When your vet’s diagnosis doesn’t match what you expected, asking for another opinion is reasonable. Petplan’s health policy includes an assistance service that puts you in touch with a second veterinary centre.
What the service includes
Within the policy’s assistance cover, if your vet’s diagnosis doesn’t convince you, you can ask for a second opinion. Petplan puts you in touch with an alternative veterinary centre of recognised standing that can give you a second diagnosis.
It is a coordination service: what the policy arranges is the contact with that centre. The consultation itself is handled by that centre’s vet, like any other visit.
How to request it
The natural channel is the telephone veterinary assistance line, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Petplan also offers a chat with vets from Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 18:00, and a video consultation by appointment, where the vet can see your pet in real time. On these channels what you get is advice, not a diagnosis.
Who pays for that second consultation
The second centre’s consultation is simply another veterinary expense. Petplan reimburses 100% of the invoice, with an annual maximum of €3,100 and a co-payment (excess) of €45 per illness, not per visit.
That detail matters here: if the first consultation and the second opinion relate to the same illness, the €45 excess is deducted once and not on every visit.
The tests that come next
If the second vet wants to repeat or extend tests, the policy covers consultations, tests, lab work and X-rays, diagnostic procedures, surgery and nursing, hospitalisation, and physiotherapy when the vet recommends and authorises it.
You can also stay with the second centre if you prefer it: Petplan lets you go to the vet of your choice.
Where the limit sits
The service does not turn an exclusion into cover. Pre-existing conditions, preventive treatment such as vaccines and deworming, sterilisation or castration, and routine or preventive visits all stay outside the policy.
There is also a time limit: treatment your pet receives more than 12 months after the date the injury happened or the illness began is not covered.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need permission to see another vet?
No. Petplan lets you choose your vet freely, so you can look for another opinion yourself. The assistance service simply helps you find a centre of recognised standing.
Will I be charged two excesses?
No, not if it is the same illness. The co-payment is €45 per illness or accident, not per visit.
Is the chat enough for a second opinion?
The chat with vets, Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 18:00, and the video consultation by appointment give you advice. For a second diagnosis you need a consultation at a veterinary centre.
What paperwork do I need for reimbursement?
The vet’s invoice and the vet’s report. You can send them as a photo from your phone or upload them from your computer, and the money is paid by bank transfer.
