New to Me, Old Dogs, A Bit of Help Sorting Stuff
Discussion
I have adopted a lovely pair of hounds from Foal Farm rescue centre in Kent, I really struggled to find dogs that would tolerate a cat. A bonded pair, brindle Staffy (11) and black Lab (8).
Now starting to get involved in the quagmire that is insurance and all other wonders of health as my free Petplan insurance ends in a few days.
My local vets does a flea/booster/2x vets appointments/4 visits to the nurse for £18 a month per hound, this seems to be the going rate around here (Herts). I think this offers reasonable value and will go with this. Pic below of what is included. The Staffy had to be sedated when her claws were cut at the rescue farm, I am doing my best to walk her claws down. She had soft pads and was very overweight when we got her and really long claws, a bit neglected really. I am pleased to say you can now see ribs and their fur is shiny. And they are so much happier out of the rescue kennels.
Now onto the health insurance, Trustpilot puts you off half of them. The Lab has fatty lumps chopped out of her and a bit of a funny eyelid, so that won't be covered. Staffy although old is in very good health. I take the view that they are old rescue dogs and I shall not be getting into thousands of pounds of expense with cancer therapies for instance, well I say that now....
Self insure? Accident only? Which company?
Any advice on health and old dogs would be really appreciated.
Now starting to get involved in the quagmire that is insurance and all other wonders of health as my free Petplan insurance ends in a few days.
My local vets does a flea/booster/2x vets appointments/4 visits to the nurse for £18 a month per hound, this seems to be the going rate around here (Herts). I think this offers reasonable value and will go with this. Pic below of what is included. The Staffy had to be sedated when her claws were cut at the rescue farm, I am doing my best to walk her claws down. She had soft pads and was very overweight when we got her and really long claws, a bit neglected really. I am pleased to say you can now see ribs and their fur is shiny. And they are so much happier out of the rescue kennels.
Now onto the health insurance, Trustpilot puts you off half of them. The Lab has fatty lumps chopped out of her and a bit of a funny eyelid, so that won't be covered. Staffy although old is in very good health. I take the view that they are old rescue dogs and I shall not be getting into thousands of pounds of expense with cancer therapies for instance, well I say that now....
Self insure? Accident only? Which company?
Any advice on health and old dogs would be really appreciated.
In all honesty I wouldn’t bother. I would stick £100 in a different bank account each month to cover what’s needed. The majority of vet trips are not covered, nor are a lot of medicines. I work with a rehoming charity and we find the older ones are so expensive to insure that it just isn’t financially worth it.
In terms of general old dog health, golden paste/tumeric supplement and green lipped mussel are very good for joints. If their tums are ok then I wouldn’t worry about activated charcoal or a probiotic for now. If they get very windy or bloated then add these in. Fallow antlers are great for them to chew on and clean their teeth with. Watch out for dry eye as they get older, the drops are easy enough to get hold of and will just keep the eye lubricated and comfortable.
Turn7 said:
Self insuring won’t really cut it for anything that we will require surgery or more than say accidental issues.
Vets bills can get astronomical quickly, ask me how I know.
I would strongly suggest insuring, even if only effectively pays half the cost of something .
Thanks Turn7, the problem with dogs over 8 seems to be that reasonable premiums only cover you for £1-2000 per condition, with a 20% co excess and £250 excess. A broken leg would be £4-5000, it wouldn't go that far anyway. Vets bills can get astronomical quickly, ask me how I know.
I would strongly suggest insuring, even if only effectively pays half the cost of something .
Edited by lost in espace on Friday 17th June 08:55
My parents didn't bother insuring their current idiot bull terrier and last year he needed some knee surgery. The cost of the surgery was roughly the same as what they would've paid in insurance premiums over his lifetime.
For the age of the dogs I'd be sticking £100 a month into a stocks & shares ISA 'just in case'
For the age of the dogs I'd be sticking £100 a month into a stocks & shares ISA 'just in case'
We’ve just lost our old dog at the age of 12. We looked at insurance when she was little and it was something like 700 a year - that would have been £8400 in insurance bills. Her lifetime vets bills were about £2500.
I think it rather depends on your point of view. She had cancer and it was (mostly) successfully operated 18 months ago. That was most of the £2500. She ended up with something growing in her armpit, probably a secondary. Mrs rxe is a medic, so fairly “professional” when it comes to health decisions - her view was that operating on a 12 year old dog in a place that was unlikely to heal would be too much. The vet agreed - his view was that the front leg would need to be amputated to have any chance of success, and it was simply not in the interests of the dog to do so.
That said, the vet made the point that there would be loads of people out there who would put the dog though pretty much anything to try and keep it alive. The calculation would be different in a young dog.
I think it rather depends on your point of view. She had cancer and it was (mostly) successfully operated 18 months ago. That was most of the £2500. She ended up with something growing in her armpit, probably a secondary. Mrs rxe is a medic, so fairly “professional” when it comes to health decisions - her view was that operating on a 12 year old dog in a place that was unlikely to heal would be too much. The vet agreed - his view was that the front leg would need to be amputated to have any chance of success, and it was simply not in the interests of the dog to do so.
That said, the vet made the point that there would be loads of people out there who would put the dog though pretty much anything to try and keep it alive. The calculation would be different in a young dog.
TNJ said:
Completely off the topic of insurance, but are the girls Meg and Misha?
I saw them on the re homing page and was seriously considering going to see them - then they disappeared! Very pleased to hear they have gone to a good home..!
Yes they are! Foal Farm assured me that they were cat friendly having lived with a crazy cat that took some catching, and they just ignore cats. They are so loyal and affectionate, I feel so lucky to have got them, transformed my kids. Foal Farm have been brilliant. I saw them on the re homing page and was seriously considering going to see them - then they disappeared! Very pleased to hear they have gone to a good home..!
They were very stressed in kennels, particularly Misha the lab who barks at a pin dropping. But the Farm sorted their issues out and they have excellent vet care. Misha still barks a fair bit, but I have just started a bit of training. The poor owner couldn't sort his accommodation in the timescales. Once I saw them and knew what I could offer we just had to take them, and the Farm brought them up a few days later.
I have big burn marks on my lawn, I have an astroturf area they can wee on but my training hasn't worked so far.
Both are now mainly over the trauma of everything, and back at a decent weight with their ribs showing a bit. Poor Meg the Staffy was really struggling to walk but is now having a fantastic time, her pads have gone hard and her body is more flexible after loosing weight. I call her a land shark as she shreds tennis balls, but Chuck It! Ultra balls are ace.
I have now found Pet Wise who do lifetime cover, no co payment, and the premium is alright-ish at £60 a month both dogs with £4-6k cover. They seem to specialise in older dogs, and dental is also included. So with the vet plan for worming, fleas, 2 vet checks and help with claws I will be looking at £100 a month. It won't take much of an issue to be at £1k for a medical issue.
For anyone that finds this thread in the future look at https://www.petinsurancereview.co.uk/ lots of insurers on there, and use Moneysavingexpert, and Topcashback.
General Price said:
Tango13 said:
For the age of the dogs I'd be sticking £100 a month into a stocks & shares ISA 'just in case'
That's a bit mean,this time next year they will only have enough money for a tin of 
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