Dog Insurance

pollyanna24

You'd think I'd know what to do by now considering my dog is 9 years old, but I can't decide whether I should opt for lifetime insurance now that she is getting on. If I only go for time limited and something happened, then I have to put any illness down as pre existing, is that right?

I've already decided that if something happens like an ongoing illness or cancer, then the kindest thing would be for her not to continue (before anyone shouts cruelty - we spent £7,000 on our previous dog and it gave him an extra year, but I do wonder at what cost to his quality of life).

So now I'm debating which insurance to get. There's accident, but I'm guessing accident only is only if she gets run over or something, but doesn't include illness?

So I guess it's between time limited and lifetime. The difference in quotes is £94 or £227. Ho hum. What to do!

If I've decided that I won't let her suffer, then maybe time limited is enough?

HappyMJ

Is that per year?

I would probably self insure a dog of that age. You'll need access to the policy limit which may be £3,000 (Petplan Essential) or up to £12,000 (Petplan Essential). If you don't have that sort of cash then you'll need insurance.

I also think like you. I would not carry out expensive treatment if the animal was going to be in a bit of short term pain so the animal could live for just a few more months for what is really only benefiting me. It's a hard decision to make though and if you've got insurance covering the cost then it may sway your decision one way.

pollyanna24

HappyMJ wrote: »

Is that per year?

I would probably self insure a dog of that age. You'll need access to the policy limit which may be £3,000 (Petplan Essential) or up to £12,000 (Petplan Essential). If you don't have that sort of cash then you'll need insurance.

I also think like you. I would not carry out expensive treatment if the animal was going to be in a bit of short term pain so the animal could live for just a few more months for what is really only benefiting me. It's a hard decision to make though and if you've got insurance covering the cost then it may sway your decision one way.

Yes, sorry, the quotes were per year.

The £94 was time limited up to £500 per condition, £3,000 per year.

The £237 was lifetime up to £1,000 per condition per year.

I don't think I've ever used my insurance on the dog I have now. As she is old, the excess is quite hefty £99 +20%, so I'm just trying to work out if it's worth it.

HappyMJ

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Yes, sorry, the quotes were per year.

The £94 was time limited up to £500 per condition, £3,000 per year.

The £337 was lifetime up to £1,000 per condition per year.

I don't think I've ever used my insurance on the dog I have now. As she is old, the excess is quite hefty £99 +20%, so I'm just trying to work out if it's worth it.

£500 per condition isn't very much at all. Are you sure it's only £500 per condition? That's at the budget end of the market which isn't really going to cover much. You need to be holding on to your maximum liability which would be six times £99 plus 20% of £3,000 to be able to pay the maximum claims each year assuming no claim ever exceeds £500 which I think is unlikely so you should have at least £1,194 in savings which could instead be used to pay a couple of claims in full and you could add the £94 premium to your savings each year.

ripplyuk

£500 or £1000 per condition is dreadful.

There will be an excess as well, which makes it even worse. I'd self insure if those are the only options. Or maybe try some other insurance companies.

krlyr

Just bear in mind some dogs can live to 15-16 onwards, so the dog may only be just over the halfway mark in its life! Obviously breed average lifespans etc. are worth taking into considering - a 9 year old Great Dane is a huge different to a 9 year old Chihuahua, the former would probably be in the record books whereas the latter may still be considered pretty young for its breed.

My Rottie x at 9 could be deemed an old girl for her breed (average lifespan is 9) - though no one believes it as she's still so active. She actually underwent cruciate ligament surgery last November, costing several thousands of pounds, so I was grateful to have good insurance cover and be able to put her forward for surgery with no thoughts about finding funding for it. She's recovered well, and I'm hoping as she's a crossbreed, I might have another 3+ years out of her yet!

Don't just consider those two quotes as your only option, either. Shop around, see what other policies are available. Yes, a lifetime policy will cost more - but you might find a lower policy with a semi decent amount of cover for less. I switched my GSD to Co Op insurance last year, Petplan wouldn't cover him due to his age (he's also 9) but Co Op use the same underwriters so I figured the service may be similar. There's slightly less cover than I'd have liked, at £5000 rather than the £7000 he previously had (we were with AXA who have stopped offering pet insurance, hence having to switch) but reasonably priced at around £40 a month or so, and the excess policy was better than a lot of the other policies for dogs his age too.

You could also consider a mix of options - saving money by going for a 12-month policy, for example, and setting aside as much of the difference as possible to self-insure from the following year if needed. Perhaps taking out a credit card now, so that you can build up your card limit over the next year or so - not all cards offer a large amount from day 1, so you may need to build up credit over time if you don't have a credit card already. Some companies also offer limited policies, e.g. accident-only, so look around. The Dogs Trust offer 3rd party liability cover for all dogs in your household for members, which costs £25 a year.

sheramber

I insured my 11 year old with Tesco last year - £7000 per condition for life. I pay less than £30 per month with a fixed excess- no extra percentage.

pollyanna24

Thanks everyone. I'm still undecided. My renewal is £220.13 a year. Excess is £170 plus 20%.

For this I get up to £4,500 per policy for treatment and/or complementary treatment, following the diagnosis of a specific illness or injury.

I can't work out if this means it is time limited or lifetime and it doesn't say anywhere on the renewal.

She is a bouncy staffie and whenever I say how old she is, people look surprised, so I'm hoping she lives to at least 35 .

pollyanna24

I'm reading the small print. They have changed her policy to Standard Overage (Non Lifetime).

pollyanna24

I get that lifetime insurance is you will still be covered after the policy is over, but does this mean that you will then have to stay with that same company?

If you go with a different company, it will be a pre-existing condition and have to be declared?

Person_one

Can you afford treatment without insurance? Even if that means putting it on a 0% credit card and paying it back slowly?

If you can (and more importantly will should the need arise), I personally wouldn't bother with insurance.

Is lifetime cover even possible with a 9 year old dog?