they won’t pay out in the event of a claim or there are lots of hidden exclusions in the fine print of their policies, customers can find themselves completely out of pocket for expensive veterinary bills at a time where they need financial support the most.
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Bronson's Story
I first got my baby Bronson at 10 weeks old; we went for 5.2kgs to 55.9kgs to 12 months! But I loved this big gentle sook from the moment I got him.
Unfortunately, is his maturing he fought a very tough battle with cancer (lymphoma) he did it like a trooper and even though he has beaten it and into remission his heart had some other issues and we lost him. With a broken heart and a lot of pain I said goodbye.
He was the kindness dog, son and best friend I could have asked for and brought me nothing but happiness with the time I got to spend with him.
From the very bottom of my heart I would like to thank Petplan for all the help, support and insurance over the 7.6 years I had with him.
Through some tough times in mine and Bronson’s life, Pet plan gave me relief and support when I needed it most, their kindness and professionalism was of the highest and dignified level. Not once was I met without Kindness and support.
I again thank you so much, you are an amazing bunch of exceptional people who chose I life of helping animals, what an amazing thing to do.

Thank you again.
Shane, Rebecca and Bronson.
Louie and Lola's Story
Meet Louie & Lola
Louie & Lola are half brother and sister. They’re best friends. They love chicken, wrestling, walkies, bushwalking, the beach,the jet ski, playing fetch & most of all, they love their Mummy & Daddy. Louie and Lola have 27,000 Instagram followers - I know crazy! The account was created so that their Mum wouldn’t annoy her friends with putting up so many photos of Louie & Lola. Three years later and they have followers from all around the world!
@louie_and_lola_yorkies
Digger's Story
Meet Digger! This is Digger he is an 8yr old pure Blue Heeler but just never developed any of the blue like his brothers and sisters! He is such a good family dog who loves a bickie when we get home and adores his best friend Thor the Border Collie! He tries to act tough sometimes but we all know he's a softy!
Poppy's Pet Tail Story
Poppy is our much loved English Cocker Spaniel from Perth, Western Australia. She competes for her hooman’s attention with 2 British Shorthair cats (one is a tripod so the competition is tough).
Jamie's Story
Meet Jaime! Jamie is so intelligent. He gained his Rally Masters, Companion Dog Excellence and Australian Rally Obedience Champion Title, all last year. He is a very funny boy and when we go for our walk each day, he always collects about 12 sticks at once. Not bad for a special boy diagnosed with elbow dysplasia.
Beatrix's Story
Meet Beatrix! She is as sweet as sugar and loves helping and relaxing in her lavender garden. She also loves cuddles, watching Heart of Dixie, and playing with her brother Bertie.
Toby's Story
Meet Toby! The 7 year old Miniature Poodle, is a Therapy Dog in Training. He loves all the pats he gets working with Special Needs students at Aldridge High School, Queensland.
Max's Pet Tail Story
Meet Max!

He is very old and of questionable of heritage.
Max was 9 when he was very close to being put to sleep. My sister found him and suddenly he was flying down from Queensland.
A few issues. Yes!
My designer home covered in fur. Yes!
My husband in love with the dog. Yes!
Is he our very special treasure. Yes!

We don’t understand why he was not wanted because everyday someone stops to pat him and tell us how beautiful he is.
We think so to.
George's Story
George is a 10 month old Miniature Dachshund. He encourages us to get up early to greet the sunshine and he will not start his day until he's done at least 3 downward dog stretches.
Apollo's Story
Meet Apollo, the 6 month old Rottweiler x Kelpie puppy. Apollo loves chasing balls and eating any food - even if you think it's not edible. He's such a smart pup with his bow tie!
Milori's Story
Meet Milori, the 4½ year old Ragdoll!
"Milori is a fun loving adorable feline. She plays games like hide and seek and won’t let me do the bed as I cover one side she uncovers the other side, it’s a game for her! She cries at night if I stay up too late as she won’t go to bed unless I go to bed. Milori is 4½ years old and given to me from my niece. When Milori was born she was last of the litter and wasn’t going to survive as she was not well but my niece hand fed her and is now a perfectly healthy cat! Milori is special to me and I give her the best of food and love that she needs!"
Lucy the Jackshund's Story
Lucy is a 5 month old Jackshund who loves cuddles and lazy sunbathing. Her favourite pastimes are: gardening (digging holes in the lawn), home renovation (chewing the skirting boards) and fashion (stealing socks).
Trooper's Story
Meet Trooper, the 5 month old Rottweiler puppy. Trooper loves apples and chasing his sisters around the yard and nipping their back legs, he loves his early morning nap on the end of the bed while mum has a sleep in.
Pickle's Story
Meet Pickles, the three week old Lemon Beagle puppy. Pickles is the little ‘Boss Man’ of the family. He loves being the ‘Supervisor’ and ensuring that the household is running smoothly. Pickles enjoys playing with his sisters and receiving regular kisses and cuddles.
Cedar's Story
Cedar is a fun loving Italian Greyhound. His favourite thing is to do is to hide under the doona where he cannot be seen. He also loves car rides and lying in the sun. A resident Kookaburra comes in every morning to share Cedar's bowl of food with him. They are the best of buddies.
Kenzo's Story
Meet Kenzo, the five month old Yorkshire Terrier puppy.

"My name is Kensington, but you can call me Kenzo. My Mum is a pet stylist and works at a Salon/Dog Cafe which means I am lucky enough to join her everyday in pampering the pets of Perth. My jobs include enticing customers with my charming wookie features, making puppies feel welcome, taste testing the foodstuffs and modeling trending apparel. I am always smiling because my days are filled with "awww's" and adventure!"
Finnigan's Story
Romy has five felines insured with Petplan.

Finnigan their new little rescue was saved from a box on the side of the highway when he was around 5 weeks. He loves to explore the beach and the park. He gets daily walks or else he'll throw a tantrum. Unfortunately, he has some nasal issues which are currently being treated with the help of Petplan.

'We appreicate all of the help Petplan has provided us with over the last few years with all my fur babies- you have paid out around $30,000 worth of claims for me, so for that, thank you.'
Romy
Bella's Story
Bella had only been at home for two weeks before making an unsteady leap off the couch, resulting in a broken leg. Straight through the Radius and Ulna. Bella's Mum had just started a new job after three years in University, leaving her with lots of debt. Meaning without Petplan, she would have had to take another loan out to give Bella the care she needed. Luckily, Bella had Petplan cover so she was able to get treatment and her mum found claiming back trouble-free.

Bella is so tiny, the vet said that her bones are only about 4mm in diameter, so the risk was always high. She had a cast on for three weeks, which came off early because she was getting pressure sores and her bones were losing bone density. We are all wishing Bella a speedy recovery!
Ruby's Story
Meet Ruby Lambert, the 3 month old Graduate. He joined the Lambert family just 4 weeks after they had to put down their beloved boxer Abbey, who was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer. Petplan assisted through the many vet visits, tests and surgeries, so that the family's time could be spent on caring for Abbey.

Ruby has proven to be very smart and graduated from puppy school this month with an honours degree. She loves cuddles and playing in the garden and makes the Lambert family complete again.
Skater's Story
My name is Skater! Having two torn ACL surgeries at 12 months old meant weeks of recovery and time spent in close quarters with my peeps. Having insurance, the cost was one thing less to worry about. Now I have arthritis and am on a mix of prescribed and homeopathic remedies but life is great! The days revolve around me. My fave things are cuddles, people, swimming and treats - not necessarily in that order!
Cleo's Story
This mini schnauzer is Cleo. She has made good use of her pet insurance. Her first experience with the Emergency Vet was a late night dash after she was found crying and shaking in the back yard. She yelped every time anyone went near her mouth. Three hours later, the vet finally found a bee sting in her tongue. The poor little poppet hasn't gone near a bee since.
Her second trip to the Emergency Vet was after she'd had a good lick at something smelly at the beach and ended up with hemorrhagic diarrhea.
Finally, she ended up at a Specialist Vet after exhibiting intermittent hind leg lameness that looked to be neurological in nature. Her family were very relieved when it was eventually resolved.
Chopper's Story
Meet Chopper! He's had a tough time recently after suffering from a ruptured Cruciate Ligament. Here you can see him building up muscle tone at his pre-surgery hydrotherapy. He's recently had to put up with the cone of shame while his stitches were in. Chopper is beginning to get very bored now and can't wait for the next four weeks to pass when he'll finally be free to get outside for some short walks around the block.
Jess' Story
Meet Jess! Jess was adopted from Farmdogz Rescue when she was 1 years old. She had been rescued from the pond with her four young puppies. She is a very gentle, happy dog who loves to run through grass. Jess often comes to work at the clinic as a vet nurse. She's great at giving cuddles on stressful days and sneaking into reception to greet clients. She's great at being a 'test' doggy for nursing students checking the heart rate and taking temperature.
Charlie's Story
Meet Charlie!
Charlie, who is 6 and a half years old, is a real foodie and loves his home comforts - cuddling up in bed with his toys. When he’s not napping with his monkey, he loves a bit of ‘me’ time. You can often find him having his beauty treatments with Liz the local vet (a bath and a trim). He’s recently taken up swimming in the Murray river. But his favourite hobby is cuddling!
Kahuna's Story
Can’t praise the wonderful people at Petplan Pet Insurance high enough for all their continued support and messages of love to our Big Kahuna while everyone tries to get him healthy and strong!
Vivaldi's Story
Valdi, short for Vivaldi, was born in Argentina and brought out to service the salt and pepper Schnauzers.

