Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

mizmir

There are no guarantees on anything (temperament, health etc.) where living creatures are concerned as there can always be an exception to the "family" type but you can improve your chances considerably by buying either from a responsible breeder (where you can see at the least the mother - NEVER buy a puppy without meeting its mother - ideally other family members, get recommendations from previous puppy owners etc) or from a responsible rescue where a dog/puppy has been assessed by experienced people, often fostered in a home for some time. My personal choice would be the rescue - you actually know far more what you are getting especially if it is a dog that has been fostered in a similar situation to your own because you will have information on what that particular dog is like. With an 8 week old puppy an awful lot is down to rearing and early training and socialisation both of which need a lot of care to get right.

Go to one of the smaller rescues (the web sites pboae mentioned have lists of these) where they will take a lot of care to match you with the right dog for you - and where they often know how their dogs behave in homes. Larger rescue centres (e.g. Dogs Trust, RSPCA) with the best will in the world have dogs all in kennels and so many coming through that they may not have such information. In your situation as a first time dog owner with a young child I think you would be wise to look for a dog who has been fostered in a home.

Re. insurance - M&S are good and reasonably priced. You can reduce the excess from £50 to 0 - on mine it increased the premium by about £6 so is worth it! No policy will cover vaccinations, checkups, worming etc. but as pboae says make sure that the policy covers the condition up to a certain level and not just one year's cover. One year is nothing - some conditions can take as long as that to diagnose!

Good luck!

JoeyDoll

Just wanted to say a big thanks for all your comments and help.

I know getting a dog/puppy is a huge decision and not one to be taken lightly as they are with you for at least 10 - 15 years. That's why i'm looking into it very very carefully to select the right breed of dog from the best place. Also looking at the financial aspects of having a dog too.

From you comments I think I'll be getting Pet Insurance from M&S or Petplan (per illness, for life cover). Sleeping crate -ebay, thanks Tiff!! Dog from a small rescue centre that matches the correct dog to your family (or a dog that's been fostered), or a puppy from a reputable breeder.

Still more research to do and more reading up!! I'll let you know how it goes many many thanks .

lynzpower

hiya all

Im having nothing but grief trying to sort out insurance for our 10 yo hack russell Jazmine.

Shes only just come to live with us, as she was with OHs parents & they didnt insure her. Healthwise shes fit as a butchers dog but the cheapest I can find anywhere is
18 with A&L who are thought to be pants? i must admit i had contents with A&L years ago & wasnt impressed when I got robbed?
and 20.40 with M&S

is there anyone better does anyone know?

smreynard

It will be her age that is pushing up the premiums, I've a 3 yr old Jack Russell and was able to get the cheapest premium from Sainsbury's Pet Cover, I got £3 off because I pointed out that JRs aren't pedigree dogs and they charge less for mongrels for some reason!

fififofum

normally JR's a very robust dogs so maybe if they wont insure you could put the money in an isa for her? not in her name lol but money aside just in case it was needed.

marcellep

smreynard wrote:

It will be her age that is pushing up the premiums, I've a 3 yr old Jack Russell and was able to get the cheapest premium from Sainsbury's Pet Cover, I got £3 off because I pointed out that JRs aren't pedigree dogs and they charge less for mongrels for some reason!

Just so you know this is not the case with all Jack Russell Dogs.

http://www.terrier.com/advice/puppy.php3

My wife is a Vet nurse and she says that you will struggle to get insurance at a decent price, have you spoken with your Vet. If they suggest Petplan they will not cover as dog is over 8.

charchar_3

E & L insurance through insurancesupermarket.com start prices for dogs over 8 from £9.90, very simple form to fill in and a variety of covers available! Hope this helps!

Or try here and cleck on older pets http://www.eandl.co.uk/insurance/pet

Bossyboots

There have been threads on here in the past stating that E&L are a nightmare if you h ave to claim. The simplicity of getting the policy is not matched on their claims records apparently.

anneANNE_3

Firstly, thanks to Martin for the pet insurance tread.

After searching around for insurance for my 4 yo xbreed I found a variety of options and was attracted to the per condition, but after reading your article it made sense for it to be yearly i.e M & S cover your pet for the full duration of the treatment up to £7,000 per year as long as you keep your policy renewed.


However, the excess bothers me so i have tried to find a policy with 0 excess. So far the only company which offers this is Marks and Spencer ( except public liabilty which is £250 excess) . The premium works out at an extra £50 per year at £187 but I figure that is merely equal to one visit to the vet for one condition, so I wonder what anyone else thinks. Most companies wanted £138+ and at least £50 - £75 excess on each new condition for vet fees.

I wonder if those who have to pay £50 -£75 excess actually bother claiming? If it will affect next years premium.

I really just want to know that when my dog is ill i can take him to the vet without worrying how i will pay.

Hope this helps anyone searching for o excess:A

relay

I honestly don't understand what all the fuss is about paying an excess, why does it bother people so much? Surely people must be prepared to at least pay something towards the wellbeing of their pets?

I pay an excess of £40 and couldn't be happier - it saves me a fortune!


Maybe i am just missing the point but if people want the very best in health care & cover for their 'beloved' pets then why gripe about having to pay a pokey little sum towards it? I just don't get it, why are people not prepared to even pay a single penny towards vet fees?


I think you will find you will still have to worry about how you are going to pay the bills in the near future anyway because increasingly more & more vets are now refusing to deal directly with the insurance company unless the bill is over £1000 & expect you to pay the full amount yourself & then claim your money back, with this in mind paying an excess is the least of your worries! LOL

You should be more concerned that it is not a lifetime policy as well because if something serious happens your cover will be zapped in next to no time. That's why although it may be an idea to shop around, if all you want is 'cheap' then you get what you pay for.

What happens if your dog has been treated for epilepsy for 12 months then your cover runs out? It will still need treating for a lifetime unless they discover a cure. Have you any idea how much it costs to treat epilepsy in dogs?

Then of course if you had to go elsewhere once the year was up, they would not cover the conditions you just had treated for the last 12 months as they would be pre existing, that's ok if you can guarantee the conditions will suddenly vanish after a year, otherwise you would have to pay the full amount to continue treatment for life.

12 Month Policies are not for the faint hearted & leave you stranded far too easily.

Give me a lifetime policy with an excess anyday!





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