Welcome

Hi! Like your pet is part of your family, you’re now part of ours. To help you settle in, we’re going to share with ,you some information that you might find interesting. If you’re still reading this far, we’re off to a good start!

Here’s the bit we really want you to know…

This booklet tells you what you and your pet are covered for, as well as what isn’t covered. Please read through it carefully. It should answer any questions you have about your insurance. If you’ve got any questions, please contact us on 0344 557 0300.

Now that’s done, let us tell you about who we are…

We believe that protecting your pet should be easy and not cost the earth. We also believe that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference. Which is why we were founded to help ensure that your pet lives a healthy and happy life, whilst giving back to animal welfare charities and conservancies.

We could go on about the many reasons why you can feel good about choosing Animal Friends but the key thing to remember is that we’re here. We’ve got you covered and if you want to know more about what makes us tick, head to our website or social channels, and you’ll find it all there.

Wishing you all the best,

Wes Pearson

How to use this booklet

Cover limits

The table below details your cover limit for each section. This is the most we’ll pay – the actual amount might be lower, depending on your circumstances. Read this table alongside the rest of this booklet as there might be some conditions that apply to you. There might also be some amounts you have to pay when you make a claim. For more information, see your schedule and the 'How this policy works' section of this booklet.

Contact details

Animal Friends House
1 The Crescent
Sun Rise Way
Amesbury
Wiltshire
SP4 7QA

How to make a claim

Section A: Vet Fees

What's covered

If your pet needs medical care

If your pet becomes ill or gets injured, we’ll cover vet fees up to the amount shown in your schedule. Make sure you keep your receipts and invoices safe, as you’ll need to show them to us when you make a claim.

This section of cover only covers vet fees in the UK. If your pet needs medical care for new accidents and conditions while on holiday in the EU, you’ll need to claim under ‘Section: F: If your pet needs urgent medical care abroad’.Section A would also cover claims if a condition started in the UK and then needed further treatment while on holiday in the EU.

Every year we use our claims information to review the prices charged by vets for some of the items most commonly claimed for. We use this information to set 
a maximum amount we will pay for these claims. Any changes to these amounts will only affect your policy from your renewal. You can see a list of these items in the ‘Important information on vet fee claims limits’ document in your welcome or renewal pack.

Sometimes people choose to buy medication from a pharmacy or online instead of from their vet. If you do this, we’ll cover some of the cost of your vet writing the prescription as well as the medication. 

We’ll only cover house calls, out-of-hours fees, emergency fees or hospital costs if your vet says your pet needs to be seen straight away.

If you’re worried about your pet’s condition, you can check their symptoms with the Joii app. It’s available 24/7, 365 days a year, so you’ll be able to use it when your vet is closed. It connects you with qualified vets and registered vet nurses to help diagnose the problem without paying an out-of-hours fee. If you think your pet’s condition is urgent or life threatening, please contact your usual vet straight away. For more information see:

www.animalfriends.co.uk/joii

Complementary treatment

We’ll pay up to £500 for complementary treatments, as long as they’re recommended by a vet. The £500 limit counts towards your overall vet fees limit. Some of the complementary treatments we cover include physiotherapy, osteopathy and laser therapy. We’ll only cover complementary treatments that are performed by a qualified specialist. For a full list of treatments and specialists we cover, see:

www.animalfriends.co.uk/therapy

Tests needed to diagnose a condition

We’ll pay for tests when they’re needed to investigate or diagnose a condition covered by this policy, such as x-rays, ultrasounds and MRI and CT scans. We don’t cover routine, elective or preventative tests, for example a blood test carried out before performing surgery.

If your pet is put to sleep

We’ll cover the cost of putting your pet to sleep, if they die as a result of something covered by this policy. We’ll only do this if it’s needed to prevent suffering. This must be confirmed in your vet’s notes. The amount we’ll pay up to is shown in the ‘Important information on vet fee claims limits’ document in your welcome or renewal pack. This counts towards your overall vet fees limit.

