Dog insurence advice please.

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Discussion

rumple

Original Poster:

11,671 posts

152 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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I currently have a free months insurence with my Puppie, this is with Petplan, today we got a quote off them, 70 pounds per month, now whilst we are all PH Redbull throwing Company directors that is feekin steep.
I've had Tesco recommended that's about 35 a month, I find it amazing that my Dog is going to cost more that my house and contents to insure.
Is it worth insuring my Dog?, he is a Bullmastiff, I am aware of health problems, his mother was a bullmastiff his farther an English mastiff, so can I say he is a crossbreed? Any advice around this minefield is welcome. ..

DocArbathnot

27,043 posts

184 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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I decided to self insure.

SV8Predator

2,102 posts

166 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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The only problem with saying that he is a "crossbreed" is that if/when you claim, the paperwork is done by and through the vets' practise. They are effectively your assessor. Their records and paperwork will show what breed of dog it is.

Should you insure or not? Depends how well off you are I suppose, and can handle a massive vet bill if it happens.

Our foxhound cross started off at £7 per month. Now eleven years later £45 per month, more than my car and house and contents insurance combined. But I'll still be paying it.


russ_a

4,584 posts

212 months

Monday 1st July 2013
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Just to give you another point of view, we insured our dog (Boxer) and claimed about £7k over 10 years. This would have been more if we hadn't taken the wrong policy that had a 4k limit per illness.

If you don't insure, I would really recommend you place the money into a savings account.

The big issue I had with self insuring was the possibility of having to make a painful decision every time you go to the vets and face a big bill.

The last year was £80 a month - so we cancelled and brought the medication ourselves as we hit the 12 month / 4k limit. The medication started at £130 a month.

It's a tough choice - but if I had to do it again I would take the insurance and have peace of mind.




rumple

Original Poster:

11,671 posts

152 months

Monday 1st July 2013
quotequote all
Sv8 I told the vet he is half and half although he seemed to think he was all Bullmastiff, so I don't really know what he is down as.

TwigtheWonderkid

43,402 posts

151 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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DocArbathnot said:
I decided to self insure.
That's a posh way of saying you decided not to bother and hope for the best.

chadders74

104 posts

156 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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Try Animal Friends Insurance.

Autopilot

1,298 posts

185 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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My 11 month old Dobermann had an X-Ray under sedation yesterday and that cost £350. I have no idea how he hurt his leg, he just started limping a little bit. He 'may' need to have an op which will cost thousands. Luckily he is insured and it's all paid for. Can't remember which insurer we use, but it costs £60 a month. In this case, money well spent!

I was a little dubious about insurance at first, but having made a significant claim, it's a no-brainer in my book!

Rotaree

1,148 posts

262 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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Vets Medicover - £28/month for £10,000 of cover and it's a lifetime policy which means that if the dog suffers an illness or injury they will continue to cover the cost of that injury for life; some policies will only cover the 'one-off' cost of an illness or injury and not cover any ongoing costs. I have had to claim as well so I can confirm that they paid without any problems - even though the claim could have been considered to be uninsured (my dog was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat but after £500 of tests it proved not to be the case, just a minor heart murmur that shouldn't cause any problems).

DocArbathnot

27,043 posts

184 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
quotequote all
TwigtheWonderkid said:
DocArbathnot said:
I decided to self insure.
That's a posh way of saying you decided not to bother and hope for the best.
Or it could mean I put £50 pcm in a separate "dog" account. (I don't btw. Hoping for the best with the knowledge that I can and will cover any expenses)

TwigtheWonderkid

43,402 posts

151 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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DocArbathnot said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
DocArbathnot said:
I decided to self insure.
That's a posh way of saying you decided not to bother and hope for the best.
Or it could mean I put £50 pcm in a separate "dog" account. (I don't btw. Hoping for the best with the knowledge that I can and will cover any expenses)
Putting £50 a month into a separate account won't help if your dog needs thousands of pounds of treatment in the 1st month.

But as you have thousands of pounds spare, you decided not to bother with insurance, and put the money you would have spent on premiums away to cover bills in the distant future, which is an entirely sensible option.

rumple

Original Poster:

11,671 posts

152 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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The Wife has sorted it, went with Morethan, time will tell if they are any good.

New POD

3,851 posts

151 months

Tuesday 2nd July 2013
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DocArbathnot said:
I decided to self insure.
I apparently have no soul, but I figure that 10 months of not paying for insurance would pay for a new dog. I've come to this exceptionally horrid view, based on a rabbit, 2 guinea pigs and 4 cats, where I basically came to the conclusion after weeks of treatment, that it would have been best to put it down at the first sign of trouble.

Now the Cavalier we have is 5 or 6 (not sure) so he's probably about half way through his life. I'm not sure I can apply my logic with this pet though. time will tell.

condor

8,837 posts

249 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
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An interesting article in todays money section of the Daily Mail on pet insurance.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/news/article-2353...

TwistingMyMelon

6,385 posts

206 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
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Interesting points, I need to sort cover for my Jack rus/Border Collie cross, hes a tough bugger and never been to the vets. Who is best to get quotes from? Thanks.

rumple

Original Poster:

11,671 posts

152 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
quotequote all
My vet recommended Petplan, Tesco and Sainsburys, the cost is breed dependent, mine was so dear because its a Bullmastiff, other types of Dogs that have less problems are less.

PaulG40

2,381 posts

226 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
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Crikey! I'm with Tesco Insurance and pay £14.50 a month for my Husky and Cat together!

bexVN

14,682 posts

212 months

Wednesday 3rd July 2013
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PaulG40 said:
Crikey! I'm with Tesco Insurance and pay £14.50 a month for my Husky and Cat together!
How long do they cover one condition for and how much will they pay up to for a condition?

Bonefish Blues

26,802 posts

224 months

Saturday 6th July 2013
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Apropos of nothing think twice if Protect Your Bubble comes up in your search for dog insurance.

It's cheap for a reason and we've had real issues with claims. Might be worth asking your Vet who the better companies are to deal with - we should have...

randlemarcus

13,526 posts

232 months

Saturday 6th July 2013
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Just moved vets, and they have a Hartech type lifetime maintenance plan biggrin

Reading through the T&Cs, it looks like reasonable value, compared to other options, having been left in the lurch with a previous insurer leaving the market.