Euthanasia/Loss of use claims

MissSBird

MissSBird

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Going to keep this very brief as I can't face typing everything at the moment.

Its looking more and more likely that I will not be able to ride my horse again, and that euthanasia may soon be the best option for her.

She's my first horse and I've never had to deal with this before. Is there anything protocals I need to follow regarding these things and the insurance company? The last thing I need is hastle from them should I need to go down this line.

Thankyou for any advice
 
I'm sorry you are in this horrible situation but you are right to check up on how things stand before the decision has to be made. I have not had this decision to make for many years but I believe you need to contact your insurance company & speak to them about it. They need to know of the situation & they may need to speak with your vet prior to any action being taken. I stand to be corrected though. In any case first point of call would be your insurance company. Once again I'm very sorry.
 
If you have loss of use as part of your policy the vet will need to produce a report stateing why she is no longer suitable for the use she was purchased and insured for.

Humane destruction is a different kettle of fish, and if the horse is field sound then your insurance company will not pay out for her to be euthinased.

I had a horse destroyed a few years ago, and didn't involve the insurance company as I had no LOU and the destruction was voluntary as the injury was not life threatening as it were.

Best thing is to speak to your insurance company.
 
If you have LOU cover then you can elect to have the horse PTS as opposed to keeping as a field ornament and LOU would be settled. If you DON'T have LOU cover the you could not have the horse PTS and expect the insurance company to pay a death claim unless the horse needed to be PTS on immediate humane grounds (in accordance with BEVA guidelines).

If you chose to keep the horse but it could not do anything more than be kept in the field and again you had LOU cover you can claim under this section and may be entitled up to 100% of the value of the horse (depending on the insurance company).

Speak to your insurer to clarify things and talk to your vet about your options. Certainly do not go ahead with euthanasia (unless required under IHG as afore mentioned) without contacting your insurer first or they are perfectly entitled to repudiate your claim.
 
Is there anywhere I can find these BEVA regulations?

I had heard that insurance companies could be a little sticky with euthanasia claims. Sounds like I could have an issue then as this injury isn't life threatening as such. Its the conditions which the horse would have to live in which is the issue. She will most likely have to be stabled for the rest of her life, which at 11 is not nice prospect for a horse that likes to run.

Thankyou for the advice
 
Here are the BEVA guidelines:

http://www.beva.org.uk/node/356

It is not at all clear in the case of chronic illness/lameness and ultimately it is up to the insurance company
frown.gif
 
I went though this with my horse last year. My vet said that i could claim LOU for my mare, but didn't have that on my policy, and after a long disscussion with my vet it was decieded that the best option for my mare was to have her PTS. Although my vet belived it was the best option for my horse i couldn't claim for death as it didn't require the horse to be PTS there and then.

Most insurance companies should have the BEVA guidelines on their websites
 
*hugs* to you. I went through this last year and had my horse PTS. His condition did not meet DEVA guidelines as it was considered (with expensive treatment) that he could come field sound in the short term before the condition continued to worsen. He had already been lame for 6 months, he hated not being ridden and I didnt like the prospect of watching him hobble around for another few months to satisfy someone else's idea of what was 'right'. As a result the insurance company did not pay out. I did what was right for him and I dont regret it.
 
One of my liveries had her horse PTS this year. He was 6 years old. He would never have been sound enough to be left out and could only stay sound stabled 24/7 an no work. He was put to sleep on humane grounds as no way could you keep a 6 year old horse stabled for the next 20 years. He had had one operation on one shoulder which had not worked and was lame on both shoulders. The insurance company rationale for PTS was that the owner could claim for the other shoulder to be operated on which would be another £5000 and he was only insured for £2000. financially PTS on humane grounds was more obvious a choice for the insurer, She was insured with the NFU and theri vet spoke to ours and agreed the decision.
 
Definitely speak to your insurers & see if their vet & yours can get together - may need reports from your vet first. If not BEVA guidelines they may offer a settlement especially if it will limit vet fee payout.
 
If you ahve LOU then it should nto be a problem - that is what LOU cover is for (ie if you elect to have the horse PTS) If you do not have LOU then you are unlikely to be able to claim for death if the horse doesn't NEED to be PTS.

Insurance companies may appear to be 'sticky' when it comes to death claims but the intention is that people (who do not have LOU) don't just think "Oh I'll have it PTS cos I don't want to keep a horse that cannot do its job so i'll claim back his/her sum insured and get another". It does happen (A LOT!) aith horse perfectly sound enough to hack/do low level comps but that may not be able to compete or be used for the level of competing intended.

That is what insurance is trying to stop and hence why LOU cover is an option as that DOES then allow you to have a horse PTS if it cannot do the job it was intended for. The downside is LOU costs but that's the risk you take when you do or don't insure for it.
 
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