He loves to dance when he gets his meals, especially the Tango (even if his back legs are going). He is wonderful with children and other dogs. He does get a bit miffed if larger well trained dogs don’t take any notice of him because he thinks he is pretty terrific.

Valdi spent eight weeks living in a cage at the vets. He needed complete rest after injuring his back legs. My pet insurance covered his stay, thank goodness, and he is now a very happy chappy.

Pauline
Minka's Story
I would like to extend my thanks for the professional relationship I have had with Petplan over the last 9 years. All staff have been compassionate, friendly & extremely helpful to me each time I needed to contact the office centre. It makes such a difference to deal with professional people in their field.

Minka was my first pet, I was 62 not long after my husband died after a very protracted & disabling illness. She gave me great joy and I loved her with all of my heart. Unfortunately she became unwell & out of humanity I had to make a distressing decision for her own well-being I could not see her in pain.

The lady I spoke to today was lovely, those of us that love our animals know what it’s like to lose them. We totally understand the loss & grief we go through.

Love to you all

Lyn xox
Charli's Story
Taking out insurance with Petplan was the best thing we have done. Your company has been amazing.

We had no idea when we purchased our dog that she would turn out to be a lemon. The insurance that we have with you has meant the difference between having her put down and having her alive and healthy. I could not imagine not having cover. We are truly grateful.
Anzac's Story
My husband brought Anzac into the family for me as a companion and protection dog, as he had terminal cancer and was worried about how I would cope after he died.

When on holidays, Anzac ingested something unknown, I suspect it may have been sewerage on the property we were staying at. I decided not to wait to see my local vet, and luckily, I had researched vets in the area before the holiday.

We saw the vet on the day before we were due to leave. It was extremely good judgement to see the vet whilst on holidays, Anzac wouldn't have survived otherwise.

He was critically ill and required a blood transfusion. It took 6 long weeks for him to get back to his normal self. I now keep him on a special sensitivity vet diet to help his digestive system, which was severely compromised.

If I didn't have Petplan, I would have been severely out of pocket.
Dougal's Story
Our 10 week old Westie puppy Dougal started throwing up several times and we thought it may be gastro as our older Westie had it a fortnight earlier. So we headed straight to the Murdoch Vet Hospital at 6am, we did not want to take any risks.

The vet suspected gastro, did an ultrasound, gave Dougal an anti-nausea wafer and sent us home as Dougal wasn't fully vaccinated. They didn't want him to be in any more danger.

We were told to only feed him chicken and rice, and to get him to drink water, even if we had to use a syringe! We were on high alert to watch him carefully and bring him back if he deteriorated.

Upon arriving home a few hours later, I had given him some food off he went out to the toilet. Turns out he pooped out a $2 coin! We have no idea where he got it from.

We have Petplan policies for both of our Westies. Petplan has always been easy to deal with, giving us peace of mind and taking the financial strain off us.

Dougal is now back to the happy 11 week old puppy he is.
Cooper's Story
"We are so lucky to have chosen Petplan as our pet insurer, they have been nothing but helpful, patient and always supportive to the cause of our boy Cooper.

It has been a long journey not knowing why our boy was limping with several visits to the vet and X-rays, in the end a vet specialist had to perform surgery in both elbows caused by Elbow Dysplasia.

Without Petplan we have no idea how we would be able to afford such a costly and ongoing procedure for Cooper. We are forever grateful and our boy is now at home recovering slowly. Thank you PetPlan, you have been our savior."
Pedro's story
Pedro is 8 years old and I have had him from the age of 10 weeks.

My first claim was for an investigation and eventual diagnosis of an underactive thyroid, then constriction of his intestine which required surgery urgently. He has also torn his ACL so there was surgery and rehab for that.

I'm not sure what I would have done without Petplan insurance. I would have probably taken out a loan and been very stressed about it!
Ruby's Story

My best friend Ruby, an 11 year old miniature dachshund is happy and healthy despite being diagnosed with diabetes in November 2015 at age 7. But last year she suddenly went blind from diabetic cataracts and she wasn’t her happy self.

Thanks to Pet Plan Ruby remaining blind was not an option. I knew she able to have the best treatment available with out having to worry about costs. Ruby continues to live a happy and healthy life thanks to the team at Animal Diabetes Australia, Melbourne Eye Vet and Pet Plan.

She gets excited for twice daily injections as it means food time. She is back to playing with the ball and bossing my Greyhound Sally around the house.

My claim was processed and refunded in less than 7 days.
Bonnielou's Story
Bonnielou was a rescue in 2008 by RSPCA. I adopted her in 2009 when she was 4 years of age. She had been dragging her hind legs and 24 hours later was paralysed. A scan showed she needed a disc in her neck replaced.

She is doing well with since her operation in February with exercise and Hydro therapy to build up muscle in her legs.

Pet insurance saved her life as the total cost was more than $9000 and It would have been difficult for me to finance.
Kobi's Story
“I just wanted to say how impressed I’ve been with Petplan since insuring my 18 month old German Shepherd with you. I’ve had terrible experiences in the past with another insurer but have been nothing but impressed with the response and service of Petplan.

My shepherd has unfortunately had ongoing issues during his 18 months of life and you have accepted all my claims and reimbursed a significant proportion of my expenses. I just wanted to write and say how grateful I am. Thank you.”
Boof's Story
In 2016 our 8 month Boerboel needed to have his right knee pinned due to chronic luxation. 2 weeks later, due mostly to his size and weight (50+ kg at the time) even for a youngster, his left ACL went and again needed surgery only this time much more invasive.

So, in a matter of a month, there were multiple normal and specialist vet visits, multiple x rays which are a little more costly due to being a giant breed and of course, all the follow-ups.
The first op we paid but with the 2^nd op being only 2 weeks later our money was not readily available.

Petplan saved us a lot of stress and worry by working with the specialist centre and paying direct. To date, Petplan has promptly paid nearly $11,000 for our Boof’s legs.

We now have a new 4 legged family member that arrived yesterday and will also be joining PetPlan - by far the best insurance for pets. Please note I was previously with another provider but the service was horrendous.
Wilbur's Story
We have had our much loved Bull Terrier Wilbur for 4 years now, and have had him covered with Petplan since his arrival. Wilbur came from a rescue shelter and had a very poor start to his life. That has all changed now as he is spoilt severely! He has such a beautiful nature that makes him the centre of attention where ever he goes. He loves showing off his toys and delights in giving us exercise by getting us to throw his many balls. Wilbur also loves watching the TV to the extent that he tells us when he wants it on.

When Wilbur was only a few months old he fractured his growth plate in his leg attempting to jump onto our bed. Without the coverage offered by Petplan, it would have been very difficult for us as the surgery fees were around $5,000. This would have been a huge financial strain on us and makes us so thankful as some people lose their pets this way by not being able to afford these type of costs.

Since the injury, he seems a little more cautious when jumping, and he is almost fully recovered due to a well-managed rehabilitation program.
Kora's Story
We picked up Kora as a 9-week old puppy, happy and healthy, in Feb 2017.

At 13 weeks old we noticed a growth/protrusion from Kora's Vagina (she had been to our local vet less than a week earlier for her 12-week needles and everything was fine). We noticed the growth on a Sunday, so Monday we were straight back to our local vet. We found out our little girl had grown a penis which protruded out of her vagina.

Off to a specialist we went, who confirmed that she had both female and male genitalia. Due to her age, we were sent home until she was six months old. During this time we managed bladder infections caused by her condition. June 2017, Kora went in to have her penis removed and to be de-sexed. Because of her case, the surgeon sent Kora's gonads off for testing. All gonads were reported as male which meant our little girl (which is now very much a girl), was technically a boy - the rarest form of genetic mix-up.

She remained her happy, cheeky self throughout the entire ordeal and has now completely healed up. Kora celebrated her first birthday in December! Without pet insurance, there is no way we could have afforded Kora's surgery. Petplan saved our little girl and our bank account!
Lily's Story
We have had our gorgeous Devon Rex, Lily, for five years. Lily is a free-spirited and excitable cat who has affectionately earned herself the name of 'Velcro Kitty' as she loves to be wherever we are.

