Healthy Pets is a pet insurance offering you might come across on a comparison site offering good prices, but is it any good? Our research has found that Healthy Pets offers pet owners good value for money, and some sought-after features. But as with nearly all pet insurance, there are some features that are missing on some or all of their plans. So whether or not Healthy Pets is good for you in part depends on your personal needs. Read our review to find out more.

We'll do our best to clarify some features of Healthy Pets pet insurance plans, but be sure to read the policy wording before you sign up. Choosing the best policy for you and your pet will depend on your individual situation. There may be better pet insurance policies with more beneficial features available in the marketplace.

In This Review

• Overall Review
  • Customer Experience Ratings
  • Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Price Comparison
  • Notable Features
• Policy and Coverage Options
• Comparing Healthy Pets to the Competition

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Review

Healthy Pets has changed their product line up. And, unfortunately, we find it very confusing! The policy names on the website seem to be different than the policy names in the policy booklets. And what they call "lifetime" seems to actually be (when you dig into the details) "lifetime", but with further limits per condition. Honestly, we can't really write about what isn't clear to us. So we're stripping back our review for now, with less discussion of the coverage on offer.

That said, Healthy Pets might offer a policy that fits your budget and your needs well, but be warned that it will take some effort to really understand what you're getting with a policy, in our opinion. Plus, they have extended the time to submit claims from 60 days to 6 months, which is a big improvement. And there are some notable differences between the plans on offer so it's important to dig into what is covered, and what isn't, in order to choose a suitable plan. We'd personally go with a company that is easier to understand...

However, we've previously noted that Healthy Pets seems to offer some solid value plans and, when we did a price check, stood out for quite competitive prices. And they have pretty rock star ratings on Trustpilot for insurance. Here are some big picture features of their accident and illness policies:

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Key Facts (accident & illness policies)

Pet owners should be aware that Healthy Pets has a few 'sub limits' for certain conditions. Sub limits essentially cap the amount they'll pay for the named conditions, which are:

Inner limits are not additional coverage, but instead they are maximum amounts available for a certain type of claim. For example, if a dog needed a £2,000 MRI and had the Lifetime Extra plan, the policy would cover up a max claim of £875 for the MRI (the inner limit for MRIs on that plan), leaving the dog owner to pay £1,125 of the MRI bill. In our experience, we think some of these sub limits are on the low side compared to what a procedure might cost, so pet owners should be aware of them when choosing their coverage. For example, NimbleFins research has found that the cost of a pet MRI is now around £2,500 in the UK. Healthy Pets will pay at most £1,875 on Gold and Premier plans, £875 on Silver and Extra, £500 on Bronze, and none on the Accident Only plan for an MRI, leaving the pet owner to pick up the difference which could be significant depending on the plan.

Discounts

As of November 2025, Healthy Pets was offering a 20% discount to new customers. This can be pretty valuable, but make sure you'll be happy paying the non-discounted price from year 2 onwards—if your pet falls ill during the year, creating a pre-existing condition, it can be difficult and costly to change pet insurance companies.

Time to claim

Healthy Pets will not pay a claim if you submit past 6 months after the date of the insured incident, or first diagnosis / treatment by a vet, with the exception of the section related to legal claims against you in relation to your dog.

Also, note that claims for alternative medicine or complementary medicine must be pre-approved by Healthy Pets. This includes physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic, homeopathic or herbal medicines or laser treatment.

Excess

The excess is the amount a pet owner contributes towards a claim. The excess may vary dependent on your pet’s age and the amount you select, and may be payable each year for recurring conditions.

For example, the standard fixed excess on Healthy Pets pet insurance is payable each policy year per condition, as is typical. For a condition spanning multiple years, there would be an excess payable on the first claim for that condition in each policy year a claim is made for it.

Previously, the excess was usually structured as follows, but this may have changed (we haven't been able to find further information). The fixed excess will vary, for example, depending on the breed of your pet. Plus once your pet hits 5 years of age there is a % copay due as well, which is calculated after the fixed excess is taken out of the claim.

Not all pet insurance in the UK has a % co-insurance for older pets, but it is not uncommon. However, the % co-insurance kicks is at slightly lower ages for Healthy Pet policies than some other companies. That's not necessarily a bad thing—a copay can help keep premiums from increasing as rapidly for older pets—but it is something to be aware of.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Customer Reviews & Ratings

Healthy Pets pet insurance products have been rated between 1 and 5 stars by Defaqto, which judges products on the features provided by a specific plan.

Customer reviews for Healthy Pets generally are quite strong. For example, Healthy Pets insurance has been awarded 4.4 out of 5 stars by over 2,600 policyholders at Trustpilot—this is a pretty high rating for any insurance company.

We scoured hundreds of customer comments to see what customers have to say about their overall experience with Healthy Pets. Here are some real customer reviews praising their experience:

"Good value insurance at an affordable price."

"I spoke to very helpful woman over concerns about the form given my dog is a rescue dog and not all information known. She was most helpful."

"Everything was easy to understand & perfect cover"

Comments on claims seem mixed, with many 5 star reviews and 1 star reviews. Given the large number of 5 star reviews indicating Healthy Pets is good come claims time, we would guess that many of the 1 star experiences are down to an unusual claim that takes investigation or a claim that doesn't abide by the terms of the policy (e.g. expecting a pay out for something that isn't covered in the terms). Here is a sample of both positive and negative claims experiences.

"I have just taken my 2nd insurance policy with healthy pets. They have been the most affordable both times I have looked, however my previous experience was the main reason I purchased again. After the claim was submitted, I heard back from them within a few days, and the policy paid out in full for treatment and unfortunately euthanasia, that I otherwise would not have been able to afford."