Prescription food to treat bladder stones

We’ll cover the cost of food up to £100, as long as it’s been prescribed by a vet to treat bladder stones. The bladder stones must have been diagnosed by a vet and this £100 limit counts towards your overall vet fees limit

What's not covered

Claims at the beginning of your policy

We don’t cover any accident or injury that happens within the first 2 days of your policy start date, or any illness that starts within the first 14 days. We also don’t 
cover any cruciate ligament conditions or injuries that start within the first 14 days.

Conditions we don’t cover

Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by this policy. We consider a condition to be pre-existing if it was first noticed before your policy start date or within the waiting period, whether they needed treatment previously or not. For more information about pre-existing conditions, see the ‘Pre-existing conditions’ part of the 'How this policy works' section. We won’t cover claims for diseases or illnesses that could’ve been prevented by a vaccine. 

We don’t cover retained testes, sexually transmitted diseases, rabies, Aujeszky’s disease or leishmaniasis. Likewise, we aren’t able to cover epidemics or ‘notifiable diseases’. These are diseases listed by the government. If your pet has one of these diseases, you need to tell  the authorities straight away. For a full list of notifiable diseases, go to the  www.gov.uk site and search for 'notifiable diseases’

Tests and Treatments we don’t cover

Treatment if your dog is injured by a moving vehicle 

We won’t cover treatment if your dog is injured by a moving vehicle, and they weren’t on a lead with a collar or harness. This includes anywhere there could be moving vehicles. For example, on a driveway, in car parks or next to roads, including those on private land. This is particularly important when getting your dog in or out of a vehicle anywhere near a road. 

If you need to claim because of a road traffic accident, we will ask you for an explanation of what happened. You must give us a full and true explanation, as this will be used when we make a decision about your claim. 

Treatment if your pet is injured whilst travelling in a moving vehicle

We won’t pay any claims if your pet was injured whilst travelling in a vehicle if you did not use a lead, harness, cage, or crate to restrain them. 

Treatment if your dog is injured because it escapes

If your dog escapes and is injured, you won’t be covered if you didn’t take reasonable precautions to make your home, garden, and other places your dog visits, secure. For example, if your garden isn’t securely fenced, or you didn’t closethe gate to your garden. If you can’t make the area secure, you should keep the dog safe by keeping them on a lead. We won’t pay claims if you don’t.

You should take reasonable precautions to stop your dog from escaping when opening doors and windows. We won’t be able to pay claims if you don’t. 

If your dog is injured because they escaped, we will ask you for an explanation of what happened. You must give us a full and true explanation, as this will be used when we make a decision about your claim.

Other tests and treatments we don’t cover

We don’t cover routine, elective or preventative tests, for example a blood test carried out before performing surgery. 

If a test shows your pet is suffering from a condition not covered by this policy, we won’t cover the cost of the test.

We don’t cover any routine, preventative, elective or cosmetic treatment, even when it’s recommended by a vet to prevent an illness or injury. For example, this includes the cost of grooming, vaccinations, neutering, or flea/worm treatment. We also don’t cover any complications that arise from these treatments, unless it’s for flea or wormer treatment that has been recommended or prescribed by a vet. We don’t cover costs resulting from not having routine, preventative, elective or cosmetic treatment recommended by a vet to prevent an injury or illness.

We also don’t cover the cost of any training, treatment or therapy for behavioural issues.

You won’t be covered for any treatment as a result of breeding, pregnancy or giving birth, including the cost of emergency c-sections.

We don’t cover stem cell or gene therapy. We also don’t cover any form of transplant, including organ transplants, Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) and Osteochondral Autograft Transfer System (OATS), or any complications that result from these.

We don’t cover any claims for prosthetic limbs. This includes the cost of the prosthetic, consultations and procedures, or any complications or rehabilitation your pet might need afterwards.