Lily has a fascination with chewing inanimate objects. her love affair first began with a rubber mat. Unfortunately, chewing wasn't enough for Lily and she (unknowingly to us) swallowed a small piece of rubber that got stuck in her small intestine. After a couple of days of not being herself and vomiting, we rushed her to the vet where we found out she had a blockage. She had emergency abdominal obstruction surgery and a 6 day stay at the vet as she didn't take well to the antibiotics.

Unfortunately Lily's love affair didn't end then. Despite keeping our house 'Devon Rex friendly', in August this year, Lily found (again, unknowingly to us) a jewellery organza bag. She ate this bag and had yet again further emergency abdominal obstruction surgery with a short stay in the vet. Again, Lily didn't cope with the antibiotics as well as the stress of being in her least favourite place. In addition to abdominal obstruction surgery, Lily had a quick visit to the animal emergency centre earlier this year for trapped stomach gas!

We are so grateful for having insurance with Petplan. Without Petplan coming to our rescue, we would now be out of pocket just over $5,000. We have nothing but praise for Petplan as they have always paid our claim swiftly and hassle-free. We highly recommend them.

We would like to say that Lily's incidents are out of character but unfortunately she loves to chew! We are always careful to safely lock away any 'attractive' items.

We are happy to report that Lily is back to good health and has been very well-behaved. Her fur is slowly growing back from her shaved stomach! The poor little thing is still a little sad from her operations though!
Busta's Story
Busta joined our family as a healthy, bouncing, high energy Miniature Groodle pup. His breeder signed him up to Petplan from the outset. Right before the policy was due to expire & we were exploring our insurance options, Busta unfortunately had seizures. After extensive testing and an animal hospital stay, he was diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy.

This was a very expensive process & I'd hate to think what may have happened to Busta had he gone to another owner. We of course renewed the plan for life as other insurers would exclude pre-existing conditions. Petplan were fantastic during the entire process, making claims straight forward and processing them promptly.

An idiopathic diagnosis actually implies that they couldn't determine the cause of Busta's seizures, just that they had eliminated all the things that can be tested for - such as parasites, liver shunts, toxicity, fever, infection, or genetic defect. There really are lots of things that can go wrong with your pet, it's pretty scary.

Fortunately we would have been able to take out a personal loan to cover the costs, however having Petplan meant we could instead focus on getting Busta better and home again.

Busta is great now! He's super friendly with people and other dogs, knows loads of tricks (including opening doors), and he is always happy and full of beans! Over an 18 month period we've weaned him off all medication under vet supervision and he hasn't had another seizure since the initial event. We also have him on a high quality diet, which is part of his management program. Check out this video of Busta and what he has been up to in the last 2 years!

Two Years In The Life Of Busta from KrissyBetty on Vimeo.
Lucy's Story
Lucy came to us at approx 15 weeks of age. She was unwanted by her previous owner as she had funny (or as they said 'unwanted) colouring. We all think she is beautiful!

Before we knew what the problem was, Lucy was just acting a little 'oddly'. We couldn't quite work out why, so off we went to the emergency vet - turns out she had a high fever, changes to bloodwork suggesting infection and was uncomfortable when they palpated her abdomen. She was a bit of a mystery to them and recommended investigations.

Despite being a short hair dog and brushing her regularly, a grass seed managed to find a way to burrow in through the skin and travel through to her spinal muscles! A major work up including CT scan and surgery with a specialist veterinary surgeon ensued and the pesky little seed was located and removed.

Without insurance I still would have done everything necessary to cover the costs - taken out a credit card, sold my car, gotten a second job! I'm so grateful to Petplan for their support and thank my stars we took out insurance for her!

Thankfully Lucy has recovered 100%!
Remi's Story
We have had our Remi since she was 8 weeks old and she's now 8 years and 7 months. She has always been a bit of a trouble maker but is really quite timid and shy.

After being constipated for 36 hours we became very concerned at her distress at 11pm on a Sunday night and headed off to Murdoch Vet Emergency Centre, only to find out that a tumour was constricting her lower intestine. Being a Boxer, it was immediately thought likely to be malignant - it was a horrible, horrible situation in the middle of the night having to wait for a surgical consult first thing on Monday morning.

An operation was essential to save her life and it was estimated to be $6-7k. We were able to give the go-ahead straightaway because we knew that Petplan would have our back! When it was diagnosed as the dreaded hemangiosarcoma, she could still have died and only heavy duty chemo would save her life. Again, we could proceed with treatment because of Petplan. And, because of Petplan's great reputation, the oncologist was happy to take payment direct from Petplan.

With Boxers being prone to so many nasties, having the best cover is essential. Many owners opt for policies with cheaper premiums; however, insurance is ALL about the insurer having your back when you really need it. From the 15th of May to today (5th of September), my beloved baby is still with us and faring reasonably well. There is ongoing chemo, which we are now covering ourselves, having had time to save and get ready for the continued costs because Petplan got us over the immediate hump!
Roxy's Story
I have had my cat (I still call her a kitten) 'Roxy', for 4.5 years.

I've only claimed one visit when she was sick (vomiting/dry reaching from licking her sister & getting furballs). It became lodged & she couldn't eat, then gouging and repeatedly throwing up for about 7 days. The concern was when first taken to the emergency vet, they checked her and said "do you know she has a massive heart murmur." I didn't.

When she was 1, she got electrocuted at a neighbouring substation when she crawled under the fence & couldn't get out. She should have died with the shock. The blessing 6 months later, was she was sick from the furball obstruction, was that the murmur was discovered and I was able to observe and look after her with that. The murmur isn't covered, but it's peace of mind to know any other treatments are, and that when she's injured or ill, I don't hesitate to get her checked.

If i wasn't covered by Petplan, I would be hit with bills i wouldn't be able to afford or I would be hesitating on checking her health due to the fact of the high vet bills.

This was absolutely out of the blue as Roxy is routinely happy, content, loving, and a beautiful cat. When she looks tentative, quiet or reserved, I can tell that something is wrong.

Roxy thankfully recovered, although her heart murmur still exists. My brother is a vet and he suggested to just keep her happy, healthy and calm for her life - I do. I bought a house with a beautiful yard; created beautiful spaces she loves; she sleeps in the bedroom, by the sun, on the sofa, and in the front window where she waits for me to come home.
Oscar's Story
We have owned Oscar, our precious Shih Tzu, for two and a half years. We purchased him from a breeder as a one year old.

In March, Oscar became lethargic and we rushed him to Animal Eye care as his eyes were hemorrhaging. Fortunately Dr Robin immediately realised he was very ill and sent us to Animal Emergency Hospital where Oscar was diagnosed with Immune Mediated thrombocytopaenia. We will be forever grateful to Dr Robin, the staff at the Emergency Hospital and to Dr Linda and Dr Ann Claire at South Paws Specialty Surgery for saving Oscars life and for their ongoing care. The blood transfusion given by a rescue greyhound provided the life saving platelets in her blood.

Petplan has supported us throughout our ordeal and enabled us to provide Oscar with his continuing care and medications. Without Petplan, we would have had an enormous veterinary bill!

This was totally out of the blue as he had always been a normal, healthy little dog. Oscar is almost back to his happy self but we know now that this problem could re occur - although we hope not as he was such a very ill little boy.
Brian's Story
Brian is turning 5 this September and is a lovely, cheerful pure bred Labrador that is truly a member of our family.

We were surprised when the vet found a very unusual abnormality in his stomach, something that was a rare, almost unique case. Adhesions usually appear after surgeries or traumas, but neither was the case. Our vet said he probably could be born with it, or it could spontaneously occur due to unknown reasons.

The surgery costed a fortune. We never thought about any alternative (bad) solutions, we would have paid regardless - without Petplan it would have been a huge impact on our family budget.

Fortunately, Brian recovered quickly. He's back to his cheerful self once again, with a pretty scary looking wound!
Chairman's Story
We have had "Chairman" a Saint Bernard for 4 years, since he was a pup. He's a big dog weighing in at between 65kgs - 70kgs. Chairman is a gentle giant, although he will stand his ground if threatened - otherwise he enjoys when smaller dogs jump on him and try to bite his ears, so he is quite patient. He however prefers human interaction as long as you can put up with a bit of slobber.

Chairman's past injuries relate to him swallowing tennis balls. Given his size he has no trouble in doing this so he is usually on the lead at the park or wearing a mouth guard to prevent him picking up tennis balls and swallowing them. He has swallowed 4 and a half tennis balls so far, however only one needed an operation as it went as far as the small intestine and couldn't be extracted through his mouth and throat.

Without Petplan, extracting the balls would have been significantly more expensive, so we're grateful to have pet insurance. Our vet tells us it's not out of character for Chairman to swallow tennis balls, but now we are aware we take precautions so he doesn't do it anymore, including additional training.

