Pet Insurance guide discussion area

sheramber

The insurance company are covering themselves by excluding the symptoms - inflammation- as they do not have an exact diagnosis.

So rather than excluding a specific condition applicable to the ears they are excluding anything that results in inflammation anywhere in the body.

Exclusions for pre existing conditions are very widespreading. That is why it is prudent to arrange insurance immediately you get an animal, before anything arises.

MABLE

sheramber wrote: »

The insurance company are covering themselves by excluding the symptoms - inflammation- as they do not have an exact diagnosis.

So rather than excluding a specific condition applicable to the ears they are excluding anything that results in inflammation anywhere in the body.

Exclusions for pre existing conditions are very widespreading. That is why it is prudent to arrange insurance immediately you get an animal, before anything arises.

The vet has now diagnosed the issue as a sting or allergy. Pet Plan have noted this on the kittens insurance and will stand for 24 months as a pre condition. If there is no re occurrence during that time then will it no longer stand. Fingers crossed.

Hinkypunk

i have one with vets for pets but i have got feeling that they are ripping me off... might be also that because my cat is older, not sure, have to do more research later

Danny&Chucky

Hi there guys!

My 11 year old Staffy recently had to have a Mast cell tumour removed from his scrotum, they took the whole region away and the operation was successful. Unfortunately I got stuffed with THE WHOLE COST!!! That includes operation, blood tests, scans for any spread tumours etc... My vet was brilliant & tried to help me get some costs back, but didn't happen :-( ... Basically, Chucky had had a small cist-like lump on his testicles 2.5-3 years back. The vet saw it & we agreed it looked like a small cist, & to keep an eye on it. On his next checkup the vet checked it again- stil looked like a small cist, so we decided not to poke it about and to keep an eye on it, which seems sensible considering it looked like a little wart or cist!! Anyways, a few months down the line I go on GoCompare.com & see I can save 13/14 pounds a month switching insurance over another company.... GREAT I think!!! All seems OK until like a year-18 months later the 'cist' on Chucky's testicles seems to swell up & look very inflamed, after rushing him to the vets for tests it turns out the lump had become a MAST cell tumour and he was operated on to remove it , operation was successful and a scan revealed that rest of his body looks clear! THANK GOD!! But when it comes to insurance company paying out they refuse, even after vet submits a letter backing me up that they should cover some costs.... As Chucky had had the small wart/cist on his testicles for a couple of years or so, & before I got the new insurance they decided that that was the start of pre-existing condition & they weren't covering any of the insurance & to make it worse they concluded that a new exclusion was going to be put in the insurance schedule so that in the near future the insurance excludes ANY CANCERS,GROWTHS OR TUMOURS??? I wish I had stayed with Tesco's Pet insurance for another £14 a month and they would have had to cover it!!!! Now I am trying to find out if any insurance company will cover Chucky and any possible growths or anything in the future because I do not want to get caught with no cover again?? I know because he has had a MAST cell tumour in the past it will no doubt increase the premium, but it is the most common form of growth in dogs, so sure other people must have had this before and stil found satisfactory insurance cover afterwards?

Many thanks in advance for any advice that you guys can give me!

Danny

sheramber

Not a recommendation but Vetmedicover may cover him if there is no recurrence or treatment for 24 months.

Boughtbymany have just brought out a similar policy.

Petplan also may cover a pre exisiting condition of no recurrence or treatment for 24 months.

You need to contact them beforehand and get their agreement before you take out the policy.

iolanthe07

I have just come across this blog and haven't waded through the 17 pages of comments, so this may have been covered before.

I am welcoming a puppy to our home next week, and my wife and I have decided not to have insurance at all, apart from third party liabilty covered by membership of Dogs Trust. We had a bad experience in the past with insurance not paying and tripling the premium overnight. Instead we are putting £5K into a special designated fund and adding £50 a month. We think that over the lifetime of the dog this may be a better choice, and we might even eventually have something back.

PhiltheBear

Which is fine if you have £5,000 to start with. Most people don't. Even then some things cost way more than £5K. I was quoted £10,000 for a dog heart operation which only had a 20% chance of success and that was 6 years ago.

iolanthe07

. I was quoted £10,000 for a dog heart operation which only had a 20% chance of success

Did the insurance company pay up? My experience is that they will use every excuse they can to avoid meeting claims, especially where the illness is non specific and difficult to diagnose.

sheramber

Is that personal expereince or second hand experience?

If you are with a reputable company they will pay out if you are eligible.

Most people who complain have not read their policy document carefully and understood what they are covered for.

e.g They have a pre existing condition from before they took out insurance which is related to their current claim.
They only have cover for a limited time or a limit on the total amount rather that a reinstating amount each year for life.

Cheap policies are cheap for a reason.

Or they are insured with one of the less reputable companies who wriggle out of any claims.

One of mine had lumps removed before I took out his current insurance so I am well aware that I am not covered for any further lumps that occur anywhere on his body.
He had a dew claw removed and again i am not covered for ay subsequent problems in that leg that can be related to that.

I have never had any problems claiming for my dogs.

PhiltheBear

iolanthe07 wrote: »

.
Did the insurance company pay up? My experience is that they will use every excuse they can to avoid meeting claims, especially where the illness is non specific and difficult to diagnose.

I didn't have to use them because the dog passed away before it could be operated on.

In regard to avoiding claims I have used a website - petinsurancecompare.co.uk which shows companies that are ethical, e.g. they DO pay out. But they pay out within the terms of the policies and most people simply don't read the policy before they buy, which is why they then moan afterwards about not being paid because they've assumed they are covered when they aren't. That site also has a very useful buyer's guide which tells you what all the ins and outs of pet insurance are.