We don’t cover claims caused by your pet being a blood donor, including any complications that appear as a result.

We won’t cover any dental or gum treatments or conditions, including epulis or complications which are caused by, or related to any dental illness. This includes the cost of any tests that lead to a dental or gum problem being diagnosed.

We won’t cover claims if you or your immediate family deliberately harm your pet.

You should arrange for a vet to examine and treat your pet as soon as possible. If you delay getting treatment for your pet and your pet’s condition is made worse because of this, we won’t be able to pay your claim.

Other things we don’t cover

We don’t cover the cost of transporting your pet to another vet or hospital for treatment. We also don’t cover the cost of an ambulance.

We don’t cover pet bedding and blankets, including incontinence sheets or kennel liners, even if they’ve been recommended by a vet.

We’ll cover the cost of one buster collar for every condition your pet has, but any additional buster collars won’t be covered. We won’t cover any other items used to stop your pet from causing themselves more harm. This includes Mikki boots and pet t-shirts.

We also don’t cover leads or harnesses.

Food costs aren’t covered, unless the food is prescribed by your vet to treat bladder stones.

We don’t cover pet pill givers, cat putty or gelatin capsules.

We don’t cover any admin fees your vet may charge, including the cost of any postage or packaging. This includes fees for filling in any form, giving us information about your pet’s medical history or referring them to  another vet. This also includes any cost a vet may charge to prepare or supply medication – this is sometimes called a dispensing fee.

We also won’t cover any fees your vet charges to admit or release your pet from hospital. We will pay towards the cost of keeping the pet in hospital.

We won’t cover any cremation or burial costs if your pet dies or is put to sleep. This includes the cost of coffins and caskets.

Section B: If your pet dies or is put to sleep

What's covered

If your pet dies or is put to sleep, we may be able to cover some of what you paid for them. The amount we’ll pay depends on how they died, how old they were when they died and how much you paid for them.

We realise that your pet dying can be a difficult time, so we’ll try to handle your claim as fast as possible. To help us do this, please tell us as soon as possible if your pet dies.

When your pet dies, we’ll cover a percentage of the price you paid for them up to the amount shown in your schedule. We’ll only pay the full amount you paid for your pet if they were less than a year old when they died. If you have a dog over 8 years and 1 day or a cat over 10 years and 1 day, we’ll only cover deaths as a result of accidents. These percentages are listed in full below:

If you have a dog we’ll pay:
Age of dog	Percentage paid
If they’re less than 1 year old	100%	We’ll pay this percentage of the amount you paid for your dog, up to the cover limit.
1 year and 1 day to 3 years old	75%
3 years and 1 day to 5 years old	50%
5 years and 1 day to 8 years old	35%
Over 8 years and 1 day old (accident only)	25%

 

If you have a cat we’ll pay:
Age of cat	Percentage Paid
If they’re less than 1 year old	100%	We’ll pay this percentage of the amount you paid for your dog, up to the cover limit.
1 year and 1 day to 3 years old	75%
3 years and 1 day to 5 years old	50%
5 years and 1 day to 10 years old	35%
Over 10 years and 1 day old (accident only)	25%

If we make a payment using this scale, the least we’ll pay is £50 for a cat and £100 for a dog. If you paid less than this for your pet, we’ll give you whatever you paid for them.

If you didn’t pay anything for your pet, you won’t be covered under this section. This is because the amounts we pay you are based on the amount you paid for them. If you paid nothing for your pet, we won’t charge you for this section of cover.

We might need to see a receipt for your pet to prove how much you paid for them, so make sure to keep it safe. You can store your receipts digitally in your online account.

If your pet dies suddenly, we may ask for a post-mortem to find the cause of death. If we decide a post-mortem is needed, we’ll pay for it.

If we pay a claim under this section, we’ll cancel your policy from the date we pay. If you pay annually, you might also be due a refund. For more information about refunds, see the 'Cancelling your policy' section.   

What’s not covered?