Chairman has recovered well after surgery - the vet and hospital staff did a fantastic job!
Sebastian's Story
I've had Sebastian since the 3rd of March 2017. A month ago Sebastian got kicked by a horse in the eye. Without hesitation he was rushed to the vets where he was put on instant treatment. He was diagnosed as blind in the right eye due to trauma, with instruction to keep an eye on any increase of pain.

Without Petplan I would definitely have taken Sebastian to the vets, but not have been able to afford so many necessary follow up consultations. I was very pleased I have Sebastian insured under Petplan as it means I have no hesitation in taking him straight to the vets when something goes wrong.

This was quite out of character. Whilst Sebastian is super friendly and energetic, he is also smart and stays out of danger. This particular day, however, the adolescent puppy mindset kicked in and he was quite content to not heed my calls away from the horse.

5 days ago I noticed a few changes in his eye, and thinking the worst but wanting the best for him, Sebastian was taken to the vets. Upon consultation it was revealed he had partial sight! A marvel to both the veterinarians and I! He is now on another course of anti-inflammatory drugs in an effort to keep the swelling in his eye down so he can potentially gain more sight.
Zeus' Story
Zeus is our 3 year old Golden Retriever that we have had since he was 9 weeks old.

When Zeus was 5 and a half months old he was diagnosed with elbow dysplasia and he had both elbows operated on by a specialist surgeon. After this, when he was 11 months old Zeus was diagnosed with Lymphoma and had to undergo 19 weeks of chemotherapy.

If we didn't have Petplan pet insurance we wouldn't have been able to afford both the surgery and the chemotherapy.

After everything he has been through, Zeus has a slight limp on one side but other than that he is a normal and active dog. It is almost 2 years since he finished chemo and you wouldn't even be able to tell that he was ever ill.
Harry's Story
Harry is a purebred Maine Coon and has only been insured with Petplan for 9 months as I wanted to make sure he gets the best treatment and care possible.

He came down with a bug and ended up in hospital for 2 nights needing several tests and x-rays.

Without Petplan, not only would I have been out of pocket with expenses, but I wouldn't have felt as reassured as I was that he was going to receive the best care possible.

Thanks to Petplan and the vets, Harry has made a full recovery and is back to his old self.
Barkley's Story
We have had Barkley since he was 8 weeks old and he has just turned 1.

Throughout his short life he has had a couple of mishaps, with the most recent being very serious. Barkley had a common Bulldog complaint when his third eyelid began to swell.

We knew it was going to cost a lot to get our boy fixed but luckily we had Petplan to help us out. The first surgery was unsuccessful but his second surgery worked great!

Barkley is slowly getting back to his old self and we're so thankful that Petplan were there to help us out in this worrying time.
Lola and Dash's Story
We have had our two dogs Lola and Dash for 9 and 7 years respectively. Both have had and used their Petplan insurance policies for serious illnesses.

Lola was born with a major blood vessel bypassing her liver, she is very small and required specialist small animal liver shunt surgery. A year later she had a mast cell tumour identified and removed. Dash had a rare malignant parathyroid cancer, this took months to track down with specialist vets. Eventually the cancer was found and removed.

If we didn't have Petplan, we would have had to struggle through and pay for what we could. Lola would have passed away without her liver shunt surgery and Dash would have irreparable kidney damage and a shortened life. Dash still has some IVDD problems which are potentially on going.

Both dogs are absolutely fine now and loving life thanks to Petplan!
Skylar's Story
I have had Skylar since she was 12 weeks old. She ruptured her cranial cruciate ligament in her left hind leg while playing in the backyard. Being a large, active dog, the vet recommended that Skylar have a TTA surgery performed by a specialist surgeon to repair the leg. Fortunately I have had pet insurance for Skylar with Petplan since she was a puppy, and it was a relief to know that the costs of getting her better would be covered.

In the end I was only out of pocket the $150 excess, and Petplan paid for her surgery, X-rays before and after the procedure, consults, medications, and also for physiotherapy during Skylar's recovery, totaling in over $5000 in claims.

Skylar recovered very well after having surgery on her left leg, but then 11 months later she ruptured the cruciate ligament in her right leg. Skylar is currently recovering from her second major orthopedic surgery in less than 12 months, and again Petplan has covered all of the associated expenses over the $150 excess. By the time she recovers fully the claims will be similar to last time, so within a 12 month period Petplan will have covered over $10,000 in vet care for my girl.

Knowing that I would not have to worry financially about being bale to provide Skylar with the care that she has needed has been wonderful. Not having that stress has meant that I have been able to focus on getting her through the rehabilitation period, and on the struggle of keeping a very active dog quiet for the first 8 weeks post surgery in order to properly heal!

Without pet insurance I would have had to borrow money to cover the cost of Skylar's surgeries. Not having the repairs done was not an option in a dog of her size. It would have been stressful to have to cover the over $5,000 in expenses for one cruciate repair at short notice, let alone another $5,000 for the second surgery less than 12 months later. I am very grateful that I had her insured with Petplan, so I could provide her with the veterinary care that she needed.

Skylar is recovering well from the second surgery. She still has many weeks of recuperation ahead, but so far she is progressing well, and is on track towards getting back to normal. Insurance is something that you get, but hope that you won't actually need to use. However if you do need to claim, it provides great peace of mind financially during a stressful time. Thank you Petplan!
Astro's Story
We've had Astro for about 18 months since he was 8 weeks old. He's a huge part of our family.

Unfortunately Astro chewed off a piece of his Kong toy and swallowed it causing a bowel obstruction. He quickly went from his usual happy self to a vomiting, shivering, quiet dog who was clearly in a lot of pain.

The vet suggested a minimum of supportive fluids and pain relief but knowing we had pet insurance we allowed the vet to complete the tests he needed. It was so sad to see him in so much pain - he's normally extremely energetic, so to see him so quiet and shivering with pain was very hard.

He's now made a full recovery and we went back to the vet today to thank them and give everyone puppy cuddles - he's now back to his old self! Thanks so much Petplan for allowing us to prioritise Astro's care without having to worry about the potential expense.
Moses' Story
We have had Moses since he was 8 weeks old and he is now almost 2. He came from a litter of 16!

Moses was diagnosed with Mega Esophagus at about 8 months old and it is likely that he was born with it.

We simply could not have afforded all of Moses' extensive and ongoing treatments if we did not have pet insurance. At the same time that Moses was diagnosed with Mega Esophagus, we found out that I was pregnant with our first baby.

Moses is the happiest dog. He goes to the park every day and runs around with lots of other dogs and he goes everywhere with his mum, dad and baby sister.

Moses' case of Mega Esophagus is severe and he is now fed through a feeding tube. He has been amazingly resilient and taken all of his treatment in his stride. He is like any normal 2 year old German Shepherd, but just can't eat or drink like a normal dog. His lifespan is unknown and we have almost lost him to pneumonia a few times but he has the strongest will to survive and we will continue to help him fight this horrible disease.
Dora's Story
We have had Dora for 6 months and took out our Petplan cover when she was 10 weeks. Dora was a healthy puppy and we just felt as first time puppy owners it was a good idea for unexpected issues that can rise.

Dora was sitting on an outdoor chair as she often did, I turned my back and she got down and must have landed awkwardly. This resulted in a serious painful tibial avulsion fracture.

If we didn't have pet insurance I don't think we could have afforded the vet bills and surgery costs etc. She is normally fine and active, however this was just one of those incidents that came out of nowhere.

Dora has been very lucky to have fantastic care and she is 95% back to normal and we are extremely lucky to have had out Petplan policy.
Eddie's Story
I adopted Eddie last October, still technically considered a "kitten" - he was the biggest kitten you have ever seen at 5.5kg. He is now 1 year and 4 months. Eddie has been vital in healing my broken heart left when I lost my cat of 16 years, Amigo (after spending 9 weeks in remission, he sadly lost his battle with large cell gastric lymphoma).

Eddie although very shy when i first got him, has now found a whole lot of confidence none of us ever knew he had! This led him to getting into anything and everything. He loves going for walks on his lead and terrorising the dog, who at 13 has had to get used to waking up with a cat staring at him, only millimetres away!

When Eddie went lame one day we assumed it was due to something he had walked on and took him to the vet who put him on antibiotics. When the issue arose again, the vet recommended we do a biopsy, where her suspicions were confirmed as "pododermatitis". Thankfully a course of steroids and managing his diet meant we have not had any further re-occurrences.

Overall the cost for this well exceeded $2,000. I was never worried about how much it costs as I have fantastic vets who know my cats are always covered fully with Petplan. I got the whole amount back from Petplan minus the excess - I couldn't believe it since i had barely paid $300 in premiums! What a great investment!

Apart from his change in diet, Eddie is a normal active little boy who loves his walks and annoying his canine brother!
Hazel's Story
Hazel came into our lives as a puppy, just over a year ago. Having my other dog insured with Petplan for several years, we insured her as soon as we brought her home.

