Pet (particularly dog) Insurance

[johnS2000]

My GSD is on permanent medication ! Paid for by insurance ! Vet charges £70 a course! Online ,same stuff ,same amount,identical in every way £22 delivered ! Course of anti-biotics ,vet= £90+ , online £27!!! Some mark up!! But the insurance is paying .

How much have pet insurance premiums gone up in the past couple of years bearing in mind zero inflation ?? Doubled,trebled ,more?? We cannot change companys due to existing condition but but my daughters premium for her new puppy is 4 times more than we pay !!

[bexVN]

They have gone up because the uptake of pet insurance has increased a huge amount in last few years, hence more claims hence increased premiums. That along with techniques that would have been a rare occurrence 15yrs ago are now becoming commonplace but they involve a cost (mri's csf taps, orthopaedic procedures, opthalmology, blood transfusions, improved 1:1 care, more specialised vets that have certificated in specific areas, animal version of a consultant etc) More people get their pets this treatment because of insurance, ironically this increases insurances.

I think pet insurance is the most common insurance to claim on now.

[ehasler]

bexVN said:

Nope because if they do, they risk being struck off. It is more likely they drop costs down from standard charging for uninsured to help out or they quote an all in one price rather than charge per item etc. If insured it does give us more freedom to cover more testing that we may have to pick and choose on for an uninsured client of limited or restricted means.

Some of them do - just like with any other profession, some vets (a very small minority) are dishonest. I know someone who works for one of the major pet insurance companies, and one of their roles is to investigate claims that are flagged as being unusual. Some of these are linked to dishonest vets, although it can be difficult to prove. But this would only account for a very small percentage of the increased costs overall.

http://www.rcvs.org.uk/news-and-events/news/surrey...

[johnS2000]

bexVN said:

More people get their pets this treatment because of insurance, ironically this increases insurances.

I think pet insurance is the most common insurance to claim on now.

I think that was my point.

[bexVN]

johnS2000 said:

bexVN said:

More people get their pets this treatment because of insurance, ironically this increases insurances.

I think pet insurance is the most common insurance to claim on now.

I think that was my point.

Sorry I read your post sl differently , you said Vet costs were high because of insurance, my feeling is that the costs would still be the same; the facilities still there to be used etc but probably much less frequently if people had to find the money themselves. The insurance makes it easier for people to say yes to the treatments available.

What I can safely say is that your regular GP vet does not make a fortune, average salary for a full time vet £25-35k senior vet upto £45. Owners of practices can do well but overheads are horrendous! My boss is comfortable but they have massive loans for extending and updating equipment etc, they certainly aren't wealthy. specialist vets can do better though.