We don’t cover any deaths caused by your pet’s behavioural problems or anything not covered in Section A.

Pets you didn’t pay for

You won’t be covered under this section at all if you didn’t pay anything for your pet.

Claims at the beginning of your policy

If your pet dies – or has an accident they later die from – within the first 2 days of your policy, we won’t cover your claim. We also won’t cover you if your pet gets an illness within the first 14 days of your policy and dies as a result.

Other times we won’t cover a claim for your pet’s death

We won’t cover claims if your pet needs to be put to sleep because of their behaviour or your own financial situation.

We also won’t cover claims if the death could have been prevented by any routine, preventative or elective treatment that you didn’t carry out.

You won’t be covered if your pet dies as a result of breeding, pregnancy or birth.

Section C: If your pet goes missing or is stolen

If we pay a claim under this section, you can’t make a claim under Section B. This doesn’t include claims for advertising and reward where your pet is found within 45 days.

What's covered

We’ll cover some of the cost of finding your pet if they’re stolen or go missing. For example, we’ll cover the cost of advertising and a reward, up to the amount shown in your schedule. We’ll only do this if they were under the control of you, a member of your immediate family or someone that you asked to walk your pet.

As soon as you realise your pet has gone missing, you should try to find them. If you have a dog, you must report their loss to the microchip company and your vet. If you have a cat, you must report them missing to at least one local rescue centre and your vet. If you don’t we won’t be able to cover your claim. If you’re not able to find them within 48 hours of them going missing, you can contact us to make a claim for advertising and a reward.

If someone finds your pet, you’ll need to give us their details and how much reward you offered before we can pay the claim

If you can’t find your pet

If you can’t find your pet within 45 days, we’ll cover some of the cost you paid for them. The amount we’ll pay depends on how much you paid for them and how old they were when they went missing.

We’ll cover a percentage of the price you paid for them up to the amount shown in your schedule. We’ll only pay the full amount you paid for your pet if they went missing when they were less than a year old. These percentages are listed in full below:

 

If you have a dog we’ll pay:
Age of dog	Percentage paid
If they’re less than 1 year old	100%	We’ll pay this percentage of the amount you paid for your dog, up to the cover limit.
1 year and 1 day to 3 years old	75%
3 years and 1 day to 5 years old	50%
5 years and 1 day to 8 years old	35%
Over 8 years and 1 day old	25%

 

If you have a cat we’ll pay:
Age of cat	Percentage Paid
If they’re less than 1 year old	100%	We’ll pay this percentage of the amount you paid for your dog, up to the cover limit.
1 year and 1 day to 3 years old	75%
3 years and 1 day to 5 years old	50%
5 years and 1 day to 10 years old	35%
Over 10 years and 1 day old	25%

 

If we make a payment using this scale, the least we’ll pay is £50 for a cat and £100 for a dog. If you paid less than this for your pet, we’ll give you whatever you paid for them.

If you didn’t pay anything for your pet, you won’t be covered if you can’t find them. However, you’ll still be able to make a claim for advertising and reward.

We will need to see a proof of purchase for your pet to prove how much you paid for them, so make sure to keep it safe. You can store your receipts digitally in your online account.

If we pay a claim because your pet is lost for more than 45 days, we’ll cancel your policy from the date we pay. If you pay annually, you might also be due a refund. For more information about refunds, see the 'Cancelling your policy' section.

If your pet is later found, you must pay us back the full amount we gave you.

What’s not covered?

If your pet gets lost at the beginning of your policy

We won’t pay any claims under this section if your pet is lost within the first 14 days of your policy.

If your pet gets lost because it escapes

You won’t be covered if you haven’t taken reasonable precautions to make sure your home, garden, and any other places your pet visits are secure. For example, your garden should be securely fenced, and any gates should be closed. If you have a dog, and you can’t make the area secure, you should keep them on a lead to stop them escaping. We won’t pay claims if you don’t.

