<Mope> NFU definitely not paying my vets bills. Sympathy please!

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BeckyD

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...it was what I expected, but as it took them so many weeks to tell me, I had started to get my hopes up. Due to his slightly unlevel tuber sacrales when I bought him (about half a cm difference), NFU excluded his pelvis and spine, telling me it would go back on after a year if there were no problems (which I didn't realise I had to chase up!). Anyway, 18 months later he had a fall in his field and damaged his sacroiliac area. So I can't blame them, but I have a £2k vets bill to pay now
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Boohooooooooooooooo why are horses so expensive?!

And I still have a broken horse
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Because (as I now know) I would have had to get a vet out to give him the once over to check there were still no problems, vet then submits a report to NFU, who consider it and possibly then un-exclude it - doh! I'm such an idiot - the girl I spoke to back in April 2007 seemed to friendly and nice - exclusions aren't final - if there's no problems we can just pop it right back on after a year. Grrr. I'm so thick!

I knew they wouldn't pay up and I can't blame them as I wouldn't if I was them - but I'm still feeling
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about it all. On top of that it's Ian's 30th on Sunday so I'm utterly broke
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Do you have it in writing that it would go back on in a year? If so, you could argue the case. If you don't have a letter from them to that effect, ask to see your records (data protection act) it'll cost you a tenner to see them, but if there is anything in there about a one year exclusion, which has obviously expired, you could use that. Especially if your vet states that this is a unrelated injury caused by a trauma/accident.
 
Oh dear, poor you. And after the gushing post about NFU. However, I will have to sort of side with them, even though they were sneaky about it. Do you have it in writing that it is excluded in the first place?

My horse's both back legs are uninsurable...but forever I think.. becuase she had arthritis and surgery as a 5 y/o so had surgery. Have to say NFU paid up promptly, but she is no longer covered behind. So she has a mega problem if anything comes up..

Good luck, and sorry to hear about the huge bill. I paid 200 quid on rat surgery last year, which also seemed a bit obscene !
 
Ah thank you, though I really can't blame them. They've been so good over his tendon injury - paid up in mere days!

Just moping at how broke I'm going to be this year!
 
Nope - only in my writing
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I wasn't canny enough when I first got Ronnie, so it's my own silly fault (believe me I am bruised from kicking myself so hard!!).

Nightmare about your horse's back legs - that's a very large area to have things go wrong in! Fingers crossed his early troubles were all that will happen to him.

In terms of bill size compared to body size - I think you got the raw deal with your rat! Hope rat ok now?
 
No I didn't get it in writing - I honestly didn't give it a second thought. It's my own fault and I can't blame anyone else, still - you live and learn. I sure as heck won't buy a horse again with an insurance exclusion!
 
Problem is we always think of insurance companies trying to benefit us - they are in business to screw us over I think!
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Any lupoll they can find will be used.

Ratty is better - she had a tumor - has another one now, but she did get another year, and at the time she was only a baby. I think one ratty surgery is quite enough, so will leave this one until she seems uncomfortable, and then ratty heaven time.
 
I have insured with NFU for years, property, tractor, horsebox, business, house - you name it, I think they are great.

When I bought a four year old, the vet's certificate stated he had juvenile warts, and the NFU excluded all skin related problems from the cover. I objected to this, and they said quite clearly that if after a year there had been no problems, and the vet wrote a letter to this effect, the exclusion would be lifted.

I got the vet's letter in time for renewal, the skin thing was taken off, and the horse is now 13 and never had a related problem. I think it's fair enough tbh that the onus should be on the owner to show that lifting a restriction is reasonable, but they could have confirmed earlier that they wouldn't be paying up.
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Really sorry to hijack the OP but am curious about rats. I was recommended a rat as they were great pets however Wallace my first did nothing but bite me and boy did it hurt. Was I just unlucky.
 
I can say that in 10 years of owning rats I have never had a biter. You need to get them very young, and the worst they will do is mistake you for food, but for the most part they lick before they bite.

I currently have one of my three sitting on my shoulder. She likes to sit on my soulder as I walk around the house. I think they make amazing pets, very responsive and clever, and very affectionate.

The problem is that they only live 2-3 years, and are prone to illness. So you get very attached. My mum had to have her 3 y/o put down yesterday, and he was the loveliest boy you could ever imagine, she is heartbroken.
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But I would say they are the best small animal!
 
Ah thankyou, wallace died at three and yes its too short a life but I might try again and get a skewbald baby.
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When I managed to get Sids colic unexcluded I needed a letter from my vet saying that there had been no other episodes in the 4 years since his last episode. Thankgod I did as 11 months after it was reinstated Sid colic'ed
 
I have to say that although I always get a horse vetted when I buy it but I never tell the insurance company that I did, for the very reason that they will exclude every negative comment a vet makes.
 
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