Pet Insurance

MillieBear1

Has anyone else experienced the following….

Roughly 5 years ago I took out pet insurance with a company called Perfect Pet. All payments have always been made on time with no problems. At the time I first contacted them I declared to them my dog was not spayed. They were happy to take my dog on knowing this so I went ahead with the policy.

5 years on I had to make a claim as my dog needed life saving surgery for an infection called pyometra, she had to have a dog hysterectomy. We didn’t know she was going to need this, I had to pay the vet bill up front or the vet would not operate so I had to borrow the money which has put me £2500 in debt. 

I made a claim with the insurance to be told 2 weeks later they would not pay out as they classed the condition as preventable, they said if she had been spayed she would not have got the infection. Basically blaming me for what happened.

sheramber

Insurance policies do not cover spaying, in general.

Some insurances cover spaying due to pyometra , some don't as the treatment  is spaying.

Cheaper policies are cheap for a reason. 

You need to read your policy document to find out what it says.

If you do not agree with the insurance company's decision you need to follow the complalnts procedure, which will be detailed in your policy document.

Lavendyr

Agree with sheramber. Why did you not choose to have your dog spayed, out of interest? As sheramber says, the treatment for pyometra is to spay typically. 

Both my cats are with Petplan and they have paid out without hesitation - around £10,000 on one of my cats so far (lifetime policy), way more than the cost of my premiums over the years. Many vets are also happy to claim direct to them so you don't have to be out of pocket. 

sheramber

When my dog had pyometra my ver said , if I had had insurance, he could not claim for the spaying but could claim for the extra cost due to the pyometra. I did not have insurance so don't know if that would work.

Pyometra is a more complex and risky operation than spaying   - there is the infection (pus) present that  could leak out, and spread the body  There is more blood flow so more risk of blood loss. 

elsien

Perfectpet appears to be an intermediary so who is your insurance actually with?
Have you read the full terms and conditions and does that say anything about spaying or exclusions. 

Ultimately, your options are to complain and then go to the ombudsman if you think you have a case. 

DullGreyGuy

elsien said:

Perfectpet appears to be an intermediary so who is your insurance actually with?

The insurer is Casualty & General Insurance Company (Europe) Ltd based out in Gibraltar but it appears Perfect Pet are an MGA as their complaints process for claims is to complain to them rather than the insurer.