Continuous cruising and pet insurance

[cuthound]

Starry,

 

So sorry to hear about your cat. Please accept my sincere condolences.

[Paul C]

To directly answer the OP - I did try to get insurance for our dog but couldn't without lying. Millie is uninsured and we keep our fingers crossed all the time that she doesn't need vet care that will break the bank for us.

 

She's 11 now, fighting fit, but I am scared.

 

Good post - if you need to lie to get the insurance, it might be okay for a £500-700 claim but if you faced a larger claim, the insurance company may decide to check more closely (what's the chance of always being on holiday when your pet needs treatment......slim...) and decide not to pay out.

[MHS]

Nope, good insurers are very supportive. I am not sure how/why they could cap a legitimate claim at a level below the policy limit-that would defeat the object of having insurance in the first place.

 

Ultimately, assuming the claim is for something your policy includes and the entirety of the fees claimed for is directly related to the incident and the vet approved the treatment/thought it was viable and in the best interests of the animal, good companies pay out.

My own policy (underwritten by Allianz) covered up to 7.5k. The dog was also insured (Pet Plan, again underwritten by Allianz) and had third party liability cover as part of this, up to 2million, which is what will ultimately pay for the treatment. The dog owner paid the excess on his own policy directly to the vet and his insurers are dealing with both sets of vets directly.

It is likely going to take months to sort out nonetheless-ironically, both of us having insurance rather than just one of us, threw up loads of complications that were not even really made easier by the fact both insurance policies were with the same underwriter.

I meant a lower policy limit as you suggest.

 

Your limit at £7.5k is significantly smaller than the £20k on Starry's policy.

[Neil Smith]

I know it a heart wrenching decision to make and I have had to make a few with my dogs in the past, but I think some vets will continue treatment even if there is no chance of a recovery if they think you will pay or are insured. I know as I had a second opinion and was convinced it was kinder to let her go.

 

Neil

[Paul C]

I meant a lower policy limit as you suggest.

 

Your limit at £7.5k is significantly smaller than the £20k on Starry's policy.

(Some of) the £20k was paid by the other party, where the limit is much higher.

[Starcoaster]

Yes, that's the thing-the dog's own insurance if he injured himself covers probably up to 7-15k (I have no idea what cover he has). However, the third party coverage for dogs covers up to a significant amount, for precisely this reason-the damage a dog can potentially cause if, say, it attacks a person, pet, even kills a person, causes a car crash as someone else mentioned etc., is likely to be megabucks. My local clinic has never processed a claim against another person's third party insurance before-it is proving to be very complex.

An insurance investigator is coming out-I am hoping not to have to return to where it happened and have to walk them through it-not only, I suspect, because of the vets fees, but because of their own liability in future if they continue to cover his dog, knowing now that it is a risk.

I was injured myself while trying to save my cat, I had to get in the canal and swim through the filthy water and around boats to get the cat out, and because clearly I am insane, the dog too, as the owner was staying nice and dry on the bank shouting and generally being a dick.

 

On top of the vet's fees, I lost/spent about 2k of my own money over the month whilst my cat was in the clinic, when you factor in taxis to and from the referral clinic 40 miles away with the cat, my own petrol for an eighty mile a day round trip up there, loss of earnings, and a huge range of other sundries too. It looks like I will have to take the dog owner to court for these things, and have already had a pre-court letter sent to him about it all (he is not being cooperative).

 

I just want my direct losses back, but if I wanted to, I could try and claim for my own injuries, psychological impact, and a whole range of other intangibles too, all of which would once again, potentially mean an even bigger claim-these are just some of the multiple reasons for why third party coverage in a pet insurance policy generally goes 1-2million, and is separate from the dog's own veterinary fees coverage.

[ditchcrawler]

Not something I had considered but as I am about to become bricks and mortarless I will have to do so. As I take a winter marina mooring I may be able to use the marina address even though I will not be living on the boat much (warmer climes beckon!).

 

I wouldn't like to be without cover - not only for possibility of huge vet fees (like another poster I choose a large excess) but 3rd party. As someone said causing a car crash could bankrupt you!

If you have live aboard insurance see if you can get it on that. Mine was on the house insurance.

[Starcoaster]

I know it a heart wrenching decision to make and I have had to make a few with my dogs in the past, but I think some vets will continue treatment even if there is no chance of a recovery if they think you will pay or are insured. I know as I had a second opinion and was convinced it was kinder to let her go.

 

Neil

I am an ex veterinary nurse, and now spend most of my working hours writing veterinary-related articles. I am objective enough to be able to tell when my own pet has a chance of recovery, or not, and I took this into account at every stage, along with factors like how she was coping, her personality, and all of the other elements.