"Great service had no problem in the past making a claim"

"My 9 month old kitten had a serious accident resulting in major surgery on his leg. It was a stressful and worrying time but having Healthy Pets helped put my mind at rest. Once they received the claim from my vets they were quick with processing. Thank you so much."

"... Since November my claim for my dog has been with them. Every time they email they want more information very frustrating and very time consuming. They have had all information from the vets and myself..."

"... I went with healthy pets as they were the cheaper option with a decent cover. However every claim I've made with them takes a MINIMUM 12 months to settle with at least 30 - 40 phone calls asking whats happening. The most common response being "Ooo i don't know why but its just sitting there". I'm currently awaiting one claim for over £1400 and another for £800..."

"... I had to renew his insurance about 6 weeks before he was put to sleep, the vet cost me £180.00 for the visit when he was put to sleep and healthy pets refused my claim for that too because they said I had to pay the rest of the annual premium for a cat who was no longer alive? So they charged me a whole annual premium for approx 6 weeks, and refused to pay the claim on it too."

We should point out that it is typical in the broader consumer insurance industry that if you make a claim, you must pay the entire year's premium (this applies to the last comment above, as well as others we've seen online). That will be stated in the policy documents. We saw another claims complaint worth mentioning that related to Healthy Pets not paying on an accidental death claim because the owner had not gotten a Veterinary Certificate stating the date and cause of death. Again, this requirement is stated in their policy wording. This is why, as painful as it may seem, it's worth reading the documents clearly and keeping them handy in case you have a potential claim situation. This goes for all insurance, not just pet.

Here is a summary of Trustpilot ratings for Healthy Pets insurance:

Healthy Pets Quote Comparison

To compare pet insurance prices for Healthy Pets, we obtained sample quotes for a healthy, young, medium-sized mixed-breed dog. For our test case, Healthy Pets pet insurance prices started from just over £10 a month for accident & illness cover, or £122 a year. As a result, our research shows that Healthy Pets prices are significantly less than the average cost of pet insurance in the UK.

Older dogs and certain breeds can cost significantly more to insure. Where you live can also impact the cost of pet insurance.

How Do Healthy Pets Prices Compare?

These prices reflect a fixed excess of £99.

Types of Healthy Pets Dog and Cat Insurance Policies

Healthy Pets sells a range of types of pet insurance with coverage ranging from £1,000 max a year up to £7,500 per condition. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, we are holding off discussing the policy features in detail because we're seeing inconsistencies. Please refer to Healthy Pets for further information on their policies.

FAQs

How does Healthy Pets Pet Insurance Compare to Competitors?

To better understand the value of Healthy Pets Insurance you need to look at it in the context of other available options. We compared this insurer to other similar insurers so you can see which may be more suitable for you.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance vs Swinton Pet Insurance

Apply Now

Apply Now

Swinton Pet Insurance may be another decent option for those who want a relatively affordable premium. You’ll get euthanasia cover and there’s a 24/7 vet helpline to call with questions, but you don’t get vet cover for the treatment of tooth decay or tooth/gum disease. To get an idea of price, our sample quote for a young, healthy dog showed a cost of £288 for £4,000 of lifetime "Essentials" cover with a £99 fixed excess.

Bottom Line: If you're attracted to Healthy Pets for their prices, Swinton is underwritten by the same company and has slightly more straightforward offerings (e.g. no "per condition" limits on their lifetime policies), a vet helpline and a longer time to claim—but prices may be higher as a result.

Healthy Pets Insurance vs Agria Pet Insurance

Apply Now

Apply Now

Agria Pet Insurance offers comprehensive lifetime plans for attractive prices and is a favourite pet insurer. Many features are offered as extras, which means that you don't need to pay for certain features if you don't want to—if you never take your pet abroad to Europe, then you don't need to buy the Travel cover. Another way that Agria keeps prices lower is through a 10% copay/variable excess so pet owners contribute more towards vet fees—the pet owner is responsible for the fixed excess (£95 or £160 for dogs, £85 or £160 for cats) than another 10% of vet bills. We like that Agria is a specialist pet insurer with a long history, offering some desirable features such as dental illness, euthanasia and cremation/burial, sensible out-of-hours reimbursement and cover for congenital conditions. When we last checked, the cost for a young, healthy crossbreed dog was around £350 per year for a plan with £6,500 of vet cover and a £95 fixed excess + 10% copay; a British Shorthair cat with an £85 excess + 10% copay would cost around £325 for the same level of cover.

Bottom Line: Agria can be another good option for those wanting higher limits, euthanasia and cremation/burial and dental illness cover—but keep in mind you pay a 10% copay after the fixed excess is taken out.

Healthy Pets Pet Insurance vs Animal Friends Pet Insurance

Apply Now

Apply Now

Animal Friends Pet Insurance is a specialist pet insurer, whose plans stand out for lower-than-average premiums (partially achieved through per condition limits, even on Lifetime plans). Those with older pets can insure their dogs and cats with Animal Friends, as there is no upper age limit for new policies, even Lifetime cover—but there is a 20% copay (in addition to the £99 fixed excess) for dogs aged 8+ and cats aged 10+. Animal Friends doesn't have dental cover on some plans, but not all, plus claims need to be submitted within 90 days. Our price check showed a range of £130 to £390 for Lifetime cover for a healthy, young crossbreed dog, which is generally lower than average. Another plus is that the company is big and has an efficient claims system called Pawtal, which most vets are accustomed to working with, so they can submit claims on your behalf.

Bottom Line: If you're price conscious, both Animal Friends and Healthy Pets offer some comparable plans. But it will take a thorough look through the many Animal Friends offerings to find a policy with the features you need, as the features do vary quite a bit from one policy to the next.

Other Useful Information