Is insurance for a dog worth it?

[Deleted User]

I am very close to pulling the trigger and getting a dog. I can’t decide if pet insurance is worth it so I would like to get other dog owner’s opinions.

I know that some policies cover you for 3rd party damage, if your dog runs out into the road causing an accident for example, and I can see the benefit of that.

It’s the medical cover I am undecided about. It seems that the insurance gets more and more expensive as the dog gets older, which makes sense as the risk of health problems gets higher, but does it get to the point where self insuring would be cheaper or is it just a gamble?

Katiehound

If you become a supporter/member of Dogs Trust they provide 3rd party insurance as a gesture of goodwill. I was told some years ago that if you pay the full amount (rather than pensioner rate) you can probably purchase that stand alone insurance for a similar fee from a broker.

If you have sufficient money behind you then I personally would say don't insure. You could put away a certain amount per month.

It all rather depends on which breeds you are looking at. Some have more inherent health problems, and yes the older the dog the more likely you are to claim.
It also depends on your own attitude. Would you agree with medical intervention whatever the age of the dog or whatever the cost?

it is something of a gamble!

Insurance will not pay for things like annual boosters. You need to factor in those costs whatever.......

mtbbuxton

I would always advocate having the best level of Insurance you can afford. There are those that will say to put away a set amount into a savings account each month to cover any emergencies, but can you afford to pay for treatment until you've built the savings up?
My young Lurcher has been with us since February this year - he was 6 months old when he arrived. In the space of 8 months we have already claimed over £2000 for a broken foot, a serious bacterial infection and haemorrhagic gastroenteritis.
My previous two dogs racked up extensive costs between them for various reasons, totalling approx. £40,000 over 6 years. I appreciate I'm probably unusual in my experiences, but without Insurance I'd have had some very difficult decisions to make.

M x

kivsy

We have had our dog for just over 3 years now and I took out a good level of insurance for her. For all this time I hadn't claimed but in the last two weeks she got poorly with a bladder infection which ended up with her needing surgery.
All I can say is thank goodness for our insurance as all this has cost me is £100 excess, the rest has been covered directly to the vets from the insurance company, the bill is currently in the region of £1000 and there is no way we would have been able to cover it.
One of the things my vet told me when I took out my insurance was to try and get a policy that gives whole of life cover, that way if your dog was to develop a condition that is ongoing like epilepsy, the insurance company would always cover them regardless.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. I have been a supporter of the dogs trust for years and I didn't realise that they offered 3rd party insurance as part of that.

I agree with medical intervention for dogs, or any pet, if it is in the best interest regardless of cost or age of the animal. I've had smaller pets before and always self insured but vet bills for those animals pale in comparison to the cost of vet bills for dogs. A £2,000 bill I could cover no bother at all. A £20,000 bill would hurt.

I was reading up about the pros and cons of insurance for dogs last night and I'm even more confused this morning. Some people are of the opinion that once a vet knows there is insurance costs start to spiral. The other thing that puts me off about insurance is that once your dog has contracted an illness or diseased then you're more or less stuck with the same insurer for the rest of your dog's life because another insurer won't cover pre existing conditions.

I'm getting a crossbreed, half Cavelier King Charles Spaniel and half Toy Pooddle so I'm hoping the dog will have less health issues than a pedigree.

krlyr

It's very much a 'how long is a piece of string' question.

For example, I've paid out for the pair of mine - starting at £20/month for my crossbreed, now paying £100/month for her. Part of the reason hers is so high is because the insurer I was with withdrew from the pet insurance market and sold policies on to another insurer - of course, this insurer 'inherited' a load of policies with pre-existing, on-going conditions and as a result quite a few of us found ourselves with price jumps (and I was one of the lucky ones I think - some jumped up by a lot more).

However, her thyroid condition will be with her for life, and requires daily medication, at least annual blood tests (sometimes more) and a consult every 6 months at the vet to check how she's doing on her dose. So I'm claiming at least £400 a year for that (more in the first 18 months as we did a more comprehensive blood test plus repeat tests until we got her dosage right). She's also had tendonitis in the shoulder (£500 for x-rays, £250 of physiotherapy, plus consults & medication), and a couple of years ago had cruciate ligament surgery (in the region of £3500). So I've claimed out, say, £7500 over the last 7 years and paid in around £4200. For her, I'm quids in - and I will keep claiming that £400 minimum a year, and there's the potential for her other cruciate ligament to rupture as well.

On the other hand, (excluding the big jump when switching insurers) my boy is a little more expensive (purebreed) - I've probably paid around £3000 in premiums for him, and not claimed a single penny. However, being a large breed, everything costs more - and he's a breed prone to issues like bloat (requiring emergency surgery) and hip dysplasia (so minimum £3-4000 for a hip replacement, probably more) so it's reassuring to know I have the cover there if needed.

Had I decided to self-insure, assuming I put aside the same amount as their premiums, I'd now be here £300 down and with absolutely no savings in the pot should a medical expense crop up.

