Dog insurance alteration

Crisp_£_note

Hi

We have had pet insurance for our dog since we brought him home from the shelter many years ago. At first we had one of the premium insurances then after a couple of years decided to switch to accident only not only to save money but because our dog cant be let off the lead at the field and lives in a very secure bungalow with little chance of escape if he wanted to.

Now my problem here is dog is getting old and is showing signs of arthritis on and off but more recently has it been obvious.

I am currently with AFI for Accident only pet insurance. Is it possible to get it changed to upgrade the cover as I really want to take dog to the vet to get treated but am concerned of a high bill due to the current insurance level cover. We simply cannot afford any big ongoing vet bills at the moment (and dont see that we could for the forseeable futute).

Dog doesnt travel well so finding a 'free' on benefit vet is not an option as our nearest is over an hour away and I cant put dog through that stress especialy when he cant travel well or get comfortable in the back of hubbys van.

I realise this may be a case of changing the insurance to suit the needs and hope not to be caught out but truth is I dont see any other option, if there is one ?

Any advice welcome please. Thanks in advance.

elsien

I think it is unlikely if the dog is now showing signs of arthritis as when you put the first claim in the vet will be asked if there was any sign of existing illness and will probably have to reply yes. Which will invalidate your insurance if you haven't declared it.
Plus if your dog is an older dog (over 8) you're likely to find that they'll either refuse to cover, or they'll whack in exclusions, or the premiums will be higher and you will also be expected to pay a large excess and a percentage of the final bill.
What would you consider a large ongoing bill? Obviously it depends on the dog and severity of the arthritis, but mutt has arthritis in her back legs and other than the odd bit of metacam when she's seized up, she isn't having any other treatment. You could also consider alternative remedies and diets to see if it helps.
But regardless of money, if your dog is in pain, you really need to get that side of things sorted with the vet, if nothing else. (I find a hot water bottle helps to ease things when mutt grinds to a halt.)

Crisp_£_note

Thanks for the reply, I was expecting something along those lines.

Dog is ok during the day its in the evening when hes settling for the evening he is still, especialy in back legs. He isnt yelping in pain but I can tell he aches as he pants quite a bit and I dont think its due to the central heating as its not that hot indoors, he is also increasingly getting grumpy and at times confused I think.

A high bill is well almost anything above £40 a month (£10 a week). Im on a DRO and on longterm IB myself due to a degenerative condition and a kind of social fobia and hubby is self employed part time so even with the benefits (his WTC and my IB) its a tight budget financialy.

I realise I need to get dog assessed asap and know our vets dont do payment instalments schemes.

elsien

Difficult one really, because until your dog's been assessed, it's almost impossible to know whether it's going to be expensive or not. Which is no help at all.
I'd suggest having a conversation with the vet before you start treatment about what's affordable and what isn't. Mine's quite good like that and as far as possible will tailor things according to what I can afford.
If you do need ongoing meds, you can always look into ordering online as well - you'll have to pay more for the prescription, but the savings can often make it worthwhile.
Maybe try to put a bit aside each week if you can? Mutt's metacam isn't cheap, but because I only use it when she really needs it, over time it's working out at a lot less than a tenner a week. So it might not be as bad as you fear - hope you manage to get things sorted ok.