You should take reasonable precautions to stop your pet from escaping when opening doors and windows. We won’t be able to pay claims if you don’t.

If your pet is lost because they escaped, we will ask you for an explanation of what happened. You must give us a full and true explanation, as this will be used when we make a decision about your claim.

Rewards we don’t cover

We won’t cover any rewards given to anyone you know personally. For example, a member of your immediate family, friend, or someone that works for you.

Pets you didn’t pay for

If you didn’t pay anything for your pet, we’ll only cover the cost of advertising and a reward under this section.

If you abandoned your pet

We won’t cover claims if you deliberately abandoned your pet.

If your pet isn’t microchipped

You must make sure your pet is microchipped in line with UK law and that the information on it is kept up to date. We won’t be able to cover your claim otherwise.

If your pet is lost or stolen while being looked after by someone you pay

We won’t pay any claims for pets which are lost or stolen while they are being walked by someone you pay to walk or mind them.

Section D: If you can’t look after your pet because you’re in hospital

What's covered

There may be times when you unexpectedly won’t be able to look after your pet because you need to stay in hospital for emergency care. If this happens, we’ll pay towards putting your pet in a cattery or kennel, or the cost of a licensed pet minder. For dogs, we’ll also help towards the cost of using a professional dog walker. Either way, you’ll be covered up to the amount shown in your schedule.

We’ll only pay claims under this section if you were in hospital in the UK for more than four days in a row. We’ll cover costs to look after your pet from the first day of your stay.  

Remember to keep hold of your receipts from the dog walker or minders, cattery or kennel, as we’ll need them to handle your claim. We’ll also need some information about your stay in hospital, such as the date you arrived, the date you left and the reason for your stay. This may also include some sensitive information about, for example, your health, that we need to handle your claim. We’ll always keep this information safely and securely and follow all relevant data protection laws. We’ll only cover hospital stays in the UK that have been advised by a doctor, specialist or consultant.

What’s not covered?

We won’t cover repeat stays in a hospital because of a long-term condition.

We won’t cover you if you have a planned stay in hospital, such as for a routine operation or to have a baby.

We won’t cover claims if you stay in a nursing home.

We won’t cover stays in any unlicensed catteries or kennels, or the cost of any unlicensed pet minders or walkers. 

Section E: If your pet injures someone or damages their property

What's covered

There may be a time when someone holds you responsible for an incident involving your pet. For example, your pet’s actions might result in someone being killed, getting injured or having their property damaged. If someone makes a legal claim against you due to an incident involving your pet, we’ll cover your legal costs. If we’re settling a legal claim, we’ll also pay compensation and legal costs for the person making the claim.

The most we’ll pay per year is shown in your schedule.

We’ll only cover incidents that happen in the UK or on UK Ministry of Defence bases overseas. We’ll only cover incidents in military bases that happen in the residential areas.

You must let us know straight away if an incident happens, or if someone makes a legal claim against you. If you don’t, and this affects our ability to handle the claim, we won’t be able to help. You must also give us any other information we ask for and let us handle the claim. 

You must not admit responsibility for any incident, or negotiate or agree to pay for anything. If you’re sent any legal documents, don’t reply to them. Instead, send them to us straight away. You may also need to give us written statements and go to court. 

You must follow advice given to you about your pet’s behaviour by their past owners, rehoming or rescue centre staff, vets, behaviour specialists, trainers, or the authorities. If you don’t follow their advice, and that leads to a legal claim, we won’t be able to cover the claim. If an incident was caused by your pet’s behavioural problem, you’re covered, unless they’ve shown the same problem in the past. For example, if they have injured or bitten someone.

If we pay a claim under this section

If we pay a claim under this section for an incident caused by your pet being aggressive, we won’t cover any future claims that result from your pet’s aggression. 

If someone else is responsible for covering the cost of a claim, we may take legal action on your behalf to get those costs back. We’ll pay for any action we take on your behalf.

