Insurance opinions please.

[Vizslak]

RIght Flameheads post got me thinking. I have never insured the clan, preferring to keep savings instead. I have about 4k saved BUT as obviously my circumstances have changed that 'dog emergency' money may end up as bill money or something before long! Ie. I can see the savings being eaten into. So I have just looked at insurance quotes quickly...Cayla there is NO WAY I can afford petplans budget cover at 90 something quid a month! Even the non lifetime plan would be silly at 70 something per month.
Pet-insurance.co.uk have just quoted for the most basic cover so non lifetime...4k per condition limit for a period of 12months. At a total of £25.25 per month for all of them together. So...I have no idea if I can afford that or not really... I dunno what I can afford really until I move and start living for a few months so dont ask me that...but it SEEMS theoretically do-able.
So do I or dont I folks?!

 

[Vizslak]

Do you know what...I'm a total numpty! Now I'm poor and living off the state Will the doglets qualify for pdsa treatment in an emergency? ANyone know any info on what level of care they will actually provide?
Insurance comments still welcome as I will review that as soon as my hopeful home business is up and running and I can get off the ruddy benefits!

 

[Ravenwood]

Well, I have said it before and I know that I go against the norm for on here, but I don't insure anything animal wise - never have.

Like you I have access to money if a massive vet bill came in - but, again being completely honest - would I spend £5/6k on a dog?

The only reason the costs are so astronomical is because of Insurance in the first place!! When do we stop playing God? Arghhh - it raises so many questions!

We all managed perfectly well without insurance 20 odd years ago!

And at the end of the day, if I added up the cost of monthly premiums for all the animals I have owned over the years - I know damned well that they would far outweigh the cost of an op - which none of my animals have ever had to have anyway!!

And knowing my luck, even if my animals were insured, if anything did go wrong I just know that the insurance would wriggle out of paying!!

 

[CAYLA]

For the moment you can register 3 pets at the PDSA, they offer top notch vet care and emergency care but not specialist procedures, but still vover most complex surgeries.

just remember with some ins its alot easier for those companies who do not pay upfront to say "oh, we cannot cover that" AFTER you have paid out

initial quotes always sound good also, they can shoot up.

I have heard obs NFU mentioned and direct line, but I personally will always be a pet planner

 

[Vizslak]

this is kind of my opinion on insurance to tbh. I have liabilty cover for the horses but have never had vet cover for them either. And yep if say over the last ten years i paid all the premiums for all my animals you can bet that wouldnt equal what has been spent in vets bills...and certainly with the horses we havnt exactly been lucky...they have had a fair amount of vet bills in the last few years. The dogs not so much though...if I worked out their premium vs what has been spent on paper it would look very very negative for arguing insuring.

 

[itsme123]

ring your local pdsa and find out if you come in their catchment area, they're a bit funny with catchment areas.

Alternativley, pop the 4 grand in a savings account with a 7 or 14 day notice period. Then you can't dip into it, but it's there.

I use NFU but have a small amount of savings to cover bills under £700 or so.

 

[CAYLA]

ring your local pdsa and find out if you come in their catchment area, they're a bit funny with catchment areas.

Alternativley, pop the 4 grand in a savings account with a 7 or 14 day notice period. Then you can't dip into it, but it's there.

I use NFU but have a small amount of savings to cover bills under £700 or so.

As suggested check your catchement, the reason for this, is that if you are deemed to be to far out to reach an emergency branch in an emergency situation (i.e it would take longer than a stipulated amount of time for you to get there then you would be deemed to far away) however you can still register at a participating "pet aid" practice, this is a private practice close to you that treats PDSA clients, and you pay a small portion of the bill and the PDSA foots the rest, but you msut pre register, not turn up at the time of emergency without being registered first.

 

[itsme123]

Well, I have said it before and I know that I go against the norm for on here, but I don't insure anything animal wise - never have.

Like you I have access to money if a massive vet bill came in - but, again being completely honest - would I spend £5/6k on a dog?

