Veterinary Practice Insurance
Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Canberra

A veterinary practice should explain the species treated, the services offered and where care is delivered. Companion animal consultations, surgery, equine work and farm visits can present different practical exposures. Include boarding, grooming, retail products and other services where they form part of the business. Identify employed veterinarians, locums, nurses and contractors and the roles they perform. A change in the type of procedures or animals treated may need consideration even if the premises and trading name remain unchanged. The insured-services description should reflect the current practice rather than a broad assumption about veterinary work.

Animals can be in the practice’s care before, during and after a procedure, with handling and accommodation responsibilities at each stage. Explain how animals are admitted, identified, supervised and released through the practice’s professional processes. Describe home visits, transport and work at farms or stables where relevant. Buildings, diagnostic equipment, medication storage and clinical records support the care process and may have separate insurance needs. Ask specifically about animals in care, custody or control, including any restrictions or sub-limits. Ordinary public liability wording should not be assumed to include every injury, escape or deterioration involving an animal entrusted to the practice.

Client instructions and consent records help explain the agreed scope of care and the information available at the time. Retain relevant treatment, referral and follow-up records through appropriate clinical and privacy arrangements. Where several people are involved, the record should identify the roles and communications without substituting an insurance process for professional judgement. If the practice provides services to breeders, racing operations or farms under a contract, review the responsibilities accepted. Higher-value animals and specialised work should be explained clearly rather than treated as equivalent to ordinary companion animal appointments in the insurance submission.

Ask how professional indemnity and other relevant cover treat allegations about treatment, advice, supervision and loss of an animal. Review exclusions and the basis on which any value or limit applies. Property questions should distinguish owned equipment from hired or financed items and consider realistic replacement and commissioning times. Refrigerated medicines or laboratory materials may need specific discussion of deterioration and the cause of loss. A damaged machine, an allegation about a procedure and a privacy incident can involve different policy sections. A package for the premises does not establish that all professional and animal-related exposures have been included.

An incident can involve clinical staff, reception, the owner and an outside referral provider. Establish who preserves the relevant factual record and checks the practice’s insurance reporting arrangements. Keep observations separate from conclusions about cause or responsibility. Record significant instructions and communications, including when a concern was first raised. Sensitive information should be shared through suitable channels with the people who need it for the response. Avoid promising that compensation or further treatment costs will be met by insurance before the allegation and the applicable policy provisions have been assessed through the appropriate process.

Before renewal, review new services, specialist equipment and changes in the species or clients served. Explain any expansion into mobile work, boarding or longer periods of animal care. Consider how the practice would operate if diagnostic systems, records or part of the premises became unavailable. Keep practical alternatives and authorised contacts available for continuity. Update equipment values and unresolved complaints for the submission. The insurance review should connect professional care, animal handling and supporting assets, allowing each exposure to be discussed on its own facts while recognising that the response to a future event depends on the selected wording and circumstances.