Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

Fire_Fox

cathodetube wrote: »

Owning animals has become expensive, and it is to do with insurance charges and vet fees. I have owned dogs and cats before and my current dog and cat are the only ones I have insured. It has not been worth it. In retrospect, if your animal had a very expensive condition, like cancer, then you could look back and say whew I am so glad I had insurance. But some policies only pay out so much per condition. They are in it to make money. I believe one major reason vet's fees have gone up so much is to do with the advent of insurance. Pet insurance has only seriously been around for about 12 years. But it was limited to a few companies.

All insurers are in it to make money, it's a business like any other! Of course you are only glad you paid out for insurance once you make an expensive claim, nobody wants to give money away and get nothing in return. Human and veterinary medicine has made huge strides in the last twenty years, it costs drug companies billions to develop new medications and they aim to get their money back while their exclusive still holds. If you are going to throw wild accusations at an entire industry then back it up with some statistics.

ashbart

Still slightly confused by the 'life' covers, etc, etc however - we have decided to go for the petplan cover as our vets use them and they will claim direct, if they ever need to (and there have been good reviews from MSers!)

We are in our 4 free weeks at the moment with petplan and they've sent a letter with different types of cover. All are 'Covered for life' plans but they have a Budget, Standard, and Supreme Plan.

The main elements between the three are as follows:
The budget plan is vet fees up to £4k per year, Standard £6k, Supreme £12k.
Third party liability: Budget £1million, Standard £2million, Supreme £3million.
Budget does not cover death from illness, death from injury, theft or straying, or holiday cancellation.

WHICH ONE?!? Will the budget plan be enough? I am so confused.....! We have a rhodesian ridgeback puppy who is now 13 weeks, no pre-existing, if that helps at all......

Thanks!

cathodetube

Fire Fox, I don't believe I am throwing wild accusations at anyone. I stated that in my case it wasn't 'worth' having insurance. The excesses and premiums have gone up so much that I am advocating that it might be worth taking a risk in not insuring. Just because you have insurance doesn't mean that your every visit to a vet will be covered. I think it is important for people to know that. Many people who visit this link are doing so because it is the first time they have taken out pet insurance. For the record, I do believe that a lot of vets are in it to make money. I have a relative who is a vet. A lot of vets still advocate boostering dogs and and cats annually, even though it has been proved that it is not necessary. If they are not in it to make money that why would they do that? Thankfully, some insurance companies have even started to recognise that it is not necessary. Every single vet nurse I have talked to has told me that they do not vaccinate their cats after their early years. I lost a cat after letting a vet vaccinate her one year. She went blind and started fitting the next day. I was later told that side effects were possible however I did not know that as no one had told me.

cathodetube

missyjules wrote: »

I had a renewal through from M&S for my year-old lurcher for £10.99 per month (£131.88 Annual Premium- unlike many insurers they don't charge extra for monthly Direct Debit). Their cover is as good as anyone's so I checked on their website how much a new quote was going to be - £68.04!! A difference of £63.84!! Then through Topcashback another £30.00 back.Of course I didn't renew and the new insurance is costing just £38.04.:money:

How did you manage to get such a cheap renewal considering you were already an M&S customer and they only give discounts to new ones?

prudryden

You may be able to self-insure for vets fees and, possibly, a short stay in a pet hospital, if necessary. But self- insuring for liability might be more difficult especially if the pet causes a death or serious road accident.

cathodetube

Prudryden, Cats can't be held accountable for road accidents or any accident as far as I am aware. If one runs over a cat you don't even have to report it, unlike a dog. If you have a vicious dog, then in theory it could kill someone. But it's highly unlikely. I would have thought a horse or similar large animal would be more likely to cause a road accident. If you thought like that then you would never get to sleep would you.? If you keep your dog on a lead except when in a car free fenced area then it unlikely your dog will cause an accident.

larmy16

Cathodetube can you remind me how old your kitty was that they wanted £50 per month for? Also had you made some claims on her or does she have an ongoing illness.

I am currently paying M&S £18.99 for my 8 year old male. He managed to tear a big hole in his side out in our garden (he does not stray) or it could have been a bite? but it needed an operation getting on for £400. I must say M&S paid out very quickly but what I want to know is, do you change insurance when the renewal comes up or can you change at any time?

I will probably stick with M&S as I am generally jinxed when changing things for some reason! However £50 sounds like a terrifying amount!!!!!:eek:

cathodetube

Larmy, my cat turned 18 last year. I had had no claims on him at the time of transferring to M&S 4 years ago. With M&S I had two claims for 2 separate wounds about a year apart. The vet was in an expensive area and charged between £120 and £150. That included antiobiotics, but no stitches were required. Just cleaning the wounds which I believe were bites caused by other cats. No ongoing illnesses. I don't have insurance on him at the moment. I cancelled M&S last year. It was about £48 a month they wanted. They raised it to that amount when he was 16.

BTW I just got a very good quote through AXA for my 6 year old dog which is £26.00 a month versus almost £42 through M&S. My dog has no ongoing conditions but she has had a few stitches needed on her legs in the past due to cutting herself on broken glass. However only one visit cost more than the £75 excess charged by M&S and that was because she needed to be sedated. It was still only about £100. 00. I am in a different area with a vet with more reasonable charges, but still in London. On the website it asks you if your animal has ever been treated at the vet for anything other than innoculations etc. I answered yes. It also states that the animals won't be treated for either previous illnesses or problems. I don't know if a cut foot or such-like would count as it is not a condition. I will call them and ask them. As far as I am aware you can change insurers at any time. I called M&S and they told me the premiums are paid in arrears. Mine is due on the 9th of the month and so if I cancel now and change to AXA then I am not covered on M&S from the 9th of this month.

I also advocate everyone keeping their cats in at night as that is the time cats are more likely to get into trouble. They want to hunt then and cross many more roads than they would in the daytime.

prudryden

Cats may not be held responsible, but you can. If someone trips over your cat in your home or on your property and seriously injures themselves e.g. paralysis, the resulting law suit could be extremely damaging to your economic well being.
Being naive won't count as a defense. I don't think that your comments on dogs having to be vicious or not on a leash to cause damage deserves much comment. Dogs are first animals, dogs second and Charlie third.

cathodetube

prudryden wrote: »

Cats may not be held responsible, but you can. If someone trips over your cat in your home or on your property and seriously injures themselves e.g. paralysis, the resulting law suit could be extremely damaging to your economic well being.
Being naive won't count as a defense.

Eh? I am sure judges need a laugh now and again. I am not sure how you see tripping over a cat is grounds for a lawsuit. Wonder what the chances are of that happening?