Pet Health Plan - Worth it or not?

So I don't know how common this is, but the vet's surgery I have signed up for offer a Pet Health plan. It is different to insurance in that it covers only routine check ups and medications. I pay £10.60 a month and for that I get:

- 2 check ups a year with a "10 point health plan" (whatever that is)
- Year round worm, flea and other parasite treatments
- 2 myxi and 1 vhd vacc boosters per year
- 10% off neutering, dental work, and any food or accessories bought at the practice
- A pet health record book

When I have both bunnies, that will be £240 a year for all of the above. I have never kept a rabbit before and I don't know what kind of costs to expect, would you say you spend more or less than £240 a year for routine treatments for two rabbits?

I already have separate insurance for non-routine problems.

Personally I would say it's not worth it at all

I've got my rabbit signed up on health plan at our vets but it's only £5 a month which we worked out as a good deal because the vaccinations were £50 so we got all the other stuff (worming treatment, weight check-ups, dental check etc) for £10 a year.

One good thing about ours which is worth checking the small print for is whether your included check-ups can be used as consultations if the rabbit is unwell, this could then save you costs if you're unsure whether something is wrong sometime. Also, does yours include dental check? It's the condition of most insurance policies that a rabbit has at least yearly dental checks to be covered for dental issues.

Hope that helps, although your vets policy does seem slightly more expensive than ours so it might be worth considering different options.

Hattie x

It's very expensive:


- 2 check ups a year with a "10 point health plan" (whatever that is) Difficult to define value of this but if not on the plan consider it as 2 consultation fees
- Year round worm, flea and other parasite treatments May not be needed at all within a year, if it is needed it won't be a huge expense
- 2 myxi and 1 vhd vacc boosters per year This will be taken over within the next few months with a single vaccine - prices vary considerably but probably between £30 and £40
- 10% off neutering, dental work, and any food or accessories bought at the practice
- A pet health record book Neutering is a one-off expense, dentals may or may not be needed, supplies may well be considerably more expensive than pet shop anyway!

So, as a breakdown I see it as giving you a vaccination worth apx £35, 10% off any possible dentals and a couple of check ups. £240 is very expensive for that x2.

No, not really, as worming isnt necessary unless the rabbit has worms or EC, and they shouldnt get fleas often as they dont roam - the plan seems more geared towards cats and dogs, for which worming and de-fleaing is routine and expensive.

But, then again, it depends on how expensive things like checkups and vaccinations are - these prices vary wildly depending on area and vets. They should be offering the combined vaccination by now, so that would be once a year - it generally costs more than the single, but less than the 3 singles you need for a year of protection.

That health plan doesnt really seem worth it. For comparison: for £9.99 a month my vet's practice offer the vaccination, a six monthly checkup, rearguard once a year, microchip, claw clipping by vet nurse, an Excel food product (hay, pellets or treats) once a month. And then 20% off neutering and dentals, and 10% off everything else.


For around the same price as you would be paying for the pet health plan, you could get them insured with Petplan or P@H, which would cover any illnesses or injuries. Much better deal IMO. Obviously insurance doesnt pay for routine things like vaccination, neutering etc though and there is an excess.

Hattie said:

I've got my rabbit signed up on health plan at our vets but it's only £5 a month which we worked out as a good deal because the vaccinations were £50 so we got all the other stuff (worming treatment, weight check-ups, dental check etc) for £10 a year.

One good thing about ours which is worth checking the small print for is whether your included check-ups can be used as consultations if the rabbit is unwell, this could then save you costs if you're unsure whether something is wrong sometime. Also, does yours include dental check? It's the condition of most insurance policies that a rabbit has at least yearly dental checks to be covered for dental issues.

Hope that helps, although your vets policy does seem slightly more expensive than ours so it might be worth considering different options.

Hattie x

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I got the same plan and it's better for me to pay monthly that a big chunk once a year. It works out to be about the same amount.

Thanks everyone. I'm not sure how much a consultation is as they don't have a price list on their website, but in this area it's generally about £25. I won't be going with this plan based on what you all said. It seemed a lot to me but I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something good.

nessar said:

For around the same price as you would be paying for the pet health plan, you could get them insured with Petplan or P@H, which would cover any illnesses or injuries. Much better deal IMO. Obviously insurance doesnt pay for routine things like vaccination, neutering etc though and there is an excess.

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I have insurance with Petplan already