Discussion
I am going to ask a dumb question here
Need pet insurance, did a confused comparison, cheapest is with a company 4 Paws, (£20 cheaper than it was last night) but the terms are £105 per condition per year, Plus 30% of the remaining claim.
So if my vet bill is £2105 I would need to pay £600 + £105? Kind of defeats the point of having insurance?
Need pet insurance, did a confused comparison, cheapest is with a company 4 Paws, (£20 cheaper than it was last night) but the terms are £105 per condition per year, Plus 30% of the remaining claim.
So if my vet bill is £2105 I would need to pay £600 + £105? Kind of defeats the point of having insurance?
Sounds obvious, but (especially with pet insurance) cheapest is not always best.
That sounds like it might be a restricted/limited policy.
Or it may be due to the dog's age? I know when I had an older dog insured, the excess increased and there was also a requirement to pay a proportion of the total.
A more comprehensive option is a 'lifetime' policy. That's what I have for 2 of my 3 dogs (with Petplan). Definitely not the cheapest, but I consider them the best, for various reasons.
Depending on your circumstances/preference, you should also probably also check whether your vet will allow direct claims from the insurance company (meaning you don't have to pay upfront). As I understand it, some vets won't do this with all insurance companies, due to issues getting payment. Otherwise, you'll have to pay the vet and claim from the insurance.
That sounds like it might be a restricted/limited policy.
Or it may be due to the dog's age? I know when I had an older dog insured, the excess increased and there was also a requirement to pay a proportion of the total.
A more comprehensive option is a 'lifetime' policy. That's what I have for 2 of my 3 dogs (with Petplan). Definitely not the cheapest, but I consider them the best, for various reasons.
Depending on your circumstances/preference, you should also probably also check whether your vet will allow direct claims from the insurance company (meaning you don't have to pay upfront). As I understand it, some vets won't do this with all insurance companies, due to issues getting payment. Otherwise, you'll have to pay the vet and claim from the insurance.
Personally, I would also want to consider who I was insuring with (in terms of reputation/longevity).
Two out of the three names you have mentioned I have never heard of. I also didn't realise the RSPCA did insurance.
Bear in mind, if you have to change insurance provider (eg if they go out of business) a new provider will NOT cover any pre-existing conditions. So if your dog is diagnosed with a chronic condition, or even just has a history of 'skin issues', this is likely to be excluded from any new policy.
Two out of the three names you have mentioned I have never heard of. I also didn't realise the RSPCA did insurance.
Bear in mind, if you have to change insurance provider (eg if they go out of business) a new provider will NOT cover any pre-existing conditions. So if your dog is diagnosed with a chronic condition, or even just has a history of 'skin issues', this is likely to be excluded from any new policy.
moorx said:
Personally, I would also want to consider who I was insuring with (in terms of reputation/longevity).
Two out of the three names you have mentioned I have never heard of. I also didn't realise the RSPCA did insurance.
Bear in mind, if you have to change insurance provider (eg if they go out of business) a new provider will NOT cover any pre-existing conditions. So if your dog is diagnosed with a chronic condition, or even just has a history of 'skin issues', this is likely to be excluded from any new policy.
No different to BUPA for hoomans.Two out of the three names you have mentioned I have never heard of. I also didn't realise the RSPCA did insurance.
Bear in mind, if you have to change insurance provider (eg if they go out of business) a new provider will NOT cover any pre-existing conditions. So if your dog is diagnosed with a chronic condition, or even just has a history of 'skin issues', this is likely to be excluded from any new policy.
My wife had chronic allergies and high blood pressure - BUPA excluded both when adding her to the policy.
Just my views but we had great coverage with one of the main insurers - until we didn't.
Pet insurers are amongst the worst I have ever come across, and I deal with insurance companies on a daily basis. I wouldn't touch this company with a barge pole given the option again. They wriggled out of paying for our dogs £4k + vet bill and left us having to pay it. I'm in the process of drafting a formal complaint and will be taking them to the ombudsman if they refuse to consider our claim.
Pet insurers are amongst the worst I have ever come across, and I deal with insurance companies on a daily basis. I wouldn't touch this company with a barge pole given the option again. They wriggled out of paying for our dogs £4k + vet bill and left us having to pay it. I'm in the process of drafting a formal complaint and will be taking them to the ombudsman if they refuse to consider our claim.
Problem with Pet Insurance generally is that once you have claimed for a specific thing any similar issues are then excluded in future.
It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
alscar said:
Problem with Pet Insurance generally is that once you have claimed for a specific thing any similar issues are then excluded in future.
It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
Insurance is there to cover the risk of something you don’t know will happen, but there is a chance it will. Hardly surprising that insurance companies don’t want to take over payment for bills they know will arise because of a pre existing condition. It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
Similarly as the risk of vet bill increases (as pets age) then insurance companies will want higher premiums because the amounts they are exposed to are higher.
Skeptisk said:
alscar said:
Problem with Pet Insurance generally is that once you have claimed for a specific thing any similar issues are then excluded in future.
It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
Insurance is there to cover the risk of something you don’t know will happen, but there is a chance it will. Hardly surprising that insurance companies don’t want to take over payment for bills they know will arise because of a pre existing condition. It’s even worse with say Horse insurance as a specific problem on one leg can mean that post claim payment all 4 legs are then excluded from anything similar.
Most policies start off as ok value and then each year the price rises irrespective of any claims or not and usually no negotiation is possible.
Moving companies after a few years is also then difficult due to any pre existing conditions.