The only reason the costs are so astronomical is because of Insurance in the first place!! When do we stop playing God? Arghhh - it raises so many questions!

We all managed perfectly well without insurance 20 odd years ago!

And at the end of the day, if I added up the cost of monthly premiums for all the animals I have owned over the years - I know damned well that they would far outweigh the cost of an op - which none of my animals have ever had to have anyway!!

And knowing my luck, even if my animals were insured, if anything did go wrong I just know that the insurance would wriggle out of paying!!

^^ this is kind of my view on it. I have only ever had two ops on my pets. One a cat who had a fight with a badger, who left his tooth in cat's leg. Bill: £140.

Dog, blocked tummy, short stay at vets, doggy version of stomach pump, bill: £500. (and that was at the expensive vets!)

Plus the investigative treatment on my old dog, x rays (£60 a pop) , scans etc, I spent alot on that!

The rest has been routine stuff. My vets charge £14 for a consultation and anti b's etc if needed rarely over £10. So I can't really justify what i spend on insurance, I'm just scared the dog will do something like go get run over the day after i cancel the plan. And having lost one whose treatment could have run into thousands, that scares me too.

It just annoys me that vet treatment costs so so much, and like ravenwood says, largely based on insurance.

 

[Vizslak]

For the moment you can register 3 pets at the PDSA, they offer top notch vet care and emergency care but not specialist procedures, but still vover most complex surgeries.

just remember with some ins its alot easier for those companies who do not pay upfront to say "oh, we cannot cover that" AFTER you have paid out

initial quotes always sound good also, they can shoot up.

I have heard obs NFU mentioned and direct line, but I personally will always be a pet planner

Right i cant make a call who cant be registered with the pdsa...I would def pick the poor bugger that got hit by a car or something! I want to use my regular vet atm and for minor stuff, I'm happy to pay or to make the ex pay if I struggle and its a slightly larger bill (he did promise this). Am I right in thinking that you can still go to the pdsa in an emergency without being registered? I hope I'm not tempting fate by talking about this..so if for example Flora got hit by a car 2mrw and clearly had a very broken leg...that in my mind is going to be a large old bill at my vet and possibly there would be other complications also adding cost...could I make the call to dash to the pdsa instead of my vet with her in that scenerio? Also and I feel like I'm sounding particularly mean and scabby now if I were to take someone to my vet for what seemed like something minor illness wise and it turned out to be something a bit more sinister that needed further investigation...could I then register said dog with pdsa and take it there for the further investigation? I really feel awful asking this

 

[Vizslak]

As suggested check your catchement, the reason for this, is that if you are deemed to be to far out to reach an emergency branch in an emergency situation (i.e it would take longer than a stipulated amount of time for you to get there then you would be deemed to far away) however you can still register at a participating "pet aid" practice, this is a private practice close to you that treats PDSA clients, and you pay a small portion of the bill and the PDSA foots the rest, but you msut pre register, not turn up at the time of emergency without being registered first.

I just checked online, they have a postcode checker, the new house is in catchment for a hospital.

 

[CAYLA]

yes, for PDSA you can wait until the accident happens for instance then register, jsut make sure you have the following ready

proof of Housing benefit or council tax benefit (in date) and something with your signature on it like bank card, passport or drivers license.
Bacause if for example your dog took bad at 1am, and you phoned the PDSA emergency line and they want you in asap, they will still see you even if you have no records or have ever used them, but they will want those in date proofs to register you at the time.
again if you went to your private practice and say Flora has a PYO and you cannot afford it, they will refer you to PDSA via vet to vet referal over the phone and you will take her to a PDSA practice with your paper work to register.

BUT If out of catchment like I have mentioned above (and you go to a private vet that participates in pet aid) then you need to PRE REGISTER before you are seen, you cannot produce the proofs on the day.

So make sure you have proofs somewhere u can get them asap and keep them updated and check you are in the catchment area for your local PDSA.

