Who insures their animals?

UKTigerlily

It's the first thread on this board I think, right at the top!

MrsE_2

Hintza wrote: »

I know we are very lucky with our vet's charges and am horrified by some of the charges I see on this forum for vets treatement and I can understand that down south especially the fees charged are very high and will reflect such things as property values but even so they seem very scary :eek:

But, i would be more horrified by the cost of insurance for two dogs and two ponies and as such we self insure. Now, I have had big bills but I find they smooth themselves out over time and I am pretty sure we are a lot better off not insuring.

Is this a country bumkin attitude or a tight Scots attitude or a naive attitude we have?

I'm sitting on the fence, I'm thinking about it.

My new vets is great:j He's lovely, I really get a great feeling about him & hes HALF THE PRICE of my old ones. Charged my £21 for a check up after the tumble dryer episode, my old vets charged £40-£50 & they used every trick in the book to bleed some more, including over charging:mad:

So do I or don't I.

IF I do it will be the basic petplan budget level (I don't want death benefits & all sorts) just basic medical cover.

So two cats about £16-£17 PM, or PAYG

Kimberley

Both my cats are insured. I have just had to pay over £80 for my cats eye problem. £75 of that was just the consulatation fees because you have to pay each time you take the animal. My access with Petplan is £80 so I couldn't claim. I'm going to cancel and set up an account for the cats and i'm putting £25 a month into it. If I never have to use it then it is still mine.

MrsE_2

Kimberley wrote: »

Both my cats are insured. I have just had to pay over £80 for my cats eye problem. £75 of that was just the consulatation fees because you have to pay each time you take the animal. My access with Petplan is £80 so I couldn't claim. I'm going to cancel and set up an account for the cats and i'm putting £25 a month into it. If I never have to use it then it is still mine.

Thats why I'm not convinced, with the big excess too.

In all his life - apart from the night he died - I only ever had one big (more than an excess would have been) bill.

Francesanne

Thankfully, I've only had to make two claims with my 10year old but my other dog (who's now dead) was diagnosed with a tumour behind her eye and the treatment she needed cost a small fortune but thankfully her insurance policy paid out. However, towards the end of her life the premium had risen to £45.00 a month plus excess but she was worth every penny. I currently pay £22.00 a month for my little dog but expect that to increase in May. Our vet suggested many years putting a regular amount into a savings account especially for vet fees but decided to opt for insurance.

oystercatcher

I don't insure my two dogs as we have savings and I found with my previous dog that so much wasn't covered as she got older and the premiums just got silly. If we have to make a hard decision re PTS then so be it. I think chance's are we won't have to. I would certainly be happy to spend a few thousand if I had to, but the majority of dogs don't need this.

However I have been concerned about public liability insurance. This month the magazine from Dogs Trust arrived and I noticed that if you join the trust £20 a year ( £15 for OAP) then they give public liability insurance for (I think) £1 million. Now I can't find the magazine so I'm quoting from memory but this seemed an excellent compromise to me and I'm more than happy to give money to Dogs Trust anyway, we already sponsor two dogs. I'm awaiting the paperwork !

Oystercatcher

Kimberley

The thing is this may sound cruel to some of you but if one of my cats were to get so ill, such as develope cancer then I wouldn't have them treated, i'd have them PTS because no way will I see or put them through any pain as they deteriorate just for my selfish needs so really maybe an account for just minor vet fees would be better for me. I doubt they will ever have broken bones because they will never go out except for the garden so they are not at risk from a RTA.

UKTigerlily

I've just had to have a tooth extracted with the Cat & the Dog need 2 Mammary Tumours out, so both will cost more than their yearly premiums. The trouble with a savings account is it takes years to build up to the level of cover Insurance gives, and there's no knowing when or even if anything will happen. My Aunt's Dog had it's eye damaged by her Cat @ a cost of £4,000, but then i've had my Cat for 9 years & she's had 2x £200+ bills but the rest haven't come to the amount of the excess (£50). I wouldn't not have it but then i'd have no other way to pay a bill & can't have savings. Good news about Dogs Trust, maybe post on the Insurance bit too cause lots have been looking for PL only & it goes to help the DT :T

MrsE_2

Kimberley wrote: »

The thing is this may sound cruel to some of you but if one of my cats were to get so ill, such as develope cancer then I wouldn't have them treated, i'd have them PTS because no way will I see or put them through any pain as they deteriorate just for my selfish needs so really maybe an account for just minor vet fees would be better for me. I doubt they will ever have broken bones because they will never go out except for the garden so they are not at risk from a RTA.

I sort of agree.

I always hoped that if Ted had no or little real quality of life, that I would have been unselfish enough to say goodbye.
I'm thankful in some ways that if he had to go, at least it was sudden with no drawn out suffering beforehand.

Animals don't really understand that serious illnesses can be monitored or the "chance" of a cure & I wonder is it wrong to try & prolong an animals life when they don't have much quality to it.

But it takes a brave person to let go, as I said, I don't know if I would have been able to.

UKTigerlily

Kimberley wrote: »

The thing is this may sound cruel to some of you but if one of my cats were to get so ill, such as develope cancer then I wouldn't have them treated, i'd have them PTS because no way will I see or put them through any pain as they deteriorate just for my selfish needs so really maybe an account for just minor vet fees would be better for me. I doubt they will ever have broken bones because they will never go out except for the garden so they are not at risk from a RTA.

The thing is, I think it was Lowis who's Cat had Cancer & really it isn't at all like treating a human, they don't get ill from the Chemo & live a normal life while being treated. Also, what if they get something like Arthritis (Mine has that in her spine) which will last for life? While on daily medication my Cat is perfectly normal & suffers no effects of it at all, living a full & normal life. Also they can break bones through falls too though as you say not as likely.

I sort've see it like this: My Cat's Brother got Feline Infectious Peritonitis which there's no vaccine for (Or not routine or in this country afaik), if however there HAD been a vaccine & i'd chosen to not have it, i'd never have forgiven myself. I see Insurance like that, if they get some illness or injury I could've had treated if only they'd been Insured, i'd never forgive myself. Animals deserve medical care too, many treatments don't cause them great suffering anymore than they do us humans, but they do cost more!

It's up to the individuals but if you can't get an emergency loan or CC or overdraft, or borrow it (Not MSE I know!) then really I think Insurance at least x amount per condition is vital. Maybe not for life, but say £5,000 per condition?