If you need advice about this section

If something happens that could lead to a liability claim, you must let Animal Friends know straight away. You can do this by phoning 0344 557 0300 or emailing publicliability@animalfriends.co.uk. 

What’s not covered?

Claims involving people you know

We won’t cover claims made against you by a member of your immediate family, or anyone who lives with you or works for you.

We won’t cover claims if you, a member of your immediate family, or anyone who lives with you or works for you is responsible for the damaged property.

We won’t cover claims made by or against any professionals or businesses who are being paid to provide services for your pet. This includes businesses such as dog walking or grooming services, catteries or kennels. For example, we won’t cover a claim if a dog walking service was responsible for your dog, and your dog injured someone or damaged their property

Claims involving your work or business

You won’t be covered if something happens at your workplace or involves your business. You also won’t be covered if something happens at the workplace or business of anyone who lives with you. A workplace means anywhere that you or someone who lives with you is working, even if this place isn’t fixed, or you or they are working from home. We’ll only class your home as a workplace when people you don’t normally live with are there for work or business. For example, colleagues, customers, suppliers, or delivery drivers.

We won’t cover incidents that happen on military bases, unless they happen in the residential areas of the base.

Claims involving other animals

We won’t cover claims caused by your pet worrying, chasing, attacking or injuring livestock.

We won’t cover vet fees for any animal that’s injured or killed by your pet.

Other things we don’t cover

We won’t pay any claims for injury or damage if you didn’t take reasonable precautions, including in response to your dog’s behaviour, to prevent the injury or damage. For example, if you recognise your dog’s behaviour is likely to cause an accident or injure a person and you didn’t try to prevent the incident.

We also won’t cover any claims which could have been prevented by following the advice of a vet, animal professional or the authorities to manage your dog’s behaviour. For example, we won’t cover you if you didn’t use a muzzle on your dog when you have been told to use one.

We won’t cover any claims for accidents or injuries which happen because your dog wasn’t kept on a lead with a collar or harness anywhere near moving vehicles. This includes anywhere there could be moving vehicles, for example, on a driveway, in car parks or next to roads, including those on private land.

We won’t cover claims if an incident happens as a result of someone handling your pet without your permission.

We won’t cover incidents of your pet straying or escaping if they’ve been involved in a similar incident before.We won’t cover any claims if your pet has shown aggressive tendencies, or bitten, or attacked a person or damaged property before.

We won’t cover a claim against you if you’ve signed another contract which makes you legally responsible. For example, if you’ve signed a contract with your landlord making you responsible for damage to your landlords property.

We won’t cover claims if you’re fined, charged or prosecuted in a criminal court. We also won’t cover civil claims heard by a Magistrates Court.

We won’t cover claims if you refuse to help us or do anything else that negatively affects our ability to handle the case in any way.

We won’t cover the cost of any damage caused by your pet being sick, defecating or urinating.

Section F: If your pet needs urgent medical care abroad

What's covered

We’ll cover the cost of urgent medical care if your pet gets ill or injured and needs immediate treatment while you’re on holiday in the EU. We’ll only cover claims for holidays that start after you take out the policy. The accident needs to have happened, or the illness needs to have first shown signs or symptoms, while you were on holiday. If the accident happens or the illness develops before or after your holiday, you might be able to claim under the vet fees section of your policy. For more information, see the 'Vet fees' section.

If you’re worried about your pet’s condition when you’re on holiday, you can check their symptoms with the Joii app. It’s available 24/7, 365 days a year. It connects you with qualified vets and registered vet nurses to help diagnose the problem without paying an out-of-hours fee. The app gives the most accurate advice when you’re with your pet, so you can show the vet your pet’s visible symptoms and condition with your smartphone. For more information see: 

www.animalfriends.co.uk/joii

Remember, the cost of using the internet can be much higher when you’re abroad. We won’t cover the cost of any roaming or call charges you might need to pay for using Joii abroad.