PS they do not see anything to do with breeding i.e emergency C sections or issues with birthing, understanding though as its preventitive, not that you would do that, but worth a mention

 

[Vizslak]

ring your local pdsa and find out if you come in their catchment area, they're a bit funny with catchment areas.

Alternativley, pop the 4 grand in a savings account with a 7 or 14 day notice period. Then you can't dip into it, but it's there.

I use NFU but have a small amount of savings to cover bills under £700 or so.

Yea thats a good plan but I think my situation is such that I may NEED to dip into them rather than being tempted to.

 

[Vizslak]

yes, for PDSA you can wait until the accident happens for instance then register, jsut make sure you have the following ready

proof of Housing benefit or council tax benefit (in date) and something with your sinnature on it like bakk card, passport or rivers license.
Bacause it for example your dog took bad at 1am, and you phoned the PDSA emergency line and they want you in asap, they will still see you even if you have no records or have ever used them, byt they will want those in date proofs to register you at the time.
again if you wne to your private practice and say Flora has a PYO and you cannot afford it, they will refer you to PDSA via vet to vet referal over the phone and you will take her to a PDSA practice with your paper work to register.

BUT If out of catchment like I have mentioned above (and you go to a private vet that participates in pet aid) then you need to PRE REGISTER before you are seen, you cannot produce the proofs on the day.

So make sure you have proofs somewhere u can get them asap and keep them updated and check you are in the catchment area for your local PDSA.

That is all very good news indeed then! Thanks Cayla thats brilliant info. Will make sure I have the number for the hospital and required proofs in a safe place for emergencies then and also take proofs with me to my vet in future just incase something happens and I need referring! Is that right?

 

[Vizslak]

Also...I'm gonna set up a small monthly donation to the pdsa....and if I require their services during this time then that donation will be going right up when I'm back on my feet! I know there are people that probably take the pee out of it as a service but what a relief to know that for a genuine caring pet owner like myself that is in a spot of bother right now there is a great service like this available to help my babies. Fabulous.

 

[CAYLA]

Hey! you quoted my un edited post

Yep, have those proofs in a draw and if you go top private practice in an emergency first take those proofs to save time, as the PDSA will ask you to get them before issuing treatment.

Also because you never read me edited one, the don not see bitches in whelp, C sections or birthing problems, obs as its a profiting thing and its a preventive, not that you ever would but worth a mention

 

[CAYLA]

Also...I'm gonna set up a small monthly donation to the pdsa....and if I require their services during this time then that donation will be going right up when I'm back on my feet! I know there are people that probably take the pee out of it as a service but what a relief to know that for a genuine caring pet owner like myself that is in a spot of bother right now there is a great service like this available to help my babies. Fabulous.

They do ask for a donation at the time of treatment, but its not a stipulated amount, literally what you can afford, so could be £1 to £100 for whatever the procedure.
I have to say they do provide a second to none service.

 

[itsme123]

when I was getting government help I used the PDSA for a few jabs etc for one of the cats, and they were really good. It wasn't free, I paid about £7 or £8 per jab. As good as my usual vet. It's a relief to know that they're there should the need arise.
Cayla, I don't think they cover any pregnancy related treatment at all. Someone I know had a cat who was pregnant and they wouldn't see her. Cat ended up having a c section later on at a different vets costing over £1000!
PDSA promptly spayed it for her after!
And for anyone reading this who has a cat needing castration/ spaying, if you truly cannot afford the cost then the CPL will cover some, but not all, of the cost. For yard cats and strays they will do the op for free.

 

[Vizslak]

Feckin hell Cayla I may be one of them irresponsibubbble breeder folks but I wont be having any litters in my current circumstances!!!
*polishes halo* I had an hour long convo with a chap phoned for pups tonight...he's off to the local rescue to get what hes given at the weekend now...so there!
I would most definatley be fine to give them £100 donation at the time on top of a small monthly sum. Realistically...I would give them more than that if at the time of emergency or whatever if they saved me dog and I had a bit extra. I just think if one of mine in few months time was in a position to need a op that was say £700 quid, I could access 2-3 easily and live on toast for a few weeks but not the 7!