When she was a few months old, Hazel fractured her hip and required surgery to ensure that the hip and leg would develop properly into adulthood. We were very fortunate to have Petplan’s assistance to fund the surgery, as well as the physio rehabilitation which followed. Her vet bills were over $6,000 and this was covered by Petplan, excluding the $150 excess.

Hazel is now the picture of health, and we are so thankful to Petplan for allowing us to ensure she had the best treatment possible.
Poppy's Story
Poppy, our young Labrador pup has just survived her first year.

In her short time with us, she has managed to have two serious vet visits - one when she fractured her shoulder and then not long after that she swallowed a fish hook!

If it wasn't for Petplan we would be completely out of pocket due to the enormous vet bills for both visits. Thanks goodness for Petplan, they saved the day yet again. Would highly recommend!
Hugo's Story
We have 2 dachshunds (Hugo and Hunter) who have been a part of our family for 2 years.

Out walking one day, Hugo thought it would be a good idea to run over a grid instead of around it like his brother Hunter. Unfortunately he came off second best and fractured his right tibia.

This was a distressing time for us as we would have had to put him down if we didn't have the coverage provided by Petplan. It would have been devastating for the family and it would have taken a long time to get over.

As it was a freak accident, there was no way we could have foreseen this situation. Although it has been a tough recovery process, the vets and Petplan have been a fantastic with support!
Polly's Story
I adopted my dog Polly, a border collie cross, when she was only 8 weeks old. Six years later, she is a very important part of our family and a much loved companion.

Working in the insurance industry myself, I was conscious of the importance of pet insurance, and Polly has been insured with Petplan since she was two years old.

Last year, I took Polly to the emergency vet when she started to behave strangely. She deteriorated quickly, and two weeks in intensive care later, she was diagnosed with an immune-mediated form of meningitis. We were so thankful when she started to improve, and she now lives a normal life apart from needing to take steroids daily.

Due to the level of care and testing Polly required, her vet bills exceeded $7,000. This was funded entirely by Petplan, apart from my excess of $150. I will forever be grateful that we have more time to spend with Polly, and having insurance with Petplan was a massive relief.
Duke's Story
We got Duke at 4 months of age. At around 1.5 years (before we had Petplan) he had lumps removed from his inner leg which the vet thought was a disease that could have aggressively spread if not removed. $1,000 later, we got Dukes biopsy results back and turns out they were just a form of follicular infection. Nothing to worry about.

The vet did in passing suggest Petplan for any future events that might occur as being a giant breed. We took this on board and set it up in the following week.

About 2 years later, Duke came into our bedroom early in the morning, head down, and with very laboured breathing. We rushed to the ER vet clinic where he stayed for numerous tests and monitoring for the day. Two days later we returned back again where he stayed for further testing and an over night stay. The test results showed Duke had CDM and anywhere between 5-10 months to live.

If we did not have pet insurance I'm not sure what we would have done. We would have found the money somehow but it definitely would have been stressful. When his medication was averaging $8-10 per day!! Not to mention the vet costs alone.

Unfortunately, we lost Duke late Jan this year, 8 months since diagnosis. Up until his last few days Duke was happy and was able to live a normal life. While the last few days of his life were hard, and have been since his passing, we are so grateful to have had that extra time with him and not be stressed ourselves.
Max's Story
We have had our dog Max for a little over 7 years.

Our vet detected rectal mass in our dog and asked for a colonoscopy and ultrasound.

Having Max insured with Petplan eased the stress of the vet bills that accumulated quickly. Without Petplan we would have still gone through with the colonoscopy and ultrasound, however it would have put a big strain on our finances.

We never thought anything serious would ever happen to Max so it was quite a shock when he was diagnosed. He still requires regular monitoring and checkups, although no bad news has been reported so far.

Thanks Petplan!
Oscar's Story
Oscar is 3 1/2 months old and we have had him since he was 9 weeks old.

Oscar contracted Parvo at the age of 14 weeks despite being vaccinated, although he was not yet protected by the vaccinations due to his age which I did not know.

His vet fees quickly added up and i would have struggled to pay the loan of more than $2,800 if I had not taken out the pet insurance. Petplan made the process easy and quickly let me know the outcome.

It was a freak occurrence that left us devastated for Oscar. He was extremely unwell and lost a lot of weight. Thankfully he is back to his normal self - bouncy and hyperactive just as a Lab/Staffy should be!
Sunny's Story
Sunny has been my companion since the end of 2013. I adopted her from Animal Aid in Gippsland and since the very first moment we along pretty well and I couldn't say no to her. She was pretty shy but quickly settled in to her new home.

Sunny was involved in a car accident and received a nasty fracture in her right paw, and bruises around her tummy and her tail. It has been three months already after the accident and her recovery has been really good, although she still limps. She is getting all the exercise to help strengthen her paw again, same with her tail, as she wasn't able to move it at all. However, her overall condition is much better now.

The main reason I got pet insurance was so i could have peace of mind. I'm so glad I chose Petplan as I have always received a prompt response from a claim and I have only paid the excess according to the policy I have - which is nothing compared to the total amount of the claim!

The most important thing is that I haven't had to worry about where I'm going to get the money to pay; if i need to use my credit card; or if i need to ask for easy-to-pay installments at the vet. I only have to worry about keeping Sunny safe as she is a curious dog - but she's recovering well with plenty of swimming, walking, kisses and cuddles.
Ronan's Story
Ronan is a 3 and ½ year old staff x mastiff who has been with his family since he was born.

He is a very energetic dog that never complains, so his owners knew there was something wrong when he would continue to limp after playtime. He was taken to get an X-ray by the vet and found that he has arthritis in his shoulder.

The cost for his vet treatment was over $1,500 as he now gets his weekly injections and supplements in his food.

He’s not happy about not getting to play rough with his friends or go running anymore but he’s much better and in a lot less pain. He’s also a bit of a goofball again!
Aeryn's Story
Aeryn the spoodle who recently had a claim for a severe illness, mononuclear pleocytosis, which gave her debilitating pain, complete loss of appetite, hyper-reflexes and neural tremors.

Aeryn is a Story Dog (see storydogs.org.au )who works in a reading support program at East Bentleigh primary school every Friday. Aeryn's emergency treatment and the wonderful care of the Pet Emergency and Specialist Centre team at East Malvern has meant that she has recovered and has returned to work with the children. I'm attaching a photo of Aeryn that appeared in the local paper just 2 weeks after her recovery.

The veterinary bill was over $3000 and we have a $150 excess. Our petplan insurance - worth every cent.

With best wishes

Clare
Emily's Story

Emily went to the vet for her arthritis injection - they listened to her heart and found her small heart murmur had gotten worse. The vet said she needed an echo of her heart while under anaesthetic. This always worries us as our last dog had a reaction under General Anaesthetic and unfortunately died.

But we trust our vet, so the next week she had the test and they found that her heart had gone into a dangerous slow irregular rhythm.We were very upset she had to go to a specialist and wear a holter monitor for testing. In the end they found she was ok and would just have to be regularly checked for any problems.

We were very happy to have Petplan to help us out when we needed it most. The tests were over $3,000*. Thank you Petplan for being there for Emily.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Gatsby's Story

My Gatsby. He just loves to snuggle up. He is very special because he has Chiari malformation which means he has to take lots of meds to keep him more or less free from seizures. Everyone who meets him just loves him to bits. Thanks Petplan for helping with the costs (Over $5,000*). He loves to bark at the hawks until they have flown away from our property. He was especially vigilant when we had ducklings.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Anna's Story

Anna (Anniversary Dance) is a high level performance horse and recently qualified to compete at 1* eventing. In April 2015, I took her to an event where she presented on the morning with a swollen splint area on her LH Hind leg, and although she wasn’t seemingly lame on it, she wasn’t moving correctly. I took her to the vet for further assessment. To my utter devastation, Anna had broken her Splint Bone in her leg in 3 places and required immediate, expensive surgery.

After 2 weeks in hospital and $6,000* worth of vet bills, Petplan happily paid for the bill. Anna is around 11 weeks into her recovery now and is merely 4 weeks from completing rehab. There’s no way I could have done this without the support of Petplan & especially the lovely Alinta my amazing Customer Care representative.

When I bring her back into work – I’ll be dedicating my first WIN to the amazing team at Petplan for getting me there.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Harry Highpants' Story

This is Harry Highpants. He's a rescue cat, adopted at age 3. He's now 10 years old and has been diabetic for about 4 years and requires insulin injections every 12 hours and regular vet check ups (thank goodness for Petplan as they have saved me over $14,000* over the past few years!).

