Self insuring your pet via savings. Anyone do this? How do you find it?

203846930

We did insure me at first but when the insurance company stiffed us on the first claim it was cancelled, a £5000 fund was then set up to cover any bills that might come in other than annual running costs (flea & worm treatment) and 3 years down the line it has not been touched. This fund has accrued interest so rather than paying £250+ to the insurance company every year to boost their profits, we are making a profit instead.

Jenni_D

MovingForwards said:

None of the others cost me anything aside from spaying / nuts off (sorry, I can't for the life of me think what it's called).

For dogs it's called Neutering. I assume it's the same for cats.  

whirlyhead

My lot have run up £10k in vets fees in the last year (2 cats).  Thank god for pet insurance.

ZaSa1418

I self insure my cats as I refused to pay the premiums that were getting ridiculous due to their age. They were insured when Kittens though and if i got a new one i would probably insure again unless I could afford to have 5k in an account just for the 'incase' vet bills. 

elsien

I would take out third party insurance if nothing else, but that’s because my rescue dogs have all been untrained idiots on arrival and given the negative perception of the breed I decided to play safe. 

My last girl had lots of health issues and I definitely got more back than I ever paid in.
I tend to review at age 10 when the premiums and excess go up and I’m less likely to put them through expensive treatment, 
Having said that, it does depend on the out of hours cover as well. My vet is reasonably priced but the out of hours is a specialist hospital that costs silly money.
My vet £350 for an overnight stay, a drip and blood tests after eating something he shouldn’t. 

Weekend stay at specialist place with 2 overnights, blood tests and a drip, also for eating something he shouldn’t  - best part of a grand. 

strawb_shortcake

What an insightful thread, we don't have pets at the moment, we would love a dog but don't feel ready to make that commitment just yet. 

Insurance is something I've always felt would be essential, I have been quite shocked in the past how many pet owners have neither insurance or the means to pay for any surprise bills, and go down the route of go fund me instead of insurance for their pets

sheramber

Jenni_D said:

MovingForwards said:

None of the others cost me anything aside from spaying / nuts off (sorry, I can't for the life of me think what it's called).

For dogs it's called Neutering. I assume it's the same for cats.  

For males of any species  it is castration.

MovingForwards

sheramber said:

Jenni_D said:

MovingForwards said:

None of the others cost me anything aside from spaying / nuts off (sorry, I can't for the life of me think what it's called).

For dogs it's called Neutering. I assume it's the same for cats.  

For males of any species  it is castration.

That's the one! Thanks 😁

Jenni_D

I'll have to tell my vet that they're using the wrong term in their literature and consultations then, as I'm 100% positive my boy was neutered last October.

Mnoee

Neuter is a generic term for both sexes, the specific terms are spaying and castration - many people say neuter for male animals vs castration, but it's personal choice as they mean the same thing. 

I've been self-insuring two rescue moggies for a year (both under 2, exact age unknown) and not had to dip into the pot yet. They're housecats with a great diet who are pampered to hell and back, so I'm hoping that spending what I would have spent on insurance on better food/activities will allow me to keep my savings pot - but if it doesn't and they need the vets, so be it!