Dog Insurance

sheramber

pollyanna24 wrote: »

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?

What company do you have insurance with, than somebody can maybe explain exactly what cover you have.

Lifetime cover with vet fees reinstated each new policy year as long as you continue the policy means that each new policy year your cover is reinstated back to the set amount.

So if you have cover for £7000 and claim £5000 for one condition you have £2000 left to cover any further claims for that condition or any other condition until the end of your policy year From the start of the new year you have £7000 cover all for any claims for the next year.

Lifetime cover per condition you start with £7000 and claim £5000 for one condition. You only have £2000 cover left for that condition for the rest of your pet's life- as long as you renew the policy each year.

But of your pet has a second claim for something else in the same year as the first claim you have the full £7000 available for that second condition but again that leaves £2000 for that condition for the rest of the pet life's as long as the policy remains in force.

Any illness or condition that you have consulted your vet about, whether you obtained treatment or not, will be pre existing condition for any new company, as will anything that could be related to it- such as a broken leg then developing arthritis in later years.

krlyr

Person_one wrote: »

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

Two 9 year old dogs here with lifetime insurance (two different companies) so it's possible.


Have you looked at other companies aside from the one quoting you now? Obviously anything that has been treated will be considered pre-existing, though some companies will put time-limited exclusions and then cover them as long as the dog has been treatment/symptom free for 24 months. I found CoOp's price reasonable, and although there is an excess on senior dogs, I don't believe it was quite as high as you've been quoted for your policy.

Person_one

krlyr wrote: »

Two 9 year old dogs here with lifetime insurance (two different companies) so it's possible.

Is that cover taken out when they were 9?

I admit I didn't do loads of research, but when I briefly considered insuring mine there seemed to be considerably fewer options because of their age.

krlyr

No, but Casper's was a new policy last year, so at 8. Some companies will limit or won't offer cover, but that's only a few. Most will cover, but just slightly higher premiums and usually a % excess on top of the fixed amount.

pollyanna24

Thanks everyone.

I've looked at all the comparison sites. Just gone on Co-Op and they don't insure animals over 8 years old.

I'm still not sure what to do. I know as she gets older, there's more likely things to "go wrong" with her (making her sound like a car!), but as I've said, if she's gets cancer, I'm not prepared to put her through what we did with the last dog.

I want insurance for stuff like breaking her leg or something. So I guess that's accident only?

I don't think I've ever claimed on her insurance. The last time was because she had a sore leg and the bill was £100, so I just paid it.

The vet started going on about a lump she has on her head (other dog bit her years ago), and said that it would £1,000 to take it out (I think I worked out it would cost me £200-£300 using insurance) and so I just decided to let her be as the lump hasn't bothered her in the last 6 years.

pollyanna24

Just out of interest... what's to stop you lying about your dog's age? Say if you have no papers and they've never been insured before (and no, I'm not thinking of doing this).

Person_one

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I want insurance for stuff like breaking her leg or something. So I guess that's accident only?

Be careful about this.

There are loads of 'medical illness' situations where you might wish you'd had cover, cancer isn't the only threat. Not everything that can make an older dog ill has the same impact on their quality of life, and there are lots of circumstances where it would be completely reasonable to treat them and arguably unethical not to for financial reasons.

pollyanna24

Person_one wrote: »

Be careful about this.

There are loads of 'medical illness' situations where you might wish you'd had cover, cancer isn't the only threat. Not everything that can make an older dog ill has the same impact on their quality of life, and there are lots of circumstances where it would be completely reasonable to treat them and arguably unethical not to for financial reasons.

Thanks for this. I think the simplest thing is just to stick with the company I'm with. It's "We love pets.co.uk." It's £220 odd for time limited and up to £4,500.

sheramber

pollyanna24 wrote: »

Thanks for this. I think the simplest thing is just to stick with the company I'm with. It's "We love pets.co.uk." It's £220 odd for time limited and up to £4,500.

UnfortunatEly, they are underwritten by E&L (The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited.) who do not have a good reputation when it comes to paying claims.

Rev

pollyanna24 wrote: »

I want insurance for stuff like breaking her leg or something. So I guess that's accident only? .

Correct me if I'm wrong but that's not accident only insurance.

Accident only doesn't mean if your dog has an accident it meant if your dog causes someone else to have an accident and they sue you for damages or loss of earnings.

For a broken leg to be covered you need plain old normal insurance that covers vet fees up to however much it cost to sort a broken leg.