 

[CAYLA]

when I was getting government help I used the PDSA for a few jabs etc for one of the cats, and they were really good. It wasn't free, I paid about £7 or £8 per jab. As good as my usual vet. It's a relief to know that they're there should the need arise.
Cayla, I don't think they cover any pregnancy related treatment at all. Someone I know had a cat who was pregnant and they wouldn't see her. Cat ended up having a c section later on at a different vets costing over £1000!
PDSA promptly spayed it for her after!
And for anyone reading this who has a cat needing castration/ spaying, if you truly cannot afford the cost then the CPL will cover some, but not all, of the cost. For yard cats and strays they will do the op for free.

Vaccines, wormers, neutering are not classed as emergency treatment, they are a preventitive service so have to be paid for.

Breeding is not covered and neither should it be, its a charity and should not be used for profiteering, you can neuter your cat for £20 quid so why should the PDSA fund a C section when they could have neutered your cat for £20 simples, if you want to breed good and well but pay for it yourself its a preventive (not aimed at you itsme, jsut explaining.

You can neuter your dog or cat for a huge reduction is registered at PDSA because they are issued dogs trust vouchers and cats protections vouchers and the client pays the small amount required towards it.

 

[CAYLA]

Feckin hell Cayla I may be one of them irresponsibubbble breeder folks but I wont be having any litters in my current circumstances!!!
*polishes halo* I had an hour long convo with a chap phoned for pups tonight...he's off to the local rescue to get what hes given at the weekend now...so there!
I would most definatley be fine to give them £100 donation at the time on top of a small monthly sum. Realistically...I would give them more than that if at the time of emergency or whatever if they saved me dog and I had a bit extra. I just think if one of mine in few months time was in a position to need a op that was say £700 quid, I could access 2-3 easily and live on toast for a few weeks but not the 7!

I know you would not, but worth a mention for others reading the thread
If you need an op for a non preventive ailment or emergency, u use the service woman never mind paying for this and that, you qualify, u use it.....understand!

 

[Vizslak]

I will use it if needed and I'm glad I now know the procedure and have it clear in my mind who to phone, where to go, what proofs I need etc should that situation arise...one more thing off my mind, one less thing to worry about!

 

[Spudlet]

Would I spend £5/6K on a dog... no - but I sure as hell would on Henry

If I hadn't had insurance Henry would likely be dead for the sake of one nights bin-diving, because I couldn't have afforded the emergency surgery he needed.

Cayla, would like to hear your opinion on my insurance, it is with the blue supermarket... chosen because they covered us for public liability at work, which Petplan would not. Good, bad, indifferent?

 

[MurphysMinder]

Don't know about the PDSA, but a retired friend uses RSPCA vets and they will only treat a maximum of 2 dogs per owner. I only have Evie insured, she is an add on to my NFU house insurance and costs £5 a month just for vets fees. If you are insuring your house contents might be worth checking with NFU. The 2 oldies aren't insured, over the last 2 or 3 have cost me quite a bit but probably not as much as premiums all their life. I don't have a lot spare for huge bills, but do have very understanding vets who know I will pay even if it takes a few months.

 

[BBH]

I have just insured all my pets with Animal Friends because there is no way I want my clan not to be able to have treatment or a longer life because I'm not willing / able to spend the money.

Also bullbreeds are prone to certain conditions.

But for me its not just about vet fees in this day and age of litigation I wanted Liability cover aswell. My Sec A boy Hamish is in a field with a footpath and so should he crate a problem I don't want to be exposed to lawsuits or damage claims.

For all three it is £74 per month and yes to some it might seem a lot but I sleep well at night and don't have to faff about putting sums of money away monthly which then invariably get ' borrowed' from.

I think its a very personal choice and each to their own.