Trying to buy “ catastrophic “ only cover is also very limited.
That all said More Than were very good at paying claims for one Lab and Direct Line have been pretty efficient thus far on another but no claims to judge by.
After 40 years of Animal ownership our strategy is never insure Cats , only Insure Dogs for the first 2 or 3 years ( and then put some money aside each year instead ) and always insure horses but for Vet fees only.
Similarly as the risk of vet bill increases (as pets age) then insurance companies will want higher premiums because the amounts they are exposed to are higher.
You basically have to choose one company from the outset and stick with it.
Vets bills on a 2 year old aren’t any more expensive than on a 1 year old - the usual break point for premiums to really increase are around 7.
PT1984 said:
Direct line have been nothing but excellent. Sure it got expensive, but we had over £20k of claims, not a single one refused.
If you have a dog. A comprehensive policy is a must.
It's not. If you have a dog. A comprehensive policy is a must.
I've never had insurance, let alone comprehensive insurance whatever that is in relation to a dog.
dhutch said:
We decided to not insure ours.
Instead, we have a float of money which can be used for emergency costs, including veterinary work, etc.
Yeah I've toyed with this idea for a while now. We have a very comprehensive policy and have had very minimal claims. That said, the biggest cost we've had for our two cats was dental work which, guess what, isn't covered. Instead, we have a float of money which can be used for emergency costs, including veterinary work, etc.
I reckon had we not had it and just kept a float we'd have been several muliples better off. The obvious caveat is like all insurance, it's there for the unexpected but with most animals the breeds are well enough known for you to have a fairly good idea of what the conditions might be.
I also think it's a little different for cats and dogs, dogs do tend to have more unexpected costs.
alscar said:
Problem with Pet Insurance generally is that once you have claimed for a specific thing any similar issues are then excluded in future.
Depends on the company and how you get the dog - we've just rescued a 7 year old dog from an animal sanctuary, now insured with LV who said because we got him from the sanctuary any new issues [he's got an underactive thyroid which they're not covering but the sanctuary are] will be covered for life. It's one of the reasons Pet Plan are more expensive than the others but have a good reputation for always paying.
MesoForm said:
alscar said:
Problem with Pet Insurance generally is that once you have claimed for a specific thing any similar issues are then excluded in future.
Depends on the company and how you get the dog - we've just rescued a 7 year old dog from an animal sanctuary, now insured with LV who said because we got him from the sanctuary any new issues [he's got an underactive thyroid which they're not covering but the sanctuary are] will be covered for life. It's one of the reasons Pet Plan are more expensive than the others but have a good reputation for always paying.
We have had it on all our policies.
I was referring to certain other conditions ( skin conditions / ear issues etc ) which once claimed for ( in say one leg / left ear ) is almost impossible to get a payout for should the issue happen again in a different leg / ear.
This is particularly pertinent on Horse policies.
C5_Steve said:
dhutch said:
We decided to not insure ours.
Instead, we have a float of money which can be used for emergency costs, including veterinary work, etc.
Yeah I've toyed with this idea for a while now. We have a very comprehensive policy and have had very minimal claims. That said, the biggest cost we've had for our two cats was dental work which, guess what, isn't covered. Instead, we have a float of money which can be used for emergency costs, including veterinary work, etc.
I reckon had we not had it and just kept a float we'd have been several muliples better off. The obvious caveat is like all insurance, it's there for the unexpected but with most animals the breeds are well enough known for you to have a fairly good idea of what the conditions might be.
I also think it's a little different for cats and dogs, dogs do tend to have more unexpected costs.
We've just got a new labrador pup and I'm considering getting him covered until he fully matures. He's an absolute lunatic at the moment, chewing and pinching anything he can find. As far as I know he hasn't swallowed anything untoward yet, but with kids toys now lying around (despite best efforts!) and delicious stones in the garden I wouldn't be surprised to get on first name terms with the vet.
Premiums for the first two years seem reasonable at least.
Sargeant Orange said:
We never insured our last Labrador probably out of naivity at the start of ownership rather than a conscious decision. It worked out well as we didn't have a single issue with him. We had funds set aside should the worst happen of course.
We've just got a new labrador pup and I'm considering getting him covered until he fully matures. He's an absolute lunatic at the moment, chewing and pinching anything he can find. As far as I know he hasn't swallowed anything untoward yet, but with kids toys now lying around (despite best efforts!) and delicious stones in the garden I wouldn't be surprised to get on first name terms with the vet.
Premiums for the first two years seem reasonable at least.
Yeah my sister had her ex-police GSD insured and in the time she owned him after he retired, he was well into 5 figures with claims and ongoing issues he had. With certain dog breeds it absolutely makes sense. We've just got a new labrador pup and I'm considering getting him covered until he fully matures. He's an absolute lunatic at the moment, chewing and pinching anything he can find. As far as I know he hasn't swallowed anything untoward yet, but with kids toys now lying around (despite best efforts!) and delicious stones in the garden I wouldn't be surprised to get on first name terms with the vet.
Premiums for the first two years seem reasonable at least.
Some Vets are brilliant and some are just business. In an emergency, sometimes you might need one of those "businesses" and when your pet suffers, the last thing you want is a business trying to extract what they can. A good insurance, wil double check their medical invoices lika proper colonoscopy so they would not mess around easily.
(My dog is 6 years old, we usually dodge the bullet by only visiting 1-2 a year for a small injury and insurance pays without any hassle)
(My dog is 6 years old, we usually dodge the bullet by only visiting 1-2 a year for a small injury and insurance pays without any hassle)
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