Do I need pet insurance if I am also eligible for the PDSA?

sheramber

Eligibility is based on benefits received, not just income,  so make sure you are eligible and live in the catchment area.

At PDSA our Pet Hospitals provide a wide range of vet treatments and services, helping hundreds of thousands of pets every year.

We offer everything from major surgery to fix broken bones or treat serious illness, to more routine services such as vaccinations and flea treatments, which help keep our pets healthy and happy. Our vet teams are all fully trained and qualified, and we are extremely proud of the high quality care delivered every day, throughout the UK.

As a charity, we must make the best possible use of our limited funds and reach as many pet owners as possible. So it is simply not possible to offer every procedure that may be available in some more specialist private practices and hospitals. Where such treatment is needed, we would talk to the owner about referring their pet for treatment elsewhere.

Lightspeeders

Not afford may have been a strong word for me to use - More realistically it would just feel like a waste of money to pay excesses (or even the premiums) (as I say though the real killer will be on their 7th birthday as the excess stays the same but they add 20% excess then as well for any claims - but I do have until 7 years to save that up which isn't impossible)

Also for things like teeth trimming / vaccines / nail clippings etc they have a really good pet plan for that - it is an extra £12 a month but defo worth it for me and is not an insurance - My 5 month old female is going in for her microchip and vaccines this year (Her first ones) on Wednesday and was covered as part of the plan - I just have to turn up with my rabbit

Also each rabbit is only covered for up to £2000 of vet bills for illness or injury (and every tiny bit that's eaten into each year with minor illnesses - like what the PDSA could treat it just lowers that amount for that year should a genuine emergency or major illness comes up that the PDSA possibly couldn't treat - because it would be too expensive for a charity to do MRI / CT scans for example) - it does go back to a full £2000 each year but they expect another excess payment each year if a condition spans multiple years. or for any new ones.

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But all this was based on the fact that they would be getting identical care / treatment - regardless of money whether I used a private vet with insurance or whether I used a charity vet like the PDSA.

However some of the comments on here are now leading me to think that maybe that wouldn't be the case, Which was why I was considering getting them insurance as well.

This whole insurance lark is a bit of a minefield as it is - and now my situation has also thrown a spanner in as well - So I have toughly confused myself on the best thing to do.

Ultimately though - money and excesses aside - Even if they got 5% better care or life saving treatment one day that they may not have got anywhere other than a private vet - that would be enough to decide to also have insurance, because they absolutely come first for me.

Also for the people wondering if I am fully eligible for them and in the catchment area - I am, I have already checked with them and everything is fine on that end. (I am however outside the Blue Cross catchment area so only PDSA is an option for a charity vet)

Darren

HampshireH

Isn't the average lifespan about 8-10 years?

I think come year 7 depending on the condition you would need to make a decision then on whether it would be in your rabbits interest to have medical intervention or whether their quality of life would be compromised even with it.

Doesn't seem sensible to worry about what might happen in 7 years time.

Insure your pet for the now (if affordable) and renew if it's affordable for you to do each year.

No point wasting money on pet insurance if you won't be able to afford the excess (and don't forget you could need it next week, next year or never).

That said I am a firm believer of people only having pets if they can afford to keep them - medical needs included. (Whether that's via insurance when needed or by savings if choosing not to insure)

Lightspeeders

I don't know if its just a phycological illusion or not - but having it (It is only £18 per month) feels like I have a safety net should I ever need to give them really good medical care if they should need it - and just feels like they are safer somehow with it.

It also feels kind of like the NHS vs BUPA (For example) - I know its an extra - but they are very special to me and I also never want to be put in the position where I go to the PDSA but can't help when a private vet could have with an insurance in place.

They are so special to me that even I don't have private health care for myself but they now do in way.

The things we do for our animals aye?

(Also the average is about 12 years if spayed or neutered and an indoor bunny)

Also even though my circumstances are not likely to change in the future - it is not impossible - and there is a small chance that one day I may not be eligible for the PDSA and it will be a lot harder or possibly even impossible to insure them at that point (as a minimum the premiums will be a lot higher) and if they had any illnesses in their life before the insurance starts they would not even be covered for it - that is also another reason I thought it might be a good idea to have it in place still.

