Loss of use/Loss of animal - do they actually pay up?

[MrsMagoo]

Hi, sorry for the depressing post but just wondering if anyone has ever claimed for loss of use or loss of animal and whether or not the insurance company actually pay??

My young mare is going into the vets for more tests Fri and it could come to the point where its best for her to be PTS so just trying to figure where we would stand. I have her insured for loss of animal - £4000.

Thanks

 

[_April_]

I have sadly and it took months and months, ended up getting the citizens advice bureau involved so they paid out eventually. Not what you want to have to do during an already emotional time.

 

[lizzie_liz]

My parents claimed LOU with my mare 5 years ago and we got the money through relatively quickly. Her lameness started about easter (april) and we went through x rays, scans, a set of steriod injections, bute, bute and more bute, eggbar shoes. This took all all summer and after the vets wrote a report, the insurance company paid out in about september or october of that same year, we applied LOU august/september.
My mare has navicular in front feet.

ETS: ours are insured with Petplan

 

[Kelly1982]

Hi Becky

I am so sorry it has come to this, have they figured out what is wrong??

I cant comment on loss of use but as for loss of animal, when i was going through all that crap with Trike they told me that they would only pay out if the horse needed to be put down there and then i.e if it broke its leg. Because the vet said that Trike could live in a field quite happily until the disease got the better of him the insurance company wouldn't pay up.

If your vet has said that there is no other option other than to have her PTS then i am pretty sure the insurance will pay out, if the vet said she can live in a field on bute and its YOUR CHOICE to have her PTS then the insurance wont pay out whether you think its in the horses best interest or not.

It may differ from each insurance company but i am with NFU and thats what they told me.

 

[MrsMagoo]

Yeh thats what I was thinking it was going to be...well until Friday and Peter gets the full final picture we dont know if its a painful problem for her or not...such a shame as she was really calming down this year, but then again maybe thats all to do with a problem...

 

[Kelly1982]

What are his ideas its is so far?? Does he still think its kissings spines or not??

I think you should ring your insurance company and ask to make sure but i was told that if its 'your choice' to have them PTS when the vet has said they could live in the field for another few years then they wont pay out.

 

[SSM]

Big hug to you.

When I lost Stinkerstonker they paid up immediately, they did not even require a postmortem, just the vets confirmation. But it was very cut and dried alive one evening, dead the next morning.

 

[_April_]

Yes mine was cut and dried too... grass sickness.

They never actually said they wouldn't pay, they just stalled for as long as possible and demanded valuations from my instructor, vet valuations and all manner of evidence. Eventually we wore them down and they paid out but not after a long stressful time.

 

[_daisy_]

Really sorry to hear about your horse. I claimed LOU on Ebi. I put the claim in around September and got paid out around November. Suppose it depends on how good your vet and insurers are. My vet mustve put all the information on the claim form that the insurers wanted. The insurance people (NFU) called just to check the situation before they paid out and didnt quibble over payment amount.

Hope it goes well for you on Friday.

 

[jellybaby]

Yep, NFU payed up as Cowbag was bought as an "Event Horse" and when could no longer event, nice Vet came out, said breeding value, NFU coughed up a serious amount of dosh and vola, livery bills are still being paid by nice large amount that NFU gave us!!!!!!

Good Luck!

JB xx

 

[Reashi]

When Darcy was put down after breaking his leg NFU paid up immediately. Never experienced loss of use stuff though.

 

[Snowberry]

I've had to claim for a few

NFU and Petplan were both great, both paid out relatively quickly (within 10days) and just needed the say so of the vet. My vet is very straightforward thou, it either has a job or its PTS.

 

[pootler]

I got LOU for my horse, he was diagnosed with a sacro-illiac strain which left him lame behind. It took a while to get a final write off from the vet but once the vet signed him off, Equestrian Direct were very quick to pay his LOU value.