We’ll only cover a total of 90 days of holiday per policy year.

We’ll pay your claim based on the currency exchange rate at the time.

We’ll only be able to review claims for treatment where the invoices and medical records are translated into English. We also won’t cover any fees your vet may charge to provide this.

What’s not covered?

We won’t cover anything not covered in Section A.

We won’t be able to cover extra costs that result from you not following the rules on the www.gov.uk website at the time of your trip. This includes any that may replace them in the future. We also won’t cover costs that could have been avoided by checking the rules more carefully.

You won’t be covered if you made the trip specifically to get treatment for your pet.

We won’t cover the cost of taking your pet’s body home if they die on holiday.

We won’t cover costs if your pet is confiscated or detained by customs or any other authorities.

Section G: If you need to cancel or cut short a holiday because your pet needs urgent medical care

What's covered

We’ll cover costs up to the amount in your schedule if you have to cancel or cut short a holiday because your pet needs emergency treatment in the UK.

We’ll only pay claims if your holiday was booked more than 28 days before you were due to leave and if you aren’t able to get a refund. If you need to cancel your holiday, you’re covered, as long as you don’t cancel more than 14 days before you were due to leave.

Remember to keep the receipts for your holiday safe, as we’ll need them to handle your claim. They must include the travel dates and how much it cost you to cancel or cut short your holiday.

You must tell any travel and transport companies you booked your trip through that you need to cancel or cut short your holiday. We won’t cover extra costs that could have been avoided if you’d told them of your change of plans straight away or if you’re able to get a refund.

What’s not covered?

This policy is for you and your pet, so we won’t cover costs for anyone else that might be on holiday with you.

We won’t cover the cost of your journey home if your pet dies before you arrange travel.

What this policy doesn’t cover

There are some things we won’t cover under any part of this policy. We’ve listed these below.

Claims at the beginning of your policy

We don’t cover any accident or injury that happens within the first 2 days of your policy start date, or any illness within the first 14 days. We also don’t cover any claims involving cruciate ligaments for the first 14 days. 

Pre-existing conditions

Pre-existing conditions aren’t covered by this policy. We consider a condition to be pre-existing if it was first noticed before your policy start date or within the waiting period, whether they needed treatment previously or not. For more information about pre-existing conditions, see the ‘Pre-existing conditions’ part of the 'How this policy works' section.

Pandemics

We won’t cover any claims that result from any pandemic. We also won’t cover things that happen as a result of the threat or fear of a pandemic. This includes anything that’s done to control it. For example, if the authorities order everyone to quarantine their dogs.

We also won’t cover claims resulting from any disease passed from animals to humans. 

Pets that aren’t covered

We don't cover puppies or kittens younger than four weeks old.

We don’t cover any pets used as or trained to be anything other than a domestic or household pet. This includes using them for breeding, hunting or shooting of any kind.

We don’t cover any dog breeds or types – including dogs crossed or mixed with these – that have been banned by the government. These currently are:

• Pit Bull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa / Tosa Inus
• Dogo Argentino (also referred to as Argentine Dogo and Argentinian Mastiff)
• Fila Brasileiro

There are also some other breeds, including pets crossed or mixed with those breeds, that we don’t cover. You can see the full list, or give us a call:

0344 557 0300

We may need to cancel your policy if we receive veterinary evidence that your pet has been crossed or mixed with any of these breeds. This is true, even if you didn’t know your pet was crossed or mixed with a banned or excluded breed. We’ll ask you to provide us with a DNA test result for your pet. You are responsible for any costs for the DNA test. We won’t be able to review your claim, or any future claims, until we receive the results of the DNA test.

If you refuse to provide us with a DNA test result after we’ve asked you to provide one, we’ll void your policy straight away. If we haven’t paid a claim in this policy year, we’ll give you back any premiums you’ve paid in this policy year. If we’ve paid a claim in this policy year, we’ll give you back any premiums you’ve paid in this policy year, minus theamount we’ve paid for your claims.

