Dog insurance - level of vets fees cover

[spottyUnicorn]

I'm in the process of looking at vets fee cover for my new puppy, but the world of small animal vets and their charges is totally new to me, so I have no idea what is a sensible level of vets fees cover to have. There's some policies offering cover up to what seem unnecessarily large sums of money (way more than I've ever had or feel I would need on any horse policy) and then others offering much much lower amounts. So my question is, what is a sensible level of cover to have that will cover vets fees on the most likely scenarios. I don't want to be paying over the odds for unnecessarily high levels of cover, but at the same time I don't want to go for too low an amount if it doesn't buy you much care!

 

[horseperson]

Always make sure you get cover for life not yearly and as much cover as you can

I'm with M&S with one of my dogs and they cover for life and up to £7500 think the excess is £90.

My others are with Sainsburrys pretty much the same cover. Pet plan do a plan that covers your dog up to £10500 I think )

Good luck with your pup, insurance is a nightmare :0/

 

[spottyUnicorn]

Pet plan do a plan that covers your dog up to £10500 I think )

But that's what I'm puzzled about ... that amount of cover seems so high ... on average do dogs really go wrong that much that you would need 10k plus of vets fees cover for a year? It seems crazy to me! My friends horse's colic opp didn't even cost half of that, surely dogs aren't way more expensive to treat than horses - are they? I'm trying to get a balance of risk v reasonable amount of cover to keep premiums at a sensible amount. The quotes so far have been about double for 8,10 12,k+ cover and life cover type policies, and I'm not convinced we will need it, but as I don't have experience of dog vets bills I could just be being naive!

And am I right in thinking with a life cover policy you will always have to stick with the same company to keep that life cover ... and then do they go and hike up the premiums at renewal?

 

[tamsinkb]

Having paid out for my dog to have his fractured elbow pinned, screwed and plated my costs are currently running above £3000....which is my limit per claim. I do have £1000 worth of 'alternative' therapy cover, which will cover about 4 months of hydrotherapy 3 times a week once he has been reassessed. I can easily see how costs run up....I've not had the bill from my local vet who did an emergency call out, x-rays and sedation until I could get him to the specialist orthopedic surgeon the next day....and I still have the reassessment on 8th march I never thought I'd need the insurance, hence I chooose the basic level of cover - you live and learn!

 

[chattygoneon3]

What breed is your puppy as some breeds can have more breed related problems than others. Potentialy some breeds can cost you a lot of money.

 

[spottyUnicorn]

Chattygoneon3:
He's a Dalmatian so a few things that could be health issues at the back of my mind, though my vet said on the whole they are quite healthy dogs.

tamsinkb:
thanks that's the sort of thing I need to know about ... just how easily you can reach a lower limit and for what kind of treatments.

 

[chattygoneon3]

I think it is really difficult to give a figure as you never know what life is going to throw at you.I would say however ,go for a cover for life policy.Check whether amount is per year or per condition . Read the small print . I think also go with what you can afford. Hope you have many happy healthy years with your puppy.

 

[Umbongo]

It is difficult to say how much you may need, some dogs may never have a big problem, however some may be pre-disposed to breed related conditions, you just never know what life can throw at you. The question to ask is if you went for the lower level cover, would you be able to find the money at the time to cover any other expenses if you have reached your limit?

As others have said, I work in a vets and we always advise people to get life cover and not yearly. If your pet has an on-going condition then the insurance company may exclude that after renewal.

 

[cbmcts]

It is scary how expensive vet fees are especially once you are referred to a specialist...

I spent £3k in one day at the AHT last summer - and that was just for diagnostics. A MRI scan, blood tests and xrays, that's all. If I had gone ahead with the treatment recommended (In fairness, it was absolutely Gold Standard treatment and the dog had two big problems that would have required major ops plus a lot of aftercare) it was estimated at between £6 to 10K I used to think that horse vets were expensive but small animal vets are easily twice the price and the trend seems to be to refer all but the most minor problems.

I compared AXA to PetPlan recently and AXA came out as considerably cheaper than PP with very similar levels of cover - IIRC PP covered more dental work but AXA had a higher yearly level of cover. When I asked a few vets they said that they would happily take direct payments from AXA but wouldn't from various other (supermarket) insurers which implies that they payout relatively easily.

As someone else said, make sure you get lifetime cover!

 

[LovesCobs]

Having had to sign for nearly £4k (was covered on insurance) at leahurst for a small dog (my friends who I was looking after whilst they were away!) and an MRI scan was needed. The scan and fees were pretty much the same if not more than for horses! I'd go for as much cover as u can afford. I'm with John Lewis as it was good cover at a good price, not claimed yet so I hope they're as good as the name suggests

 

[twiglet84]

Dalmatians are predisposed to urinary stones and being large breed treatment will always be more than a small breed. My rottie had supreme cover with Petplan (Vets fees up to 13k) from 9months of age till October just gone (just before her 9th birthday). In October her renewal came in at 90 quid a month so I reduced it to the standard plan (vets fees 6k), 2 months after renewal in October 6k spent! CT scans, splenectomy, blood transfusions, biopsies etc!! Not complaining about the price, was worth every penny, fantastic service recieved, but that now leaves me with zero in the pot. Unfortunately my Girly has a nasty malignant cancer and we are treasuring each day so money won't help here anymore. I wouldn't go less than 6k. Unless u know u got a few £'s in the bank if u need it xxx

She also cost 2.5k a few years back for cruciate repair.

If i get another dog, id go supreme cover and stick to it. xxx

 

[twiglet84]

Ps should say as well, it does help diagnosis and treatment if your vet doesnt have to keep worrying about budgets. So many people bring their pets in and want cheapest treatment option (which often turns out not to work and cost more in the long run IME). Clients opting out of pre op bloods/mass sampling as cost is an issue, detrimental to their pets health IMO. I know people think that vets use insurance as a way of scamming more money, but i know we only do whats necessary and i know id want the best for my dog, insurance helps that. 4.2k of what i spent on Lucy at the specialist was for dianostic procedures and blood transfusions whilst awaiting results. Wasnt until we went for surgery we got a definitive diagnosis. So had i of had no money what would i have done? would I have either A) put her to sleep or B) risked surgery without blood transfusion and she would of died or C) Picked a treatment plan that may of worked for the suspected diagnosis and kept my fingers crossed. When your pet is ill the last thing you want to worry about is money xxxx

 

[spottyUnicorn]

Thanks for all of you who posted, it really helped us to make up our minds on the level of cover to go for.