 

[Maesfen]

Like Snowberry says, a lot depends on your vet and how practical they are. If a horses can't do a job of some sort, sensible vets will admit being put down is the better option and will tell the company so but if you have a relatively nambypamby vet you might have problems if they want to carry on treating even though it is not in the best interests of the animal.
Your best bet is to have a straight talk with the vet, explain your situation regarding insurance and if they have any decency about them, they will go for the better option for your horse, not for their pocket in mounting fees.
I have only claimed for death and have never had a problem with either Norwich Union (who don't do horses now, sadly) or KBIS but I can't comment about LOU.
Good luck, hope it works out for the best for the horse and you; it's always a stressful time waiting for results.

 

[TequilaMist]

I think it would depend on your policy.I claimed loss of use on mare I had got 75% of sum insured as a mare.Mare was eventually put to sleep 3yrs later at own cost due to feeling leg in winter from same injury.
Agree if its your decision you probably would have to cover cost unless you can justify it.I find our vets quite good at helping with this.
Found Petplan really good at paying out.As mare was alive they tend not to pay LOU money til horse freezemarked with LOU stamp.As we stay in N.E Scotland would have had to wait 2/3 month for Farmkey to be up this way.I explained this to Petplan and they sent cheque following week.

 

[Pidge]

Sorry to hear that. I have my insurance with the NFU and lost Higgins to Grass Sickness in May 05. They paid my vets bills here, transport to Leahurst, impacted colic surgery, euthanasia etc and the sum insured of £7000. The only thing they didn't pay was 50% of the livery whilst at Leahurst (only 5 days) and the cremation I chose for him.

 

[cariadssogreat]

In my experience , having unfortunately lost a 4 year old and a 15 year old, neither time did petplan pay up for loss of the animal!!!
They in all honesty were insensitive , and although we had advised of the death still took the premiums for three months after etc etc - a total mess, the horse had been insured with them for 10 years and was incurably lame - and despite everything would not go sound. She was uncomfortable and the vets advised to put her down. It was a very well known equine vet - but that did not stand for anything - they would not pay. Petplan said hurtful things at a very upsetting time. Will never insure anything with them ever again.

 

[beckymed]

Yeah i got my loss of use money bk for my horse off pet plan but they did make me take him to this vets miles away where the vet made him trot up again and again when he was obviosly lame and would never event again (hasn't been ridden since) but we did have to have him operated on to get the money and in hindsite he may have come sound enough to ride but not jump if he hadn't had the operation as it made things worse.

 

[dieseldog]

Agree with what has been said about vets. We had a horse with chronic arthritus, only 12, and the vet wouldn't recommend having her put down, so we couldn't claim on the insurance, he said she had a life as a garden gnome (!). When we took her to be PTS she was so lame we had to drive the lorry into the field as she couldn't even walk to the gate.

We had another horse drop dead and petplan refused to pay out.

 

[Vey]

When my horse died, PTS after a RTA caused by a lunatic driver, Carriage House paid out within days of having the vet forms returned. I had my new horse within less than a month. What is more, they could not have been kinder or more helpful, and ably defended me against a totally unjustified counter claim. OK in their interests to do so, but such lovely people. i would recommend them any time!

 

[lizlew]

I think my insurance company nfu is fantastic, i lost a horse in a road accident 4 years ago and was obviously upset, basically the insurance company and my vet worked together and paid for loss of animal plus the fee for cremation, didnt really have to do anything! they have also been great in paying up for my mares last injuries, it really depends what you have insured as some companies will definately try and get out of paying any money, need to read policy very carefully and look for any exclusion.

 

[lizzie_liz]

seems almost hit and miss with insurance companies and seems as if we were lucky with mine. I hope i don't have to go through it again! Our mare which we claimed LOU for has not had a days lameness since we got the money through and is back competing!!!

 

[cariadssogreat]

Diesel Dog - sorry to hear you have had the same experience. If any one still has the relevant paper work and wants to club together to take these problems to the insurance obudsmen - please pm me and we'll see if we can sort something out. 2 years on and I am still very annoyed about how I was treated.