My handsome little man's hobbies are to snore loudly enough to wake me up, sit on the TV remote control so I can't find it, do a really smelly poo in the kitty litter whenever I have a guest over and being brushed. Xx

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Lottie's Story

Lottie, aged 5½ years old is one special cavalier. Right from a puppy Lottie had a very loud snore. We never saw it as a problem, just a part of who she was. As Lottie grew she start to get chesty, breathing complaints, including bronchitis. Our regular vet referred us to a specialist (ARH - Homebush). Everyone thought that it was possible that she had soft palette issues so an operation was arranged. It was a surprise to the vet and to us that they found no soft palette issue but rather that her throat had granulomas. The granulomas and her tonsils were removed and steroids recommended plus an elimination diet plus special food. We also began to visit a naturopathic vet, who consulted with the specialist, to help aid her issues and over time her steroid dose did go down. Through tolerance testing we also found out a number of things that Lottie was intolerant to, including chicken and turkey, which we had been feeding her.

For a long time things did stay stable and Lottie was enjoying her obedience and flyball training. Early last year Lottie had been entered for her first flyball comp and we were so excited. A couple of weeks before the comp late on a Sunday evening Lottie started to not be as bright as usual. By very early Monday morning she was having difficulty breathing. We contacted the specialist practice and raced her straight there. Her airways were constricting and collapsing. Breathing assistance was given but things weren’t looking good. The vet was wonderful and outlined plainly what our choices were. It was a frightening time and the only way to save Lottie was to perform a permanent tracheostomy. I couldn’t believe this was happening to our little dog. I contacted Petplan who were wonderful in clarifying quickly for me our policy as I was at work and we needed to make a decision quick. Petplan paid out a combined amount of over $11,000* for both surgeries!

Lottie had the tracheostomy and in total spent 6 days in the vet hospital including time in ICU in a special air tent. We were so happy when we could take her home. We had to learn a new way of life for Lottie including the now twice daily tracheostomy cleaning, no going near water or the beach being careful of the general weather conditions and deciding not to continue flyball with her (she is the cheerleader dog now for our club!). Now when most people look at her they can’t even see the tracheostomy and we do talk to people out and about we educate them about her needs in the hope that if they are ever faced with a similar situation they will have hope.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Ziva's Story

Hi, I just wanted to thank Petplan for their support of my dog with anxiety.

When I insured her I never thought in my wildest dreams she would have this problem. For me – it is way more stressful to have an anxious dog than if she had ruptured her cruciate or fractured her leg or had skin allergies. She is a kelpie, she is supposed to be a working dog not anxious!!

Being looked after by Petplan has made it easier regarding her ongoing management as they have saved me over $2,200!*

I hope that eventually she can progress from the worried working dog to a more “normal" dog with her medications & behaviour modifications.
Thanks again, Julie & Ziva

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Montgomery's Story

Hello! I just thought I would send through a message to express my gratitude! My little man, Montgomery, is insured through you, and in the last 3-4 months his medical expenses have been excessive.

Without the help from you, I am not sure where we would be. After countless food trials, exploratory surgery, biopsies and weeks spent in ICU on fluid therapy and different drug therapies, we still don't have an answer to his constant inappetence, vomiting, tremoring and difficulty toileting (either too hard or too easy).

We are still working towards helping our little man overcome these issues, and it is immensely stressful for his poor mum and dad. But Petplan has definitely assisted with alleviating some of the financial stresses as Petplan has paid out more than $10,000!*

Thank you x a million!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items
Yuna's Story

This is Yuna, my beautiful little Japanese Spitz. Her favourite things to do include: cuddling cats, playing with toilet paper rolls instead of expensive toys and doing zoomies around the farm.

Yuna has a memorable story which happened just the other month & it was one of the times I was very glad she is insured with Petplan!

While out riding my horse (only ~100m from my house!) with my two big dogs and Yuna, a kangaroo pulled her into a creek and started drowning her. I of course jumped in and managed to wrestle her out of his arms with some frantic punches and kicks while also having the awful thought of "and this is how my family is going to find my body..." I got Yuna into my arms and held her head out of the water while I tried to scramble out, but I couldn't get myself out of the water while fully clothed in riding gear with the roo blocking my escape to the sand bank I was unable to get my feet on the bottom and with Yuna in my arms and the roo thrashing around next to me I honestly thought I was going to die. I kept screaming for help, hoping my family on the other side of the valley would hear and come to investigate.

My big amazing fantastic Maremma girl threw herself into the water on top of the roo and growled and snapped at him while I dragged myself out of the water and when I got onto the sand bank (and realised I could not safely move Yuna without help due to blood and gaping wounds) and kept screaming for help she sat in front of Yuna and I in a defensive position and kept the roo away from us Poor little Yuna was carved open, severing her intercostal muscles and just missing her vital organs. She had also inhaled a lot of water.

With the help of family who heard me screaming across our 200 acre farm we were able to get Yuna to the vet on time to save her. A lot of surgery and driving from country vet to emergency city vet to usual vet clinic and it all turned out okay.

Petplan paid out over $1,500*

Yuna has healed up really well and we are very careful about kangaroos now.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items
Sisu's Story

Thank you Petplan - our dog Sisu, a 2-yr old English Springer Spaniel was recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis. After appearing to be initially recovering, she took a turn for the worse late at night and had to be taken to emergency vets.

It was a very stressful time for me being 8 months pregnant with our first and being sick with pneumonia. Petplan not only covered all the costs (Over $1,900*) of the emergency treatment without any questions but also reimbursed us promptly taking the financial burden away from us.

Thank you!!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items
Dallas' Story

This is 3 and half year old Dallas Dachshund. She’s a very energetic sausage dog who loves to chase balls anywhere and everywhere. Unfortunately in October 2015 she got a little carried away and chased her favourite ball into some high grass near her Canberra home. Lurking in the grass was a snake and before Dallas knew what hit her, the sneaky snake took a strike at her leg.

When Dallas got home she started to feel very ill – vomiting – drooling – frothing. Luckily she was whisked off to the vet immediately and after being given some anti-venom, other drugs and lots of cuddles and attention from her vet and vet nurses, she’s good as new and back to her cheeky self.

After over $1,200* in vet bills to get Dallas back to health, Petplan approved her claim quickly and with no fuss.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items
Bosco's Story

My little champ Bosco! As soon as I saw his sweet little face on my local vets Facebook page for sale, I knew I had to have him! He was so tiny, 'runt' of his litter, and just so happened to be the practice favourite! He was about 5 months old when he decided to be a big boy and climb up my fly screen and fell. The second he hit the ground I heard the break, though he was so brave.

Luckily my vet has an emergency phone number so within 10 mins he was at the vet and given some pain killers. He had an x-ray the next day and it was confirmed that he had broken his tibia. I needed a specialist to do the Orthopedic surgery, and was given an estimate of over $3000, not including medication or after care, my heart sank. I loved this kitten so much but $3000 plus? Then I remembered 'IM INSURED'!!! Bosco had his surgery, with weeks and weeks of medication and weekly check-ups. During this stressful time Petplan were amazing, they took care of everything with zero complications and paid out over $3,000*.

It was such a relief that my boy had the best surgeon to do his surgery without complication and without me having to worry about an excessive vet bill. I cannot thank Petplan enough for what they did for my man Bosco.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items
Jerry Lee's Story

This is a tough and utterly lovable German Shepherd Dog named Jerry Lee, who at just 17 months of age, has visited the vet over 30 times!

As a puppy, Jerry Lee began to experience significant weight loss. He wasn't eating properly and not growing appropriately for his age. Suffering from diarrhoea and vomiting, what really concerned everyone was that he just didn’t have the energy of a puppy. But even through numerous blood tests, x-rays and ultrasounds, Jerry Lee was a brave pup and never complained.

After exploratory surgery and a biopsy, Jerry Lee was unluckily diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). As treatment can be very complicated and costly, it really placed both an emotional and financial strain on Jerry Lee's family.

Thanks to Petplan, this financial burden was significantly reduced and has so far saved Jerry Lee's family over $15,500*. Once he recovers, Jerry Lee is going to be a big TV star on CTV and enjoy all the things he likes doing most – Including playing tug of war, chasing sticks and guarding his section from the birds.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Samuel Chatouille's Story

To the awesome staff of Petplan, especially Emma who was brilliant.

Sorry for taking so long to say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. You made the claim easy and stress-free. Especially in that intense moment that all you want is to be able to save your pet's life and the FINANCE is at the source of being able to do so. If you were not here; guys, I don't know how I would have managed it in 24 hours when it came to assuring the surgeon that he will get paid.

Samuel Chatouille had a broken hip on the 9/02/2015 and he had to have the surgery done within 24 hours or else he would painfully die. Thanks to Petplan who paid out over $5,900*, they saved my pet's life. Samuel Chatouille is my whole world, he is my friend, my guardian angel, and he is the only thing that I have in my life here. I can't imagine my life without him.