Saying that, I am considering self-insuring my next dog, but if I go down that route I will be making sure I have a minimum of £3-4000 in the bank, plus enough cover on my credit card so I can pay up if the bill exceeds those savings. I'm also planning on a smaller breed that should, in theory, cost a little more - and most likely going to a reputable breeder who has tested for issues that the breed is prone to.

You mention that you hope the dog will be healthier for being a crossbreed - there is such thing as hybrid vigour, but this applies more to 'true' mutts. Those wandering the street 50 years ago, where a little bit of survival-of-the-fittest applied (a dog with joint issues probably wouldn't be the one getting around town knocking up the local !!!!!es in heat!), with gene pools diluted and reducing the chances of inherited problems.

Can I ask, is it a rescue you're getting or are you going to a breeder of the cross? If it's the latter, please make sure you've done your research on reputable breeders - and ensure they've done health tests (not the same as 'health checks' - i.e. a 5 minute glance over by a vet, who could not possible detect issues like hip dysplasia, congenital eye issues, etc. - run away if the breeder tries to even hint to you that a health check is all that's necessary!), researched the lineage they're breeding from, etc. If you breed a CKCS with health issues to a Toy Poodle with health issues, you will get a crossbreed with potentially twice the amount of health issues..

Katiehound

Just to say that I have always had rescues so up until recently they have been in the 'bitsa' department!
I now have 2 x Lakeland Trailhounds (also rescue as they are ex-racers)- which are more of a breed since they can only be bred trailie to trailie or with foxhound (that's my understanding anyway- I don't breed them) for the stamina line.

I don't have insurance and never have had. I do actually think that when a vet knows that the pet is insured they may go down the route of expensive investigations and treatment rather than trying the cheaper options first.

Some people agree with medical intervention whatever the age and condition of the pet whereas I would always consider carefully if that was a justifiable option. These days vets can do so many things and sometimes I wonder if a line should be drawn. (and yes I have been there - dogs who had lymphoma and was told " we could try".... what to extend the life of a beloved pet by a few weeks?)
If the worst should happen I am in the fortunate position of having money, but not silly money.

[Deleted User]

krlyr wrote: »

Can I ask, is it a rescue you're getting or are you going to a breeder of the cross? If it's the latter, please make sure you've done your research on reputable breeders - and ensure they've done health tests (not the same as 'health checks' - i.e. a 5 minute glance over by a vet, who could not possible detect issues like hip dysplasia, congenital eye issues, etc. - run away if the breeder tries to even hint to you that a health check is all that's necessary!), researched the lineage they're breeding from, etc. If you breed a CKCS with health issues to a Toy Poodle with health issues, you will get a crossbreed with potentially twice the amount of health issues..

I'm going to a breeder. I've been scouring rehoming websites such as the Dogs Trust and SSPCA for years and I've never seen one up for adoption. I found the breeder via a personal recommendation from one of my colleagues. He and his wife visited the breeder before deciding to go with her and after the puppies were born (5 weeks) and then again when they went to collect their dog. I shall also be visiting the breeder. My colleague has had dogs all his life and he couldn't recommend this particular breeder highly enough.

The breeder has said that the parents have been health tested and I have the opportunity to within the first 5 days of collecting the puppy to have it vet checked by my own vet. Should there be a fault/problem that will have detrimental affects on the puppy as a family pet then the breeder will offer a full refund upon return of the puppy.

I'm as confident as I can be that this woman is the real deal and not running a puppy farm.

missprice

Katiehound wrote: »

Some people agree with medical intervention whatever the age and condition of the pet whereas I would always consider carefully if that was a justifiable option. These days vets can do so many things and sometimes I wonder if a line should be drawn. (and yes I have been there - dogs who had lymphoma and was told " we could try".... what to extend the life of a beloved pet by a few weeks?)
If the worst should happen I am in the fortunate position of having money, but not silly money.

Just to agree with you here, I don't yet know what my limit is, as I haven't ever got there. However I do know I won't spend say 17k on a 50/50 chance of fixing a problem. I think vets are amazing in what they can achieve these days but at very great cost often. It's not always in the animals best interest.

Also to OP insurance varies considerably in how much and when it will pay out.
All my animals are insured as of today I have made one claim for a broken leg.
The total cost to fix was 5.5k the insurance company paid the stated amount of 2k leaving a shortfall to be found. Not slating the insurance company as I chose the cover, and to cover all animals costs me about £600 a year so choices had to be made.

[Deleted User]

I wholeheartedly agree with choosing treatment that's in the best interests of the animal.

I suppose the thing about insurance is that you never know how good it is until you need it and that goes for all types of insurance.

elsien

My vet always gives all the options, regardless of insurance.
My last dog, I got the premiums back many times over due to ongoing health conditions; this one, so far so good.
I would always have third party insurance because you never know when a dog is going to escape, slip the lead, or whatever.
With regards to medical cover, if you self insure you need to be aware of how quickly costs can escalate. My last (many years ago) had repeated almost continuous urine infections. Cost of consultation with specialist quoted as £250. Cost after a days worth of tests and no treatment hit the 1K mark. Ongoing medications n wasn't cheap. I prefer to insure to be on the safe side. Other people self insure. What does annoy me are the begging pleas on social media from people who've done neither.