pet insurance

ben501

Hi

I've been reading around the forum on insurance for pets as it's the only way i'd be able to afford big vets bills but came across some posts where people said they had to pay the bill first then cliam back on the insuranse.

Is this how pet insurance works? If so how do you manage? I'd love to have a cat but can't risk having a big bill to pay.
I've been asking round but i don't know anyone who has pet insurance except my sister and shes never used it.

Also wondered how people manage without insurance. My parents have had pets since before i was born including retrievers & labradors which suffered from arthritis but until recently hadn't even heard of it.
And how did people manage 10-15 years ago before pet insuance became well known?

sorry for questions that have probably been asked before but its better than making a mistake later

UKTigerlily

Most Vet's want you to claim direct from the Insurance company, but if you're with a good, reliable company like Petplan & the bill is pretty big, they may allow you to claim direct. My Vet's generally will only claim direct if the bill is over about £400-£500, but they've done claims for me as they've got to know me now.

I'd never risk not having Insurance but I dunno how people coped years ago, but bills would've been cheaper then, not just because it was ages back but because as time goes on there's more that can be done & better facilities & equiptment for the Pets

lowis

Most reputable insurance companies deal directly with your vet...and if your vet knows you and trusts you then for larger amounts he or she will usually claim directly with the insurance companies. Speak to your local vet and ask what their policy is.

Technology and knowledge has moved on greatly in the past 20 years or so hence vets can now do a whole lot more for our pets than they could a couple of decades ago - but it comes as a price, hence why insurance is pretty much a 'must' these days if you are unable to lay your hands on significant amounts of money at short notice.

I would not manage without insurance, hence my two old cats are insured. I never want to be in a position whereby I have to put my cat to sleep for something that is treatable just because i didn't have the money to pay for it.

elsien

Credit card!
I had a bill for £1000 due to a referral to a specialist - I knew I was insured and would get it back, just wasn't expecting such a big bill in one day so the card was the only option. I do find though that petplan pay up really quickly so I haven't been landed with lots of interest charges.
It also depends what you mean by a big vet's bill. I'm used to bills of £100 or so due to mutt's ongoing issues, but I know for some people that would be really hard to find. You might find that if you build up a good relationship with the vet they'll let you pay in installments while you're waiting for the insurance to pay up.
Pet insurance is like any other insurance - you're paying for the unexpected. I've claimed well over what I've paid in over the years, but I have friends who've never had to claim. Luck of the draw really. Some people prefer to put a monthly amount aside in a separate bank account rather than pay insurance, but then you're a bit stuffed if you get a big bill you can't afford. It really does depend on your individual circumstances.

UKTigerlily

Stepdad's Sis got a new Puppy, before she sorted Insurance it broke it's leg in 2 places, bill so far = £3,000!

zaksmum

Marks and Spencer insurance is one I can recommend...they will deal directly with the vet if you request this and pay out very quickly too - usually within about 3 days of getting the vet bill.

Conversely my experience with Direct Line was less than satisfactory. A straightforward claim - the first I had made for my dog in 7 years of his being insured with Direct Line - tokk 5 months to be paid!

I usually just either put the vet bill on my credit card, knowing it will be settled before the credit card bill comes in. Or if it's a big bill, just get the insurance company to pay the vet direct. You will, of course, then be billed separately for the excess on the insurance.

MadDogWoman_2

Hi,

My vet you pay up front and get the money back - but at the moment as my dog is on meds for seperation anxiety (with requisite retraining) they send a claim in every 2 weeks as it £90 a week at the moment. 6 months of DAP diffusers are also covered.

The behaviourist is claiming direct from Petplan

I also had a cat that was referred to a specialist earlier this year for a tail amputation again they claimed direct - thank heavens as the bill was over £2000 - cat part Manx so very little tail to start with.

MDW

wannabepennypincher

I would speak to your vet as well, I called them as I heard that some vets don't take payments directly and was told that they took payments directly from petplan but no-one else. So it's worth a quick call if you have a vet you prefer using to find out, although some policies say they deal directly with the vet its totally at the vets disrection.

elmccw

My puppy has recently had a vet bill of over £500. You need to check out both the vet and insurance provider. We had to pay this upfront and then get a claim form(took 6 days to send). The vets then took 2 weeks to send it to the insurer!! Date of operation 03/07/09- haven't been paid back yet!

Future notes to myself- Get an insurance company who will deal directly with the vet and get a vet who will deal directly with the insurance company.

devotee

MadDogWoman wrote: »

Hi,

My vet you pay up front and get the money back - but at the moment as my dog is on meds for seperation anxiety (with requisite retraining) they send a claim in every 2 weeks as it £90 a week at the moment. 6 months of DAP diffusers are also covered.

The behaviourist is claiming direct from Petplan

I also had a cat that was referred to a specialist earlier this year for a tail amputation again they claimed direct - thank heavens as the bill was over £2000 - cat part Manx so very little tail to start with.

MDW

Do you find DAP helps? My dog has also issues with separation anxiety, he gets into a right state if he sees me leaving - so far nothing has worked! The trouble is that I spend a lot of time with him and not sure what to do when I have to leave him. He's only 8 months old but he's been like that since I got him, follows me everywhere, not letting me out of his sight.
And what training are you getting? Thanks!

beachbeth

I have a Pug who has had everything wrong with her. First we found that she was nearly completely deaf (no treatment needed) and then that she had luxating patellas in both back legs (kneecaps popping out). These cost hundreds to put right and one knee was floating freely about and wasn't even held in place by anything!:eek:

She then had a condition whereby her eyelashes were growing so that they poked into her eye. They caused a lot of damage to one eye which needed an operation and then more operations to remove the eyelashes. As this was done by a specialist this bill came to thousands.

Luckily she was insured and the insurance covered the lot with no excess (it was when M&S did no excess policies). However, we had to withdraw money from our savings to pay for these bills until the insurance refunded us. My daughter, who is a student at uni, also used her free overdraft for one of the bills.

If we hadn't had the cash though we would have used our credit card as there is no other way really.