Thank you so much to Emma for making everything so easy and keeping me updated with the claim.
I would strongly advise people who own a pet to please get insurance with Petplan. I would be honoured to be a reference for Petplan because I would be so grateful and delighted to share my experience and story with the whole world.

I'm not a millionaire and don't have a much savings. I live on my own with 2 jobs and the one and only thing that I went through without a single worry was making the claim. It was so easy and quick to fill in.

Thank you so much, words are too small to describe my gratitude for you. God bless you.

Kind regards,
Danusha & Samuel Chatouille

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Coco's Story

Coco is my beautiful one year old Lhasa Apso.

In November 2015 I noticed something on her head and when I finally managed to keep her still long enough, I discovered it was a tick. I removed the tick and as she was showing no signs of tick paralysis I was not too alarmed. When I called the vet they advised bring her in – just in case.

When we arrived at the vet, complete with the squashed tick in a plastic bag, it was confirmed that it was indeed a paralysis tick. Poor little Coco was admitted to hospital, and was in hospital for the next 6 days. All I could think about was that she was still just a baby, and the thought of possibly losing her was just too much.

The vets and nurses were amazing, however each day Coco remained stable but didn’t improve. It wasn’t until the fifth day in hospital that Coco showed improvement.

I have never been more grateful than I was the night I was able to bring her home. Coco is now back to full health and up to her usual puppy mischief. Coco now has the big job of growing all her hair back. Yes – the vet did shave her. It was a small sacrifice to be sure Coco had no other ticks.

While Coco was in hospital I called Petplan to check Coco’s policy and the compassion shown to me by the person who took my call was truly lovely. Petplan were easy to deal with and Coco’s claim was processed very quickly. Thank you so much to everyone at Petplan.

Petplan paid out over $1,200*

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Lightning's Story

It was a really hot day, over 40 degrees, when we noticed Lightning wasn't eating and his attempt at drinking was more him just resting his mouth in the water trough. The vet came and after some tests, decided he was severely dehydrated and he needed to be admitted to hospital to be put on IV fluids and for further tests to be done. In total Lightning spent 2 weeks in the vet hospital before he was able to return home.

The final diagnosis, Lightning had contracted an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection, and because he was unwell he didn't feel like drinking, this lead to him becoming dehydrated and worsened the illness.

A month later Lightning is now back to himself, enjoying Pony Club and preparing for upcoming shows with his best friend.

I really must thank the wonderful staff at Petplan, they made the entire claims process really easy.

Petplan paid out over $3,200*

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Jett's Story

Jett fell ill late on a weeknight and required emergency after hour’s surgery. He was vomiting and couldn't even keep water down. After X-rays they found he had an intestinal obstruction. Surgery was finished at 3am and they found an intact paddle pop stick in his intestine. It had caused damage and a section of his intestine had to be removed.

He came home from surgery initially bright but rapidly deteriorated and had to spend another night with our local vets. They decided the next morning that he needed a higher level of care as he was incredibly ill and not recovering. I drove him 2 hours to the nearest specialist hospital where he could have 24 hour care, ultrasounds and specialists looking after him. He stayed with them for 5 days and luckily didn't need any further surgery.

To know that we were covered in such a stressful and upsetting time was a huge relief. We have claimed a few times over the years and it is always an easy process.

Petplan paid out over $6,500* for Jett’s Intestinal Foreign Body.

Jett is a huge part of our family. He is such a friendly, comical, bright and loyal boy. He truly is our best friend and we don't know what we would do without him. Thank you Petplan for making it possible to get him the care he needed to survive. Bringing him home from hospital was the best day!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Dodge's Story

I want to say a big THANK YOU to all of the staff at Petplan. My 8 month old Husky x Mastiff “Dodge” was run over and when my son got out of his car to check on Dodge, he bit my son on the hand and took the tip off one of my son's fingers. After receiving the call from my son, I rang my husband and we both drove home in a panic.

The 10 minute drive home felt like hours. I took my son to the hospital and my husband took Dodge to the vet. While we were at the hospital waiting on x-rays and my son having antibiotic injections and painkillers, the vet was ringing us to keep us updated both on Dodge's condition and the rising costs. It was a bad break and the vets were thinking about amputating – both the tibia and fibula in his back left leg were broken. My son and Dodge underwent emergency surgery at the same time. My son to clean out and tidy up the tip of his finger and Dodge had wire wrapped around the bones and a pin inserted.

After 8 gruelling weeks of trying to keep a puppy confined and quiet and my sons ongoing doctors’ appointments and painful dressing changes, the pin came out and then another 2 weeks later the sutures. When we were at the hospital receiving updates from the vet, the reassurance of having pet insurance for Dodge made a difficult situation a lot easier to deal with. Sure, if we didn’t have the insurance we would have found the money somewhere and somehow, but just not having to worry about that side of things was a relief. The entire claim process was very easy and all of the staff that I dealt with at Petplan were fantastic and extremely helpful.

Petplan paid out over $3,500*.

I cannot recommend them highly enough. Both my son and Dodge have made a full recovery and are the best of friends and we are all having fun together at the beach again.

Terri Brown

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Bea's Story

Last year I noticed a small, weeping wound under my horse’s jaw, which upon examination by a vet was thought to be a tooth root abscess. I’d never heard of this before and was astonished how serious it quickly became, requiring two surgeries to remove four teeth and part of her jawbone, and many weeks in hospital. It was the worst infection of this type the vets had ever seen.

Four months later we’re not out of the woods yet, but she is making progress every day. I have had my horse since she was born and she’s incredibly special to me, and dealing with such a serious issue has been extremely stressful; I can’t imagine how much worse it would have been without Petplan there to pay over $5,500* for the veterinary bill.

Petplan has paid everything*, I’ve claimed promptly with their easy claims process, and has allowed me to give my horse the best care and the best chance of survival, which as a university student I never would have been able to do. I recommend Petplan to everyone! This condition was caused by nothing more than bad luck, and is the type of thing you always think will happen to someone else. I’ll never have an uninsured horse again!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Frodo's Story

This is Frodo, one of my four Oriental cats that I have insured with you. Gizmo (Asthmatic & Pollen Allergies), Itchy (Abscess and Arthritis) and Scratchy are my other 3. Not only does Frodo have Pyrexia but one day he was hit by a car and had very serious injuries. We found him on the road at night and took him straight into the vets. They weren't too sure he was going to live as his injuries were very bad. His diaphragm was completely torn away on both sides, all of his intestines etc had been shoved into his chest and were squashing his heart and lungs. His leg was dislocated at the hock and all the ligaments and tendons were torn away.

It was a HUGE relief to know that he is insured with Petplan! The people I have dealt with on the phone at Petplan have been fantastic and always helpful. The cover is great. I wouldn't be without it. I was able to get his surgery done without worrying thanks to Petplan, you guys are awesome.

Gizmo was very happy when his best friend came home!

Petplan has paid out over $3,000* for Frodo’s car accident alone, contributing to a grand total of over $6,300* for all conditions that these four oriental cats have unfortunately encountered in their lives.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Douglas' Story

Douglas is a very expensive purebred Boston Terrier puppy. Douglas soon got the middle name 'trouble', due to his Rambunctious antics and confident character.

One day Douglas and my mum’s dog, Bug (Mastiff X) were playing with a new tug rope. Douglas jumped up to grab the rope but slipped. Falling onto the floor, Douglas landed awkwardly on his left hind leg. He initially let out a yelp but then continued playing from a laying down position. It was after a few minutes of observation I noticed he was struggling to stand up and was not bearing weight on that leg at all. Mum and I agreed it was most probably a strain or sprain and if he was not better in the morning we would take him to the emergency veterinary hospital.

Sure enough in the morning he was no better, in fact the leg was visibly swollen around the knee area and he was still not bearing weight on it. We booked Douglas in for the first available appointment. The vet thought it might just be soft tissue damage and prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication to help with his pain and bring down the swelling. They also told me to make an appointment to see my usual vet on the next day for a follow up.

The next day, I did just that and my vet was worried it was broken and admitted Douglas for X-Rays under sedation. The diagnosis wasn't good, Douglas had shattered his tibial crest. This is was a complicated fracture. After reviewing the X-Rays it was decided it would be best to put Douglas's leg in a full cast/splint for 6 weeks, confine him to a crate during this healing period and complete regular X-Rays to ensure all bone fragments were in alignment.

After the 6 weeks of regular X-Rays and bandage changes, our local vet was happy to take the cast of leave Douglas’ leg. Within a few days I knew his leg still wasn't right, he wasn't putting any weight through it, he was uncomfortable and in pain. After another set of X-Rays, they showed the bone was still fragmented and he required major surgery as it wasn't going to heal. This surgery cost just over $3,500, on top of all the other bills for bandage changes and X-Rays.

