I am sure this has been covered many times before but I think Pet insurance is an ever changing market. I'm currently with Petplan for my dogs but the renewal price is ridiculous. I've looked around at other companies and can definitely get cheaper insurance but I've read mixed reviews for all of them which is to be expected of course. So I am wondering what pet insurance companies you all use and give me your honest opinion of that company. I always take out a cover for life policy. Thank you in advance for your replies
I don't have pet insurance I have pet bank accounts instead, I have had them for the last 30 years, not only is all the money I pay in is mine, but I can put in what I like each month too, it also pays for all boosters, worming & flea treatments each year You will be surprised at how much money you will save up each year & with the interest added it soon mounts up into the thousands, I have always had more than one dog & have put £5 per dog into the pet account plus any left over money each month. All of my previously dogs have been large breeds (GSD's Rottweiler's, Doberman's plus Crossbreeds) they all lived for 15 plus years, I even continued putting money in during the time when I had no dogs (roughly 2 years if you add the odd month here & there up) I can see the benefits to why owners have pet insurance specially when their pets fall ill, but if you never make a claim then the company as all your money & you don't get a penny back.
Fran, I do not have any pet insurance as until recently there was none - in fact I still do not know which, if any, insurance company does actually provide it. It would not help Pereg now due to her condition, and I have a wonderful vet who will always take payments if necessary, so that suits me fine.
Rocky came with free 4 weeks pet insurance from I think E&L, which I then continued at £15 a month. They paid out for his initial epilepsy bills (wasn't that much tbh) and then for his cruciate op, which was £2,000 - but, the added an exclusion to all future joint problems. So we switched to Marks & Spencer pet insurance who said only the leg he had the op on would be excluded. About a year before Rocky was diagnosed with cancer, M&S added his breed to their exclusion list however I don't think it would have changed the treatment we opted for. I think Tina's idea is great, however, I think you would need at least a few thousand in the account to begin with - because many problems arise in the first two years (and of course in old age). So if that's not possible, getting pet insurance could be a life saver for your dog. Here's our pet insurance guide that might be of help too: http://www.dogsey.com/dog-insurance.htm
Pereg is covered for third party accidents such as if she tripped someone up or her tether broke and she managed to get onto the road and caused an accident [I am ultra careful about keeping her tether free from fraying], included with my household contents insurance at no extra charge. That insurance also covers if anyone has an accident in my yard or in my home [things like they were washing the floor and slipped, or they fell coming down the five steps onto my path...] But Pereg is not covered for veterinary treatment, and as she was two years and three months old when her epilepsy first manifested itself, had there been pet insurance when I rescued her at 6 weeks old, the amount it would have cost until then plus the monthly payments since then, is probably more than I actually have to pay for her medication and blood tests now. Actually I am glad I do not have pet insurance for her, because that means I do not have to rely on an insurance company to pay her vet bills. And I know that if it ever came to it, my Vet would still treat her without payment.
Relating to Third Party Insurance, it is worth noting that your dog will be covered for claims of up to £1m if you join the Dogs Trust. Membership is £25 pa. and £12.50 for over 60's. Re. Health Insurance, I couldn't have afforded it when I had 6 or 8 dogs, who were rarely ill anyway. Eddie would have earned himself an exclusion clause after his ulcerated colon was confirmed, last year.
@CaroleC - apart from my household contents insurance [the building itself is covered together with my neighbour's bungalow as they are both on the same plot and are both owned by the family] - but exclusion clauses? When I went back to the UK after the Gulf War in 1991 - mainly to see Mother for the last time [and, as it turned out, also the last time I saw my son] but also friends all over the UK, I took out full insurance cover. I declared that I was disabled, although then I was able to get around on crutches, but while in England I broke a bottom front tooth on a biscuit, of all things. Went to the dentist who had been going to for years before I emigrated - he put in a pin and built up the tooth - filled in a form saying the tooth had broken while eating a biscuit... ...and the insurance company refused to pay, saying "oh, you are disabled therefore..." I mean what has a broken tooth got to do with my disability when the dentist had signed that it broke while eating a biscuit? And on the way home to Israel [cannot remember which airline] my two red fabric suitcases were covered with black gunge oil. They were new when I went, unmarked when I returned, but came out on the carousel covered with black gunge oil. What did both the insurance company and the airline company say? "Oh, you are disabled therefore you must have spilled something on them before you left the UK to return home." I mean how come the airline accepted the unmarked suitcases but when the arrived totally ruined, could they then say I did it before they were put on the plane? I have, as yet [and hopefully never will] claimed on my household policy. But I renew it each year - it is paid by direct debit 10 months of each year so I do not notice the amount going out of my account. And it is replacement for things as new, not replacement for what things are worth at the time, however old they are.
Pet insurance is not popular in the US although I have seen brochures for it in some vet offices. I've spoken to a few vets about it and was told that I would first pay the bill and then make a claim to the insurance company. I did see a list in one brochure as to how much they paid for different things and it turned out to be less than 50% of the vet's usual bill. Because I live on a small disability pension saving money every month is next to impossible, so I have a credit card that is only for vet expenses. I don't use it for yearly upkeep.....only for sickness or accidents.
Until my Beagle was diagnosed with congestive heart disease, I had no idea as to how expensive Veterinary Medicine can be. I have Medicare, so no problem for me. But a sick dog means thousands of dollars; some in chunks of $500 -$600. There was no way I could afford the suggestion that I get a dog cardiologist, but X-rays, scans, blood tests and medication run up the bill very quickly. I don't have insurance and I want to look at the premiums before I buy.
@Johnclick Yes, the cost of Tweed's heart/breathing investigations - and especially her medication - came as quite a shock to me too. Then we had the tail amputation due to her chewing into a cyst. Teenage dogs are a liability, but, I suspect that if she had been insured, it would probably added up to a larger sum as the companies do have to make a profit. I like Tina's (6JRT's) idea of an account into which you put so much a month for each dog.
Still on the subject of insurance but nothing to do with dogs. I have insurance in the form of a service contract on both my large refrigerator/freezer and my large upright freezer. Yes, for what I have paid I could have put that money aside and bought new items, but - because I have the insurance I have a guarantee of a techie turning up within 24 hours, all work free [covered by the insurance] and most parts also free. Only things like broken shelves, door gaskets would I have to pay for - and only 10% of the regular price at that. And I happen to like both items and do not want to replace them, because newer models are not to my liking. But back to Pereg's necessary blood tests and medication - she needs them therefore I pay for them. Somehow.
Speaking of age, a shelter near here has a Rat Terrier that is 20 years old. Before I heard about him, I didn't know any dog breed lived so long. And this dog is healthy and playful.