I discussed the case each day with her head clinician, I saw the images of her surgeries and wounds, which, as Cath Fincher will be able to tell you, would make many people lose their lunch-and bear in mind, this was my own cat.

I remained well informed at every stage, and while I agree with everything that the clinician did, and the steps he took and the things he tried, I agreed on the basis of my own decisions, knowledge, and consideration.

Because the insurance coverage was so high, the clinician was able to try something that had never been done with a cat in the UK before, which we were all genuinely hopeful would save her. Ultimately it didn't-too much was going on as well-but this was not the clinician experimenting on my cat or finding ways to inflate the bill-it was a chance, to potentially save my cat, a real chance, that very few other people/cats would have been able to have had, due to the cost.

Ultimately, she died due to the secondary infections from being in the canal with an open wound, combined with the anemia that came about due to her body putting all of its effort into the wound itself, and the infection.

 

The referral clinician who managed her care is actually the person who said in the end, today is the day you have to choose-we can try this one last-ditch thing (a second blood transfusion from another cat, as it happens, as she was severely anemic, and after the first transfusion, had not begun regenerating her own red blood cells as expected) but in my opinion, I think we have reached the end of the line in terms of what is in her best interests to try.

I of course agreed with his decision and she was put to sleep at that point-at the time I was actually on my way up to the clinic to bring her home to nurse for a few days, as she had been in the clinic for three weeks at that point, and the clinician felt that she needed to go home for a bit.

[Neil Smith]

I am sorry I was not implying they are all the same and glad you found a good one unlike me, but my old lab had cancer that had grown around her main artery to the hind leg and to remove it would have resulted in her loosing her leg, she also had secondary cancer in her mammory glands so was kinder for the old girl to let her go, but the first vet wanted to operate anyway with out telling me she would loose her leg. brings tears to my eyes just thinking of her.

 

Neil

[Boafb]

Thank you all for your comments, they're very helpful. It doesn't sound like anyone has the solution I was hoping for. I think I may have to do some legwork by going direct to insurance companies and asking them how they'd cope with us c cruising and hope if I find one that doesn't have a problem with it, that they have as good a cover as We currently have with Petplan. If all else fails I'll do as some of you have suggested and put the money by for vet bills should we need it, and hope for the best.

Thank you all again. Looking forward to running into you out there on the water. Jules

[Loafer]

Thank you all for your comments, they're very helpful. It doesn't sound like anyone has the solution I was hoping for. I think I may have to do some legwork by going direct to insurance companies and asking them how they'd cope with us c cruising and hope if I find one that doesn't have a problem with it, that they have as good a cover as We currently have with Petplan. If all else fails I'll do as some of you have suggested and put the money by for vet bills should we need it, and hope for the best.

Thank you all again. Looking forward to running into you out there on the water. Jules

 

I'm an interested party here. I have a dog (avatar) and am a CC, with expensive Petplan insurance which has paid up twice in the past, in two different places.

 

If you come across any provider who will actually say yes, do let us all know on here!

 

Best of luck.

[Guest]

Just one further thought but it strikes me this is something best discussed face to face with an insurer.

 

A quick check shows NFU.Mutual do cat and dog insurance and they also have offices you can visit I believe.

 

I have no idea if the cover is any good but it might be worth a chat with someone there to explain and see if they will provide any cover.

[Alanji]

To directly answer the OP - I did try to get insurance for our dog but couldn't without lying. Millie is uninsured and we keep our fingers crossed all the time that she doesn't need vet care that will break the bank for us.

 

She's 11 now, fighting fit, but I am scared.

 

I'm sure Millie is good for many years yet, Ange - if she stops trying to steal huge bones from other dogs

 

Not something I had considered but as I am about to become bricks and mortarless I will have to do so. As I take a winter marina mooring I may be able to use the marina address even though I will not be living on the boat much (warmer climes beckon!).

 

I wouldn't like to be without cover - not only for possibility of huge vet fees (like another poster I choose a large excess) but 3rd party. As someone said causing a car crash could bankrupt you!

If you have live aboard insurance see if you can get it on that. Mine was on the house insurance.

 

Thanks Brian but it seems Towergate, who I am currently with, do not offer pet insurance (except horses!)

[Boafb]

Thanks again folks. Will definitely let you know if I have any luck (or otherwise!!). Fingers crossed. Jules

[ditchcrawler]

 

I'm sure Millie is good for many years yet, Ange - if she stops trying to steal huge bones from other dogs

 

 

Thanks Brian but it seems Towergate, who I am currently with, do not offer pet insurance (except horses!)

I was actually talking about the third party insurance if your pet causes an accident that you could be libel for, not the pet insurance its self. I only looked into it when a frends dog ran out into the road and caused an accident, luckily for him his household insurance did cover the 3rd party risk but not the vets bill for his dog.