Darren

HampshireH

Lightspeeders said:

I don't know if its just a phycological illusion or not - but having it (It is only £18 per month) feels like I have a safety net should I ever need to give them really good medical care if they should need it - and just feels like they are safer somehow with it.

It also feels kind of like the NHS vs BUPA (For example) - I know its an extra - but they are very special to me and I also never want to be put in the position where I go to the PDSA but can't help when a private vet could have with an insurance in place.

They are so special to me that even I don't have private health care for myself but they now do in way.

The things we do for our animals aye?

(Also the average is about 12 years if spayed or neutered and an indoor bunny)

Also even though my circumstances are not likely to change in the future - it is not impossible - and there is a small chance that one day I may not be eligible for the PDSA and it will be a lot harder or possibly even impossible to insure them at that point (as a minimum the premiums will be a lot higher) and if they had any illnesses in their life before the insurance starts they would not even be covered for it - that is also another reason I thought it might be a good idea to have it in place still.

Darren

Insurance for pets is a good idea 

But only if you can afford the excess otherwise it's worthless as it won't pay out. No point in paying monthly if you can't afford to use it when the time comes 

However, the excess is always going to be cheaper than what you will have to pay without it 

Lightspeeders

usually that is the case except when you throw PDSA free vet care into the mix - as I am not sure there is even any difference in that case. (Apart from the £65 excess)

However I can afford the excess - I just also don't want to throw good money down the drain either though.

Basically what I am going to do is make sure I always have at least £65 sitting in a savings account - so should I ever need to claim I have the excess ready to go. - and if claimed then instantly put another £65 in there ready for the next claim should there ever be one (or for the following years excess payment if a condition spans more than one year - although if that does happen then I will have to put 2 lots of £65 in there - but hopefully she doesn't ever become that ill because id be more worried about her and the other bunny if they ever started getting a lifelong illness)

Once they are 7 I will need to have more like £265 sitting in there each time but I have 7 years to save that which is defo doable.

Lightspeeders

sheramber said:

Eligibility is based on benefits received, not just income,  so make sure you are eligible and live in the catchment area.

At PDSA our Pet Hospitals provide a wide range of vet treatments and services, helping hundreds of thousands of pets every year.

We offer everything from major surgery to fix broken bones or treat serious illness, to more routine services such as vaccinations and flea treatments, which help keep our pets healthy and happy. Our vet teams are all fully trained and qualified, and we are extremely proud of the high quality care delivered every day, throughout the UK.

As a charity, we must make the best possible use of our limited funds and reach as many pet owners as possible. So it is simply not possible to offer every procedure that may be available in some more specialist private practices and hospitals. Where such treatment is needed, we would talk to the owner about referring their pet for treatment elsewhere.

That last paragraph has settled it for me, So basically there is no reason to waste money on any claims that I don't need to make, but should the PDSA refer me to private treatment, I absolutely should have insurance already in place for that, as in that circumstance I would have to make a claim as there is no way I could afford high vet bills.

Darren

SensibleSarah

I know a couple of pet owners who have had to have their pets put to sleep because the PDSA (who they qualified for) did not offer the specific treatments their pet needed and they couldn't afford the private treatment and didn't have insurance. So at the end of the day, it comes down to what you feel comfortable with. You could put the money you would be paying on insurance aside every month and hope that it something big was needed, you'd have enough saved at that point. You could insure and never need to claim or you could risk it and not insure or save any money towards treatment and keep your fingers crossed that PDSA would do what's needed if something came up. 

It's also worth considering that 99% of private vets will need you to pay for any treatment up front anyway, and then you claim back all but the excess from the insurer. The number of vets that will deal directly with insurers is tiny, regardless of what the insurance company tell you before you sign up. When my cat broke her leg at the start of this year, I had to pay out just under £1k before I got the insurance money back nearly 2 months later, less the excess. Fortunately, I had the money there to do that at the time, but a bill like that a few years back would have put me in real difficulty, even knowing I was likely to get most of it repaid eventually. 

Bradden

You seem to be confusing publicly funded healthcare paid via taxation and a charity looking to support those most in need.

sheramber

It is advisable to ask your vet which, if any ,companies they will claim direct from.

there are ones known for being reluctant to pay out and refusing claims .Vets have bills to pay like everybody else and need the money promptly.

I have used 4 different vets over the years who have all been happy to claim direct from Petplan.