Pet insurance - any suggestions?

[Québec]

Sindbad the cat is insured with the rspca gold cover. About 13 quid a month with upto 3grand cover per condition. As an aside,if you are buying regular drugs for your pet it's worth checking out the actual name of it and see if you can get it eleswhere. Many 'pet' medicine can be bought at a standard chemist under its generic name. Handy having a vet nurse for my sister!

 

Thanks. Did think of that, but it's a one-off, hand-made cocktail of drugs which we order through our vet, who I'm sure makes a decent profit on it. Though there may be other avenues to explore.

 

BTW On our now cancelled SAGA insurance, not only was there an excess charge (£75) but you also had to pay 20% of any claim.

[Guest]

Thanks. Did think of that, but it's a one-off, hand-made cocktail of drugs which we order through our vet, who I'm sure makes a decent profit on it. Though there may be other avenues to explore.

 

BTW On our now cancelled SAGA insurance, not only was there an excess charge (£75) but you also had to pay 20% of any claim.

 

Another source to consider is Viovet

 

we found they will often (but not always) be the cheapest source of prescription and non prescription pet medication.

[Guest wanted]

Thanks. Did think of that, but it's a one-off, hand-made cocktail of drugs which we order through our vet, who I'm sure makes a decent profit on it. Though there may be other avenues to explore.

 

BTW On our now cancelled SAGA insurance, not only was there an excess charge (£75) but you also had to pay 20% of any claim.

Fair play, I wouldn't mess with combinations without proper advice. Good luck

[Biggles]

We recently had one of our dogs de-lumped. All done in i operation with pre & post op consultation and histology. Total £640.00 Made a claim on Direct Line insurance expecting to get reimbursement less £80 excess. Remember 1 op.

 

Cheque came back minus 5 x excess as histology sowed there to be 5 different types of lump.

 

Needless to say I wasn't going to settle for that and after 2 months I received the claim in full less the 1 x £80 excess. This was after they tried (read accounting error) to short change me by £97.50.

 

So from claim to full settlement was 4 months. 1 x tied a con on excess and 1 x accounting error!

 

I am looking else where or will cancel.

 

Biggles

[Guest]

We recently had one of our dogs de-lumped. All done in i operation with pre & post op consultation and histology. Total £640.00 Made a claim on Direct Line insurance expecting to get reimbursement less £80 excess. Remember 1 op.

 

Cheque came back minus 5 x excess as histology sowed there to be 5 different types of lump.

 

Needless to say I wasn't going to settle for that and after 2 months I received the claim in full less the 1 x £80 excess. This was after they tried (read accounting error) to short change me by £97.50.

 

So from claim to full settlement was 4 months. 1 x tied a con on excess and 1 x accounting error!

 

I am looking else where or will cancel.

 

Biggles

 

See post #5 -

Edited January 20, 2011 by MJG

[Biggles]

Your probably right. We have spent over £4500 on 2 dogs for 10 & 7 years, so on balance my £640 claim is a small percentage.

 

Can you make a link to quoted posts please. I don't want to work that hard to get to it in future

 

Biggles

[Guest]

Your probably right. We have spent over £4500 on 2 dogs for 10 & 7 years, so on balance my £640 claim is a small percentage.

 

Can you make a link to quoted posts please. I don't want to work that hard to get to it in future

 

Biggles

 

Done

[larkshall]

Tillergirl is right, the older the pet the dearer it gets I keep two borders and two cats (all under 6yrs old) I decided that I'dinsure them until 7-8, and put 50 quid a month into a brics ISA to cover vet bills, started this about 6 years ago to build up as pets get older. According to a vet friend of mine cats should be relatively healthy until 14yrs plus. Border Collies generally don't make old bones (12 at a pinch), do you spend a fortune to extend life by a year or so?, what quality of life?... When I'm old and toothless I want me put down !!!!!!!!!!! Cant get on a boat?, bloody shoot me

[haggis]

. Border Collies generally don't make old bones (12 at a pinch),

 

That's not my expereince of border collies except perhaps the ones on farms which are run into the ground then put to sleep when they are no longer of use. The normal life expectancy of a border collie is, I believe, about 15/16 years and I have known a few progress a few years beyond that.

 

haggis

[canaldrifter]

I told Sophie some time ago that I couldn't afford vets, and strangely we have never needed them beyond the odd injection.

 

Tone

[tillergirl]

That's not my expereince of border collies except perhaps the ones on farms which are run into the ground then put to sleep when they are no longer of use. The normal life expectancy of a border collie is, I believe, about 15/16 years and I have known a few progress a few years beyond that.

 

haggis

 

Most vets tell you that Borders dont make much more than 12 but in reality most do unless they get ill. 13 1/2 (nasal tumor) and 15 (stroke) for our last two dogs. As for farmers putting their dogs down - they're not all like that. When we took Solomon back last year to see the farmer we got him off the guy actually cried because he looks so much like his sire who had died the year before at the grand old age (for a working dog) of 14! (retired at 9) He asked if he had been neutered and was gutted when we said yes as he would have liked to have put the bloodline back into his dogs. Pretty good compliment that was

 

Locally, there was a Border Collie who lived to 18 a few years ago............

Edited February 10, 2011 by tillergirl