Cancelling pet insurance - old dog

spendingmad

After some advice

I have an old 11yo lab who since birth has had hip and elbow dysplasia and is now blind in one eye due to a bleed in the retina.

For the past few months my dh and I have discussed what we would do if he got seriously ill (cancer, full lameness, kidney disease due to 11years of anti-inflammatorys) and we decided we wouldn't put him through invasive tests/treatment for our benefit and would rather him pass peacefully.

Now his insurance renewal has just arrived and it is £40 per month + £120 excess + 20% of total treatment cost. I have suggested that we cancel the insurance and put the money aside as I don't think we are at the point where we would benefit from the policy.

We love him dearly (he's my first born!!) and we are certainly not 'writing him off', and we are in the position to pay for whatever treatment he needs should it be curable and keep him out of pain.

Would you cancel the policy or keep it running just in case?

zaksmum

spendingmad wrote: »

After some advice

I have an old 11yo lab who since birth has had hip and elbow dysplasia and is now blind in one eye due to a bleed in the retina.

For the past few months my dh and I have discussed what we would do if he got seriously ill (cancer, full lameness, kidney disease due to 11years of anti-inflammatorys) and we decided we wouldn't put him through invasive tests/treatment for our benefit and would rather him pass peacefully.

Now his insurance renewal has just arrived and it is £40 per month + £120 excess + 20% of total treatment cost. I have suggested that we cancel the insurance and put the money aside as I don't think we are at the point where we would benefit from the policy.

We love him dearly (he's my first born!!) and we are certainly not 'writing him off', and we are in the position to pay for whatever treatment he needs should it be curable and keep him out of pain.

Would you cancel the policy or keep it running just in case?

Difficult. If he got ran over, God forbid, but was otherwise healthy...what would you do, if say his leg was broken?

One of mine's nearly 10 and the insurance is getting steep. I have to say, if she got something horrible like cancer I wouldn't put her through it only for her to pass anyway sooner or later.

But you have to think how you'd feel about accidents etc. and for me the insurance is still essential.

ka7e

Zaksmum, I'm sorry but I think the OP is justified to stop paying for insurance. A dog with hip and elbow dysplasia will find recuperation and rehabilitation after an accident very difficult. As long as his present conditions are manageable and he has a reasonable quality of life it's fine, but another long-term illness could make his life pretty intolerable. OP, if you are sure that his ongoing medical costs are under £600 p.a. - you're better off putting the money aside and cancelling the policy.

Iain_L

spendingmad wrote: »

After some advice

Now his insurance renewal has just arrived and it is £40 per month + £120 excess + 20% of total treatment cost. I have suggested that we cancel the insurance and put the money aside as I don't think we are at the point where we would benefit from the policy.

We love him dearly (he's my first born!!) and we are certainly not 'writing him off', and we are in the position to pay for whatever treatment he needs should it be curable and keep him out of pain.

Would you cancel the policy or keep it running just in case?

We were in a similar situation with our 2 dogs, and having looked at the vets fees we had paid for the dogs over the last 9 years made the decision that we would cancel the policy, as the Petplan price had just got daft. We put the money we would have spent on the policy aside just in case.

It may not be just vet fees to consider though, I don't know your situation with third party claims (dog gets off lead and goes onto road causing an accident for example) on your policy.

Horses for courses I guess, we are just lucky and could use our savings if required to help our animals, as long as it was in their best interest.

Iain

spendingmad

Thanks, his annual jabs are due and the vets are offering a senior blood test for £40. I think I will have this done to make sure he has no underlying conditions and make the decision from there.

I think I am struggling with the idea as it feels like the begining of the end :-(

Raksha

Please don't feel like that - my first dog was a Lab cross and lived till he was 17, so you may have a good few years yet.

I don't believe in putting any animal through lots of vet treatment that may or may not work. Just because you can, doesn't always mean you should....

zaksmum

Raksha wrote: »

Please don't feel like that - my first dog was a Lab cross and lived till he was 17, so you may have a good few years yet.

I don't believe in putting any animal through lots of vet treatment that may or may not work. Just because you can, doesn't always mean you should....

One of the most profound things ever written on these boards...just because you can doesn't mean you should. How very true.

spendingmad

zaksmum wrote: »

One of the most profound things ever written on these boards...just because you can doesn't mean you should. How very true.

I completely agreed which is why we have had the discussion. I have had friends put their pets through surgery after surgery to give them a few more weeks I just think it is incredibly selfish.

We love him to bits and if he his happy sleeping on the sofa all day and popping out for quick walks then fine by me. If he was to be in lots of pain or developed something which was not getting better then I would make him as comfortable as possible until it was time to let him go.

krlyr

ka7e wrote: »

Zaksmum, I'm sorry but I think the OP is justified to stop paying for insurance.

OP asked for opinions and Zaksmum is entitled to hers. I don't see her saying OP isn't entitled to cancel the policy, just answering the question in her POV.

It is a difficult situtation. At 11, he may still have a couple more years ahead of him and there are still expensive but non-lifethreatening conditions he could suffer. E.g. if he had problems with the other eye, insurance could make the difference between retaining his sight and blindness (the latter could have a huge impact on his quality of life) and the treatment may not be so invasive that it would be unfair to an elderly dog, just expensive without insurance.
£40 a month doesn't seem too unreasonable to me either (I pay £30 a month for a 5.5 year old dog so expect it to be way higher by the time he's 11!) but everyone's budget will vary so it's a hard question to answer, other than from your own POV.

I think waiting for the results of the blood test could be a good idea, but ultimately it's a decision with pros and cons and one only OP is in the position to make.

rising_from_the_ashes

I did eventually get to this point with Ben - he was happy and loved life but I would never have put him through very difficult treatment / invasive surgery at his advanced age.

I did stick the money away and it was there when it was needed - yes, it wouldn't have covered something like a broken leg but TBH he couldn't have coped with that anyway as had arthritis in his other legs so they couldn't have taken the strain while recovery took place (and there still would've been surgery which I don't think I'd personally have done).

For anyone thinking of this - and worried about Accidents - there are a couple of accident only policies around. Have a search for deals but I did come across one that T*esco do a while ago http://www.tescobank.com/insurance/petins/accident-and-injury.html - will give an idea of what they cover.

Ben did take Metacam for his arthritis - but this worked out at £15/month so a lot cheaper than the insurance. It's weighing up what you can afford should they get something that needs regular medication / how much treatment you'd want them to go through against what you can afford to pay.

Wishing you many more happy years together xx

Eeyore2009

spendingmad wrote: »

After some advice

I have an old 11yo lab who since birth has had hip and elbow dysplasia and is now blind in one eye due to a bleed in the retina.

For the past few months my dh and I have discussed what we would do if he got seriously ill (cancer, full lameness, kidney disease due to 11years of anti-inflammatorys) and we decided we wouldn't put him through invasive tests/treatment for our benefit and would rather him pass peacefully.

Now his insurance renewal has just arrived and it is £40 per month + £120 excess + 20% of total treatment cost. I have suggested that we cancel the insurance and put the money aside as I don't think we are at the point where we would benefit from the policy.

We love him dearly (he's my first born!!) and we are certainly not 'writing him off', and we are in the position to pay for whatever treatment he needs should it be curable and keep him out of pain.

Would you cancel the policy or keep it running just in case?

Insurance for my Welsh Springer Spaniel is £80pcm and she is 10 years old, what insurance company are you with?