Pet Insurance Cost Cutting System/MoneySavingExpert.com Discussion

little_bear_3

Multiple pet discount for our cats with M&S

Lifelong policy too and we had to claim last year for Jefferson and they were so good and sorted things out brilliantly and that is good to know when you are worried about your pet. my friend is a veterinary nurse and can't speak enough about M&S and Pet Plan both brilliant, we chose M&S over pet plan as we needed to insure an older cat. But from our experience superb but as always shop around for best price but do make sure you get a life long policy just in case you need it

sappersmum

I have 3 dogs and am with direct line but am looking for other ins because i pay a lot as they dont give discount for multiple pets....

i will try m and s thanks for that:j

sappers mum

DramaQueen29

yep direct line and if your cars with them etc you get extra discount, i have 5 cats and 2 dogs on for about £189 a yr

shoppaholic_returns

I insure 2 cats and a dog with pet plan and get a discount also for multiple pets.

Penny_Watcher

I get a whole pound discount in the monthly premium from PetPlan (faints at their generosity ) for insuring 3 dogs.

*I promise not to spend the money saved on drink, drugs and loose men :rolleyes: *

eira

Now I am not happy with Pet Plan but am stuck with them but I would never not have insurance. We rescued a Ridgeback/GSD cross from the streets of Portugal whilst on holiday. He was emaciated and riddled with parasites. A wonderful local kennel took him in whilst we got the paperwork ready and he then went to a superb quarantine kennel. He did have health problems-obviously -but the vet confirmed that those problems were due to starvation and parasites and that he was essentially healthy-so we got insurance for him.

We had him for two years - a truly fabulous dog. He went from a skinny 28kg to his full weight of 48kg. On a Sunday he suddenly became ill and spent two days in intensive care at the vet. We drove him to a specialist unit in Solihull for an MRI scan. He had developed a very rare and aggressive cancer for which there was no cure and no warning. The total vet bills were in excess of £2000. I couldn't save him and to this day it grieves me that after years of abuse he only got two years of a reasonable life. If it hadn't been for the insurance I couldn't have done as much as I did- the only consolation is that everything that could be done for him was done. Writing this now grieves me as I still miss him six years later- but the insurance -although it does cost money- has given a margin of comfort in that you can do evrything possible financially.

little_bear_3

Years ago pet insurance wasn't really as vital but as with human medicine more advances and research is made with animal medicine too. Our cats are indoor cats and we didn't have pet insurance until 2 years ago after a very expensive bill for Jasper when he took ill. He was diagnosed with pancreatitis. and went downhill very quickly but he had to have tests and scans. luckily we had savings but had to use them and we decided we never wanted to be in that situation again. M&S have given us great cover now and peace of mind. Sadly we lost Jasper but we did all we could for him which as a pet owner is all you ever want to be able to do for your pets

ahll

I am just about to get my cat insured he is nearly 8 now. I was thinking of going with Marks & Spencers insurance...can anyone give me good reason not to use them ?

I beleive that since insurance has become more popular Vets have put up prices etc because they know the insurance will pay. However the result of that is that it costs alot more now if you dont have insurance and I think things will only get worse in the future sadly !

Eels100

ahll wrote: »

I beleive that since insurance has become more popular Vets have put up prices etc because they know the insurance will pay. However the result of that is that it costs alot more now if you dont have insurance and I think things will only get worse in the future sadly !

For a vet to charge extra because an animal is insured is fraudulent - in fact, most claim forms are worded such that the vet must sign to confirm that any charges are typical and not any greater than standard charges. Some vets undoubtedly misused insurance in its early days but it is a matter of great concern to the profession that the pet insurance industry is sustainable and that its benefits are not abused. There has been much recent discussion in veterinary publications about this very subject. Without the insurance industry vets would face serious limitations in the treatments they could offer patients much more frequently - as a vet it's rarely satisfactory to have to resort to less effective but cheap treatments because the animal's owner can't afford to pay for the gold standard option.

Don't forget that vets fees will be greater these days than in the past because medical advances mean more facilities and treatments are open to our pets. Twenty years ago it would be unheard of for general practices to use ultrasound or digital xray equipment, and many of the diseases faced by animals were untreatable. Nowadays lots more options are open to us but this greater spectrum of opportunities obviously leads to greater costs. It's just that in this country we are fortunate not to have to pay for our own healthcare services, and so are completely oblivious to the real costs of medical facilities and treatment.

All the more reason to get pet insurance!

LittleVoice

Eels100 wrote: »

For a vet to charge extra because an animal is insured is fraudulent -

I understand what you went on to say about charges increasing because of the increase in available procedures but I think ahll was suggesting that it is because of the assumed widespread insurance of animals that vets are able to put up their prices - with the implication that this is beyond what would be charged if insurance were not commonplace.