When a dog comes out of surgery or is nursing an injury, the vet will often suggest rehabilitation. And that is where the doubt appears: is everything that sounds like therapy covered? With Petplan the answer is very specific, and the line between what is in and what is out is sharper than it looks.
Physiotherapy is covered, with one condition
Physiotherapy appears in the list of benefits of the Petplan health policy. The condition is the reason for it: it has to be rehabilitation following an accident or an illness.
In other words, what is covered is recovery from a specific problem that has already happened, not a maintenance session or a general wellbeing programme.
The list of what is not covered
Petplan does not cover hydrotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, chiropractic manipulation or osteopathy. Nor any other complementary or alternative treatment.
That last phrase is worth reading slowly, because it is the one that closes the list: the exclusion is not limited to the five named therapies, but to any complementary or alternative treatment, whatever it is called.
Why the distinction matters when you see the quote
Many clinics offer rehabilitation as a package, and a single quote can mix physiotherapy sessions with hydrotherapy or acupuncture sessions.
If that is your case, ask for an invoice that itemises each element separately. The physiotherapy part is reimbursable; anything corresponding to alternative therapies will not be, and a single lump sum makes the two impossible to separate.
How much you get back for the physiotherapy that is covered
Petplan reimburses 100% of covered veterinary costs, up to a maximum of 3,100 euros a year. A co-payment, or excess, of 45 euros applies per illness, not per visit and not per session.
So a course of rehabilitation that runs for several weeks does not multiply the excess: the illness or accident behind it counts only once.
Who decides the treatment, and when you can start using it
You do not need Petplan to authorise anything in advance. You can go to the vet you choose and follow the treatment they recommend, with no approved list of clinics.
On timing, cover does not begin on the day you take the policy out: the waiting period is 15 days for accidents and 1 month for illnesses.
Frequently asked questions
Does the insurance cover hydrotherapy?
No. Hydrotherapy is excluded, even when it is prescribed as part of a rehabilitation plan.
What about veterinary acupuncture?
Also no. Acupuncture is expressly excluded, as are homeopathy, chiropractic and osteopathy.
Do I need prior approval before starting physiotherapy?
No. You can go to the vet you choose and follow the treatment they recommend.
Do I pay an excess for every physiotherapy session?
No. It is 45 euros per illness, not per session.
If you have been handed a recovery plan, the useful question is not how many sessions it includes, but what each one is called on the invoice: that is where it is decided what comes back to your account.
