Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

I've been looking into pet insurance.

Seems that most insurance companies only want to insure pets cats/dogs, up to the age of 7 years. This means that when most pets need treatment, there is not a policy available for them.

So, what the companies are saying really is this.  If you have a young healthy cat or dog, we are quite happy to take lots of money off you on the off chance that they may need some treatment. They are also saying, that if you have a worn out 14 year old mongrel with a dickie heart, failing kidneys, arthritis and terminal incontinence  they will very politly tell you to "Foxtrot Oscar"

My advise would be that if you are worried about your pets health, would be to put away a little each month. With a bit of luck you may not need to use it.

OK rant over. Your comments please. :-?

[Albatross]

IME young dogs tend to have more accidents.

My ex-wife's 2 year old German Shepherd just needed £2,500 worth of surgery when he ran onto a thrwon stick which went through the back of his throat.

Now here's the kick; he was insured, but the small print pointed out (unbeknown to her) that it only covered the 1st £800.

Seems you lose each way.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

IME young dogs tend to have more accidents.

My ex-wife's 2 year old German Shepherd just needed £2,500 worth of surgery when he ran onto a thrwon stick which went through the back of his throat.

Now here's the kick; he was insured, but the small print pointed out (unbeknown to her) that it only covered the 1st £800.

Seems you lose each way.

If you have to pay £1700 of your own money after you've paid for insurance it makes matters even worse.

Insurance companies are not our friends

[Andy B]

The pet insurance could have made plenty out of us had we taken out the type of cover you say. One of our cats died last year at the grand old age of 21 yr old. She'd seen the vets only a hand full of times, spayed, had her teeth done when she was about 15 etc and one time when I took her just for a check up just cos she was old. Another cat we had to have put down at 15 yr old. He was rarely ill when young but we must have been there every other month in his last year or two. So no payout for us from the insurance.
It's all a scam (mostly! )

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

The insurance companies use slogans like "If you really care for your pet, you'll insure him with blah blah blah etc"

They take advantage of peoples feelings for their pets. Bas****s

[Dazzler]

And once you have claimed you can't move insurance companys as they will not cover anything that has been treated already

[Debs.]

I used to have my 3 dogs insured with NFU pet insurance; I had several years of uneventful premium paying without any claims....each year the renewal premium went up by a few percent....then one day, my middle-dog suffered a horrible paw laceration (requiring surgery); the insurance claim was paid promptly but at the next renewal notice the premium has risen by more than the total amount of the single claim!

To my way of thinking that makes a complete nonsense of the principal of insurance if the premium rises more than the amount of any claim.

I cancelled my NFU pet-cover (and have never taken any other pet-cover) and now carefully budget to make a small monthly allowance should the unexpected need for veterinary treatment occur.

B**tards indeed!

[Danny]

truthfully the whole point of insurance, for anything at all, is very cleverly for one reason....

to rob everyone blind!

[TheBoy]

Pet insurance does seem to be a con.

Call me heartless, but if any pet of mine needed significant surgery, I would probably call it a day, as its probably more kind anyway  :-/

I think we get so attached to them, sometimes we selfishly get them patched up without thinking of the distress they go through...

[Taxi_Driver]

Holly used to be insured with Pet Plan, imo they were the best insurance when I first insured Holly, its quite clear in their plans (different levels of cover) how much they will pay out in a year...Holly was on the £6000 level of cover....the next level up being unlimited.

Its worth noting tho at the time I first insured Holly Pet Plan was the only company that will carry on paying if your dog/cat has an illness that lasts more than 12 months.....and something like a skin complaint can last more than a year........so mainly because of this continued payout I went with petplan. Petplan also had other benefits....for example payout for advertising if your pet gets lost......'funeral' expenses.....replacement pet.

I claimed once with petplan.........when she was a pup she ran into a tree stump at flat out speed and it turned out she had badly bruised herself.......I think the vets bill was £300-£400 for xray and overnight stay at the vets for observations.......also handy that most vets have an account with petplan.......so you dont have to pay up front then claim back.

However the reason Holly isnt insured anymore.........6 years ago the premium was £15/month with £60 excess now its £25/month and £90 excess  

The last time i took Holly to the vet was for a lump I found on her, vet took a sample and sent it to be analysed......turned out to be a fatty tissue lump....so vet said no action required.......bill was just under her excess.........so no claim. However if it had of be a cancerous lump then she would have been operated on and there would have been a claim to petplan.......and id probably still be still paying petplan  :-/

In a conversation i had with petplan before cancelling Holly's policy I asked why had the premium and excess gone up so much........i was told it was because of how much the vets charge in the area I live......Petplan do charge a different amount for cover depending on your postcode.......so is it because of how much vets charge now  :-/

Anyway long post, sorry   But ive told Holly now, if she has an accident and needs vet treatment, its coming outa her pocket money  

[Gaffers]

my advice is put a bit away in a cash ISA so you can get your hands on it if you need, if not you can put the interest towards a nice family meal or holiday spending money etc...

[Vamps]

Pet insurance does seem to be a con.

Call me heartless, but if any pet of mine needed significant surgery, I would probably call it a day, as its probably more kind anyway  :-/

I think we get so attached to them, sometimes we selfishly get them patched up without thinking of the distress they go through...

Yeh Yeh, I said that, till the cat had an accident...... stood in Vets and the words coming from my mouth were supposed to say 'Put him down' but young daughter by my side and a swmbo giving the 'telepathy bit' all the vet heard was 'do what you have to do'  Twice now
we have the dog insured, the cat was disposable as far as I was concerned, till push came to shove!!!!!!!!!!!

[Taxi_Driver]

Pet insurance does seem to be a con.

Call me heartless, but if any pet of mine needed significant surgery, I would probably call it a day, as its probably more kind anyway  :-/

I think we get so attached to them, sometimes we selfishly get them patched up without thinking of the distress they go through...

Yeh Yeh, I said that, till the cat had an accident...... stood in Vets and the words coming from my mouth were supposed to say 'Put him down' but young daughter by my side and a swmbo giving the 'telepathy bit' all the vet heard was 'do what you have to do'  Twice now
we have the dog insured, the cat was disposable as far as I was concerned, till push came to shove!!!!!!!!!!!

Lesson learnt there then.........dont take swmbo and daughter with you to the vet  

Hard line i know.........and difficult one for me if Holly ever needed expensive treatment now shes not insured...... :-/

Mind you im soft......... :-/

[Myagemo]

my advice is put a bit away in a cash ISA so you can get your hands on it if you need, if not you can put the interest towards a nice family meal or holiday spending money etc...

sound advice and I bet you wont be able to afford the type of resturant or style of holiday that the vet has