If your pet is an excluded bread

If your pet’s DNA test results show they have 50% or less of an excluded breed, we’ll continue covering your pet.

If your pet’s DNA test results show they have more than 50% of an excluded breed, we’ll void your policy and give you back any premiums you’ve paid. If we’ve already paid a claim in this policy year, we’ll continue cover for the remainder of the policy year, but we won’t renew your policy.

If your pet is an banned bread

If your pet is mixed with any dog type listed on the Dangerous Dogs Act, we’ll void your policy and give you back any premiums you’ve paid. We’ll do this no matter what percentage of banned breed your dog’s DNA test results show. If we’ve paid any claims in this policy year, we’ll give you back any premiums you’ve paid in this policy year, minus the amount we’ve paid for your claims

Crime

We won’t cover claims that result from you breaking the law. This covers laws and regulation from both central and local government, and both present and future. Likewise, we won’t cover claims that are fraudulent. It’s important you always tell us the truth.

We also won’t pay for claims for any fines or penalties that you’re responsible for.

Wars, riots and terrorism

We won’t pay claims for anything caused by acts of terrorism. We also won’t cover claims relating to war, riots or revolution.

Other things we don’t cover

We won’t cover any claims caused by any aircraft, such as planes, helicopters, hot air balloons or drones.

We won’t cover claims caused by radiation or contamination from any nuclear explosions or fallout.

We don’t cover anything that’s insured under other insurance policies. This could include travel insurance, or insurance that covers licensed pet minders or 
professional dog walkers.

We don’t cover any fees or interest you might be charged by credit cards, loans or other finance plans.

We won’t provide cover if you don’t live at a permanent address in the UK. A permanent address would be one that allows you to register to vote or has a permanent residential licence

Making changes to this policy

It’s important you tell Animal Friends if your circumstances change, as this might affect your cover.

If any of the following things change, let us know straight away by calling 0344 557 0300.

Change that can affect the price of your policy

• You move to a new home.
• The Pet’s owner changes.

We use your address when we work out your premium. If you move to a new home, your premium may go up or down. We will contact you to confirm the changes to the terms or price of your policy. You have the right to continue with your cover or you can cancel your policy.  

If you cancel your policy after making a change, and we haven’t paid a claim  for this policy year, please see the ‘Cancelling your policy’ section. If you cancel, and we’ve paid a claim for this policy year, you’ll still need to pay the premium for the full year of insurance. We’ll ask you to pay any remaining amount from your full year’s premium. See below for more information on how we work out these charges.

If the change you made lowered your premium: 

The premium you’ll need to pay will be your new, lower premium.

If the change you made increased your premium: 

If you claimed for something that took place before you changed your policy, you’ll need to pay your original, lower premium.

If you claimed for something that took place after you changed your policy, you’ll need to pay your new, higher premium.

Changes that we'll need to consider, as they may affect your cover under the terms of your policy.

Your horse develops any behaviour problems or their temperament changes. For example, if they are being aggressive or attack, bite or injure a person or another animal.

You plan to use your horse for breeding, working, or hunting.

Anyone makes a complaint about your horse being aggressive.

An incident happens involving your horse which could lead to a legal claim against you.If you don’t tell us, and this negatively affects our ability to handle the case, we won’t be able to help.

If we need to make changes to this policy

We might sometimes need to make changes to your policy by adding or removing cover. If we make any changes to your policy, we’ll always give you at least 14 days’ notice.

If you need to make changes to the way you pay

If you want to change the way that you pay, please get in touch. This includes changing from annual payments to monthly payments and opting into or out of auto renewal. 

Cancelling your policy

How to make a complaint

Complaints Department
Animal Friends House
1 The Crescent
Sun Rise Way
Amesbury
Wiltshire
SP4 7QA

The Financial Ombudsman Service
Exchange Tower
Harbour Exchange Square
London
E14 9SR

How we use your personal information