Dental treatment not covered by insurance

CarineG

I have had my 6 year old cat insured with Animal Friends since she was a kitten.
I took her to the vet today as she is suffering from an infection and found out that she has Feline Odontoclastic Resorptive Lesion also known as forl's - a lession of the tooth which is painful.

This is apparently very common with cats over 5 years old.
I have checked my policy and I'm not covered for dental treatment which is not caused by an accident or injury.
I'm disappointed as I cannot afford the £250/£300 required for the tooth extraction under general anaesthetic.
Would anyone be aware of any insurers that would cover such treatment or any other dental treatment for that matter.

I have done a search on a comparison website but the nature of treatment is not specific. Thanks!

tankgirl1

Sorry that this isn't more helpful, but even if you found an insurance company that did cover dental treatment, your kitties forl's would be excluded from the policy now that they have been diagnosed.

CarineG

tankgirl1 wrote: »

Sorry that this isn't more helpful, but even if you found an insurance company that did cover dental treatment, your kitties forl's would be excluded from the policy now that they have been diagnosed.

I think you are right, this would be the case but maybe i could find a policy that would include dental treatment which is not what my cat has already had...

viktory

I think you will find that most, if not all, will exclude dental treatment - and definitely if the cat has already been diagnosed. Plus, all exclude illness that is present at the time of the insurance policy beginning and will not cover until 14 days have passed.

How are you going to pay for the cat's treatment?

CarineG

I will have to wait a few months before having the treatment done unfortunately. She has not been showing any signs of pain or discomfort when eating and it's only accidentally that I discovered that today however the vet said this could be a painful illness so the sooner the better for her.
She will also have a clean and all plaque removed and that should keep other problems at bay according to the vet.

To be honest, I never realised dental treatments were not included in most policies. This is my first cat covered by pet insurance and the first one who has ever been to the vet (my parents cats were never seen by a vet and seemed to do ok).



The vet has also recommended I brush her teeth regularly and that is going to be a challenge in itself but I will definitely give it a go.

lowis

both my cats had lesions and both insurance companies paid out (pet plan and axa). i would ask your vet about how he words this condition on the policy claim forms and whether he has any experience of whether insurance companies pay out for lesions.

i think insurance companies don't cover dental simply because a lot of pet owners neglect their animals teeth - but lesions are not caused by neglect i don't think.

also...the cleaning part of the procedure won't be covered by the insurance - the extractions might be. so if your vet only charges £30 for the cleaning bit, then the rest of any claim should be covered. again, speak to your vet about this.

CarineG

Hi Lowis,

It looks like I have gone for an insurance company that does not cover dental treatment unfortunately.

I am waiting for a call back from Pet Plan as they may be covering her for future dental treatments she may require but add an exclusion clause to the policy for several months at the outset.

I will also make an enquiry with AXA.

All I want is for my cat to be covered for future dental illnesses.

rita-rabbit

My two senior cats are knocking a bit & two years ago the eldest showed signs of tartar & the vet recommended `Logic Oral Hygiene gel' :jyou can either
put some on the cats paw
or
put some along the gum lines (I do this with a cotton wool bud)

fingers & toes cross the current required treatment is sorted soon for your moggie

lastly dry & raw feeding minimises dental decay - had I known this when mine were kittens I would have done this!:D

paddypaws101

rita-rabbit wrote: »

lastly dry & raw feeding minimises dental decay - had I known this when mine were kittens I would have done this!:D

Feeding raw chicken wings and tough chewy meat such as chicken gizzards IS a good way to provide a natural abrasion and keep teeth clean....But dry food really does not offer those benefits, cats are not built to eat starchy carbohydrates so dry food will leave a residue on the teeth which may lead to decay.

Fire_Fox

CarineG wrote: »

Hi Lowis,

It looks like I have gone for an insurance company that does not cover dental treatment unfortunately.

I am waiting for a call back from Pet Plan as they may be covering her for future dental treatments she may require but add an exclusion clause to the policy for several months at the outset.

I will also make an enquiry with AXA.

All I want is for my cat to be covered for future dental illnesses.

I don't think many insurers cover dental as they know virtually every cat or dog will need dental work in it's lifetime. If you could find an insurer, they would expect you to take all reasonable precautions against - it e.g. brushing the teeth regularly. No insurer touches pre-existing conditions anyway. Quite a few vets now recommend raw chicken wings or necks or carcasses to help clean the teeth.

Are you on housing or council tax benefit? If so you may be able to take your cat to your nearest PDSA branch. Otherwise it could be worth ringing round a few local vets to see if any will let you pay by installments, or ringing a few rescues to see if any would be able to help you out.

bethie

We have PetPlan budget for life and I know I've claimed from them for his mouth/teeth issues.

Unfortunately I cannot find the amount claimed for, or what exactly was for because the vet claimed it direct from PetPlan, but I know it included full aesthetic, dental and teeth removal. Plus maybe some if his steroid shots and other treatments related to his unknown mouth issues.

he originally went in for a scaling and possible molar removal, and came out with just fangs!