Pet Insurance in France?

[User no longer member.]

Can anyone advise me about pet insurance in France please?  I have 2 dogs & 2 cats, cats are 10 years old and all are in good health and I'd like them insured... just in case!

[giantpanda]

Hi!

See here the offer:

http://www.ciao.fr/Assurances_Animaux_1255_3

Here you have consumer ratings:

http://www.ciao.fr/Avis/Assurances_animaux_en_general__210545

Like all insurances , you need to read very closely, what is covered, what not, and the yearly limits.

Yours,

giantpanda

[johnys]

Acopy of a letter to myself about pet insurance

Thanks for your query through the Animal Matters feedback form.

In answer to your question, I can safely say that yes, pet insurance is available in France, but it is a relatively new market here and so you may have trouble finding the same sort of cover or choice that you can find in the UK.

 There are two reasons for this, firstly, the French see insurance as a necessity rather than a competitive business arena and so products are fewer. Secondly, the pet insurance market in the UK and USA has had the unfortunate effect of driving up the price of veterinary services because it allows for procedures which are outside the financial scope of most pet owners to be developed and offered at relatively small vet practices. However in France, vet fees tend to have remained lower and specialist care for pets is something that you seek at distance with specialists in larger towns or vet hospitals connected to universites rather than being available from your local vet.
Local vets offering standard services are therefore able to keep their costs as low as possible by expecting cash on the nail and not offering accounts or encouraging the use of insurance which forces them to endure a period of time between treatment and payment. It's not as easy to borrow to cover cashflow in France as elsewhere. Businesses try to avoid it. Most people pay their bills at the time of treatment and if they have pet insurance, will claim it back later as they do with human health care here. So you will find the system a little different and slightly less protective.

If you look on line for 'Assurance Sante Animal de compagnie' you should find a number of French websites offering insurance policies for pets which you can compare. You can often also find insurance for your pets here the old fashioned way, in the office of an insurance company like Axa or Mae when you insure your french property or car. An example of a company offering pet insurance in France is Sante Vet. You can find their website at www.santevet.com which should give you some idea of the coverage and cost. Look out for the limitations as there are always caps on each claim and limits to the ages or breeds of dog they will cover but it should help get you started.

Just one other thing. Here it is vital to have insurance covering your for 'responsibilitie civil'. This is personal liability insurance which protects you and it is useful to have a specific policy for the OES's  if they are likely to ever cause an accident or damage to someone else for which you might be liable. It is useful to add 'responsibilite civil' to any pet insurance you take out in France, or to your household insurance if you decide not to get vet cover for the dogs.

Hope that helps. Don't hesitate to get back to me if I can help with anything else.
Good luck with your move
Regards

Tiffany (ANIMAL MATTERS FRANCE)