Once again poor Douglas was confined to a crate. Three days after, he was almost walking normally, the plates, pins and wire had worked! Follow up X-rays were promising and we were very happy with the way Douglas was healing. He was going swimming in a pet rehab pool and was gaining muscle tone slowly in that leg. Then one morning Douglas woke up and was lame again in that leg. My heart sunk, as I booked him into have more X-Rays. Douglas had a subluxating patella, caused by the fragmentation loosening the tendons that hold the knee cap in place.

He required another major operation to correct this. After seeing the X-rays, the vet decided he would only need to anchor the patella back in place. Whilst Douglas was on the operating table they had to deepen his trochlea groove as the anatomy of his knee has changed and he was optimistic Douglas would avoid further surgery. This surgery cost approximately $2,000.

Douglas was once again refined to a crate. Nothing I did seemed to get him to put any weight through that leg. Douglas got a wound infection and was in large amounts of pain. After being prescribed passive movement exercises for the leg, he slowly started to put small amounts of weight through that leg. Douglas was eventually given the all clear to start swimming rehab every two days and within two weeks he was running almost like normal.

Petplan have covered Douglas for over $15,000* worth of vet bills. Without Petplan I would not have been able to afford such wonderful care and the best available treatment possible.

Thanks to Petplan, Douglas has all four legs in working order!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Dandy's Story

Hi - Dandy is our 2 year old Chow Chow

My son named him Dandy because he is fluffy like a Dandelion.. and also the Chinese name for this ancient Chinese breed is ' Fluffy Lion Dog '.

When we first picked up Dandy from the breeder we had a complementary 6 weeks cover with Petplan. I must admit I didn't renew the insurance - I guess being a young dog I didn't see the urgency and the added cost etc. Luckily later my wife pressured me to take out insurance, so fortunately I chose Petplan and took out ultimate cover for him (always listen to your wife!)

In October of last year Dandy started limping on his left hind leg. I took him to the vets and he was diagnosed with a rupture of the cranial cruciate ligament of his left knee. In short he would have a permanent limp unless he had some sort of surgery. We were referred to a specialist and decided that the best long term solution was a Tibial Plate levelling osteotomy (TPLO)

As you can imagine - an expensive operation of around $6,000! There's no way we could get that back through insurance I thought. I looked through Petplan’s claims stories like this and I was amazed at how Petplan had helped with costs even much higher than ours.

I contacted Petplan and sure enough - as I was in Ultimate – I was covered!

Petplan paid out over $5,900* for the Ruptured Cruciate Ligament.

The operation was very successful and a few months later there's no sign he even had knee trouble and Petplan covered his operation just like they said - no problem. Unbelievable - thanks Petplan.

Whatever you do - take out insurance - it’s a small investment for looking after your beloved pet - even young dogs can have a very large vet bill as I can testify.

The Nicholls family and Dandy

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Poppy's Story

Just wanted to get in touch to say what an awesome company! We haven't had our rescue pup Poppy very long and she's already had a bad time of it being diagnosed with double hip dysplasia.

She's been through two surgeries now and having you guys pay out and deal with our claims promptly and without hassle has made a very stressful time for us much simpler. We've been able to focus on getting Poppy better rather than worrying about money, so thank you!

Petplan have paid out over $7,800* for double Hip Dysplasia.

We're hoping it's a much smoother road moving forward, but will be recommending you guys to all our doggie friends! She still has a way to go with physio and correcting her walk with some fetching Forest Gump style braces, but she's much happier and got the ok to run last week so she's very happy!

It’s been a very long road and we still have a bit to go but the simplicity of working with you guys has made such a difference!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Kitty's Story

I am writing this to show you all my appreciation of your work, your support and what a bloody great service this is.

Here is my special man’s story:

I rescued "Kitty" (male Pomeranian) 14 1/2 years ago ... But covered him with Petplan when he was 6 years old ... My vet suggested it. And why wouldn't I insure him when he was the MOST important everything in my life ... Just made sense.

For years and years and years, I paid and paid and paid. Friends and family thought this was just a waste.... Man I should have appreciated what a waste of money those years were.

At the age of 10 he was diagnosed with heart failure by his vocal vet. I was devastated. So I searched and searched for the best vet money could buy and found Dr Steve Holloway from Advance Vet Care in Kensington, for a second opinion. And that made the world of difference to my best friend.

He did have to visit the surgery in emergency situations quite a few times and he had to endure tests which I am sure my little buddy didn't really like ... But I knew I never had to worry about the cost ... Didn't even flicker in my mind. I was able to say to Steve "Whatever it takes to keep my little boy happy and healthy ... Just do ... I have pet insurance with Petplan". And the difference it made was an extra 4 happy years.

Petplan paid out over $6,800* for Mitral Valve Disease.

But his end did come towards the end of May this year and even though my heart is so broken and I miss him more than I could ever explain, I am also so grateful to Petplan, because I was able to give him the best care, the best life, the best treatment..... Thank you!

I will rescue another dog ...soon .... And I will insure him or her with Petplan. I also really hope I can fall in love again ... But I hope this time I don't need to use the insurance!!!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Basil's Story

Hi there, I saw the testimonial on your Facebook page about Dodge, and felt I should absolutely share our experience with Petplan during a very stressful time with our cat Basil. In October last year he came home missing the top of his tail. It was at night and he'd slipped out before I could lock him up for the night. We raced to After Hours in a panic where we were told he'd have to lose a large part of his tail and stay overnight. The vet suspected he'd been hit by a car.

A week later, he started passing blood in his urine and was in loads of discomfort, so off to the vet we went where he was put on a host of antibiotics and anti-depressants (apparently trauma can cause cats to get bladder infections).

Things seemed to get somewhat better until shortly before Christmas, the most financially stressful time of year for anyone. He lost weight and one afternoon just wouldn't get up. Off to vet we went again, where he was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure. The outlook was dismal, we already had a cat put down with kidney failure and we were devastated. The cost to flush his kidneys was crippling with little chance of success but because we had insurance we made the decision to give it a try. The vet gave us odds of 10% for recovery but we took it, he is our ginger ninja after all.

He responded better than anticipated, and has been on a special diet and so far has shown no further symptoms of the kidney failure. We truly got our Christmas miracle.

The reason we got pet insurance was because of the last cat, it cost us over $3500 and nearly did us in financially. Boy are we glad we did!

Petplan paid out over $3,800* for Basil’s Chronic Kidney Failure.

The process was easy, and we had the money into our account within a few weeks. I can't thank them enough for the peace of mind they provide and because of that we were able to give Basil the chance he needed. You guys are great!

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Lucca's Story

Hi There,

Lucca aka Kugel Ebony Ambassador is an approx. 70kg (purebred with papers) male Bullmastiff living in Wellington and has been covered by Petplan since he was about 11 weeks old. Petplan covered vet costs when he had an ear infection not long after I got him, so the policy paid for itself in the first year.

By the time Lucca was two, he presented with pain in his left rear leg and was seen by Central Vet Hospital in Wellington. Anti-inflammatories were prescribed but the lameness continued.

Lucca was referred for X-rays it was found that he had torn his cruciate ligament. The team at Central Vet Hospital referred us to Massey University Vet Teaching Hospital and the decision was made for Lucca to have TPLO surgery.

I hardly had to do anything. It was the most stress free insurance claim I’ve ever had, Petplan covered the first vet visit with Central Vet Hospital for lameness and every single thing relating to that injury has gone on the same claim. I was kept so well informed and everything was so easy, all I had to do was worry about my fur-baby getting better.

Age 3 and a half he is now fully recovered and feeling 110%.

Petplan paid out over $4,500* for Lucca’s Left Hind Leg Lameness.

I would recommend Petplan to anyone I don’t know where I’d be without them.

Thanks,

Rachel Devany

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.
Bear's Story

Bear, our adorable and much loved rescue miniature horse, suddenly came down with severe right foreleg lameness. The cause of Bear’s lameness was difficult to diagnose. However, under the care of a lameness equine specialist and following a high-density x-ray, Bear was diagnosed with a very rare condition called shoulder dysplasia.

We were devastated because there were only two treatment options; expensive surgery or humanely putting him to sleep. Our decision to go ahead with the expensive surgery was an easy choice because Bear had Petplan insurance.

Bear’s surgery involved the insertion of titanium implants in his shoulder. Post-operatively, Bear developed pneumonia which extended his hospital stay to 19 days. Thankfully, he has almost finished his rehabilitation program and we are looking forward to seeing him return to his happy, contented life with his paddock mate Wicca.

Petplan paid out over $6,000* for Bear’s Forelimb Lameness.

Originally, I decided to insure my two miniatures horses because as horse owners know, these amazing creatures do not know how to play quietly in the paddock, and are prone to mishaps. I never expected having Petplan insurance would contribute to saving little Bear’s life. Thank you Petplan.

*Less any applicable excess and non-claimable items.