Past Colic Surgery - Insurance Implication??

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louisewarner

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I am having a horse vetted for purchase, and I understand that his history is straightforward - with a "BUT" !

He is a dressage horse aged 13 and has a consistent competition record with only one gap....and the owner has been very open about this.
He had an episode of Colic, 18 months ago and it was the first and only time he had shown any signs of colic.

He failed to respond to all the prelim' treatment, painkillers, drenches etc etc and was getting worse. So he was "operated on" - but - nothing obviously wrong was found, no gut was removed and he was simply sewn back up...........no real cause for this episode is obvious and there were no triggers that the owner can identify.......

He has not had it since, and her insurance will apparently reinstate cover for it after a period of 2 years.
She is now selling him, for good reason, and I am wondering if, and it is sure to come up on the Vetting (he has a scar), he will be considered insurable.
It may be a deal breaker for me if I cant get cover......I know opinions divide over an increased likelihood of Colic reoccuring after one bout, though no one seems convinced that there is any evidence in this respect.

The other complication is that this horse is in Holland at the moment (tho from a private seller I know and trust)
The full history and past Vet records are available as well and on the plus side, no bowel was removed and the horse made a straightforward recovery and was back to competing 4 months post op.

Any views, advice, welcome as always.
Thankyou
 
Personally I would be very suprised if an insurer would provide cover for colic especially as this horse has had colic surgery already. I had one who went for colic surgery and anything to do with colic in the future was excluded from my policy even though no bowel was removed. My horse suffered recurring bouts until we controlled it with diet.

Best bet would be to ring round some companies and ask.
 
My boy had colic surgery nearly four years ago and I have been told he wil never be exempt by an insurer.
However if he has not had a reoccurance then and he is what you are looking for then I'd say go for it and use this as an excuse to lower the price.
 
I have a horse who has undergone colic surgery, and prior to the surgery she had no previous colic bouts at all! This was caused either by an infection or something she had eaten as two horses on the yard came down with the same symtoms within 2 weeks and both required surgery.

I have been told she will never be ore prone to it than she was previously was... I need to check with my insurance but I am guessing that it will be exempt from now on
frown.gif
 
Hi

Just for info, the risk after colic surgery, regardless of whether gut was removed or not, is normally issues regarding adhesions forming inside the abdomen due to the fact that intestines are not designed or used to being handled. This is why often after colic surgery, (normally 6-12 months after) they can have a recurrent episode which can be quite serious and require further surgery.
I would be inclined to say that if you have access to the full vet records so you can see if there have been any further episodes of colic , then after 18 months you should be fairly safe with this, but you may find your insurance company want to exclude it.
 
With regards to insurance I'd be wary. My TB is prone to very mild spasmodic colic (basically he is a wimp) normally suffers once a year, which requires a visit from the vet and the usual drugs. He's never been taken to the hospital let alone operated and yet I've had huge problems getting any kind of insurance to cover it. Just be wary and possibly talk to insurance companies first.
 
Oh Dear........wish I did not know about this Colic now.
Horse passed 5 stage vetting and interesting to see that no mention of "it" is on Certificate, ie Scar not mentioned (it is incredibly hard to see it as it is mid line under stomach and you really do have to prod about to find it as it follows the natural line of fur........)

That said I asked the Vet for his advice and he has seen the report from the clinic that operated and confirms that there was no abnormality found and no bowel was removed. Also that post op was smooth and horse now well with no reoccurence to date.
The vet also told me that as it was nearly 2 years ago, then the horse stands no more chance of getting it again than any other horse...........

I have asked artound 2 -3 insurance companies and it is an outright NO, although the 3rd said they MAY consider cover but cannot guarantee, it would depend on underwriters.

Owner has already dropped the price as she is keen to sell and knows I will be a good home, and in fact the horse is exceptionally nice and suitable (if he wasnt I would walk) I have taken about 12 months so far looking for such a partner and am loathe to turn him down...........guess this is why I am harping on about it.
Is it at all feasible to just "not know" about it? It is only because owner is honest about the history.......the Vet has not mentioned it on Vetting in writing tho we did discuss it.......
any more comments welcome! (if my middle name was Lucky, I would not hesitate, but cant bear thought of £3000++ bill I could not pay and then have to have PTS)
confused.gif
 
my horse had surgery last feb and he has been perfect since, he did have some gut removed and my insurance will not insure him for anything to do with his digestive system which is a whole load of things, i now have a direct debit with my vet incase of insurance refusing to pay.
You could always pretend that you do not know about any previous history.
 
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