Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

MrsTinks

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

if its literally acouple of quid more, then thats great, but when I was looking around I couldnt find much for less about £15??

Check Directline and also check which have decent cashback on quidco... Kira was a rescue through RSPCA so got a discount there as well as cashback... Some cashback can be over £40 a year and so long as you remember to change every year it works out very cheap And you can "change" to the same insurance company to lol

MrsTinks

I'm sure there are pets who don't need treatment Suki - but pretty much all the ones I have come across have needed treatment of one sort or another.
Yes postcodes can come into it - but so far no major issues as far as I have noticed and my cats have lived at no less than 7 different addresses in their 8/9 years
Granted mine are moggies and my dog is a mongrel but I think everyone buying a pedigree is aware that they cost more to insure... they are higher risk for theft and congenital diseases after all
The animals I have lived with/owned/known have all at some point needed treatment - be it only at the end of their lives or through out (or in my cats case because he's stupid and clumsy...).
Mums dog - had cancer, friends dog - acute pancreatities, my horse many years ago - broke her leg in the field, my vet friends dog - undiagnosed leg problem, still undergoing invetigations to find out what it is at vet college bill so far? well over £6k... and he's only a young dog from a VERY good line of cruft winners with no history of problems...
'm sure there are pets who don't need treatment, but sadly the costs IF they need it to me make it far too risky to not have insurance And as for the claim culture... I can only agree - I think everything is now about claiming - you fall over a shadow? CLAIM! I loathe it - honest I do! But it's here and therefor I don't want to risk a claim against my dog SHOULD she one day get loose and cause an accident/bite someone because she's scared or hurt?something else

I guess I like havign insurance because I can't predict the future... so I am insuring against what MIGHT happen

lowis

the insurance 'industry' is exactly that

also, we must remember that the treatments and technologies available for sick pets has come on leaps and bounds over the years - a cat with cancer would have probably been put to sleep 10-15 years ago, even now, when i say my cat had chemo some people sound incredulous.

of course, all this advancement comes at a cost and the insurance industry has been quick to recognise this and make good business from it...and of course, once the vets know you are insured, they will do everything they can to help your pet if they know they will get reimbursed by the insurance companies. the more advanced and expensive the treatment becomes, then the more chance the insurance companies are going to increase their premiums.

HelzBelz

lowis wrote: »

i also recently adopted an old cat, got him insured, and about 2 months in have had to claim for a tooth extraction (£450) and a heart scan (£310). these two claims far exceed my annual premiums!

purchasing insurance is a personal choice and i respect the choice not to purchase insurance, but for me i prefer to play it safe and know that i can get the best treatment available for my pet.

:eek:OMG your vet's expensive, our cat had 2 teeth out last year with x-rays and blood tests and it was less than £200

suki1964

HelzBelz wrote: »

:eek:OMG your vet's expensive, our cat had 2 teeth out last year with x-rays and blood tests and it was less than £200

Something else that needs to be taken into consideration when taking out insurance. Cheaper vet practices and a hefty insurance excess premium can make it cheaper all round just to pay the bill

lowis

i live in central london so costs are high and yes, my vet is expensive too

i did ring around all my local vets and i was quoted between £300 and £550 for ONE tooth to be extracted...because of the age of my cat all wanted to do a blood profile (£50) too and ensure that he had enough fluids (£90) to see him through, those aren't cheap either then there was the general aneasthetic, the extraction, the anti-biotics...

still - my annual premium is £336 - so I am already quids in - so to speak.

orlao

I can see both points of view......I haven't insured my "indoor" animals for years as until last year I had 3 cats and 3 dogs so when their combined premium came to £55 a month and whacking excesses as the first of them turned 8 years old I cancelled the insurance and put £50 a month aside. That was 10 years ago and I have admit that the vet savings got spent on living at a very skint time:o . However when I add up the bills for the moggies and terriers there have been very few occasions that my bill was much more than the excess would have been. The rott, on the other hand cost me £4k for cruciate ops last year so is the exception:eek: and it would have been sensible to have insured him.....but when I got quotes for him as a pup decent insurance would have cost about £35 a month so I took the chance but like OP have said I'm lucky enough to be able to cover a bill like if I need to.

My horses were always insured...Suki when I insured a pony 15 years ago, people looked at me like I was mad:D as at that time it was usually only valuable breeding stock or competition horses that were insured not hairy native ponies.....insurance for all pets is much more usual now and as lowis said there is so much more then vets can do now but at a very high price.
Last year I cancelled the horses's insurance for a couple of reasons....I got a pony that the insurance companies won't cover for vet bills due to his age (late teens) and I also made the decision that my Welsh Cob will not be having any big ops or any treatment that is long term due to his temprament....he is a big lump who freaks out if he is stressed (and is dangerous to handle in that state) so is liable to severely damage both himself and other people if he has to kept on box rest or restricted in any way.I am a member of the BHS so have public liability cover as IMHO that is essential...I hadn't thought about that for the dogs....does anyone have any idea where you could get that as a standalone policy for dogs?

Bromley86

LittleTinker wrote: »

I put a small amount in a savings account for pet emergencies and have never had to use it in all the years Ive had animals.

In our case we'd have saved £62.50 when we found out our lab had hip dysplasia. To date it has cost ~£7,000, mainly for a hip replacement, although we could have trimmed that by £1,000 if we'd had to. Next year we may well have to get the other hip done at ~£5,000.

If we weren't insured and couldn't afford the ops, we'd still have been looking at arthritis meds from an early age.

She's our first pet and her parents had excellent hip scores. Of course we could have further minimised our risk by not getting a lab, but the point is that eventually you'll get caught out. You might be lucky and it might take 100 years or you might be as unlucky as we've been.

Kimberley

robster1964 wrote: »

Are you Kidding? Have you ever seen one of your babies having a fit, losing their bowels, sweating, and then some how coming round and being normal........

Have you gone through this so many times, taken them to the vets, looked for solutions, done everything you possibly can, taken them to the vets again, and still, watch them die in your arms.........

I work in this industry, & believe me babe £4000 is nothing, if your pet has a long lasting condition....

Your a minority though, 1 in 3 pets need veterinary treatment during their lifetime. My mum has always had pets and not once has she needed a trip to the vets for her pets and all have lived past 16 years of age.

You may be the unlucky one to have a pet who is always needing a visit to the vets.

I have insured my cat, but he's a pedigree Bengal and pedigrees are more prone to illnesses then moggies and mongrel dogs.

I agree that putting money aside into a savings account is a better deal if you don't have a pedigree.

hethmar

There is another thread running on pet insurance.

Im afraid that the posters who have got More Than and Direct Line will find that those are not genuine for life policies. Once your pot of money is used up on one condition, that will be that and you are on your own. You need a policy that tops up the pot of money every year again.

Ive just been to the vet this morning to pick up some eye drops for my dog. I paid £25 last week to see the vet and then another £12 for the drops - its a lot of money as this is the third lot in as many weeks now. My policy with M and S which I would no longer recommend as they have changed so much but Im stuck with them for this dog, now has a £70 excess - my vet now charges £15 to complete the claim form! So I need to spend about £100 on one condition before I actually get anything back.