Pet insurance

[Coolio]

Hello we are new puppy owners as of yesterday and just after advice. I have two quotes from pet plan and the kennel club but I am stuck on which one to choose and also how much cover for vet fees each year, can anybody help please. Our puppy is a daschund x Caviler king Charles and the covers are £4000 £7000 £7500 £12000 or £15000 per year. We don't want to go to low but is £15000 too much. The difference per month from lowest to highest cover is £20

 

[JoanneF]

It's always a tough choice but given the inherent problems both breeds can have (heart, syringomyelia for the cav, and orthopaedic problems for the dachshund) if it were me, I'd go for the best cover i could afford. I take it the cavalier parent wasn't tested?

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

I don't have insurance,but have a dog fund for emergencies.
If you are going down the insurance route,if you think your dog may have health problems later on,get the best you can afford.

 

[Coolio]

Ahh thank you both for the advice, I'll go with the higher cover then to be safe.

 

[Tinytom]

I always have petplan until my dogs get to 9 yrs old ....they have always paid out for everything. ..when vet bills are so expensive now having a cross like you have i think you have made a wise choice to go for the higher one just make sure its lifetime cover or it wont be covered the following year

 

[Coolio]

Pet plan is the one I'm going for and it is lifetime as kennel club lifetime there was a 10% fee of the treatment cost on top of the excess. Thank you it's a minefield, only ever had family pets that was my nans

 

[Tinytom]

I dont know how many vets you have close by but i would try and choose one that has its own out of hours emergency services and not use of a consortium as they can be very expensive. ..some here are £250 before the vets even look at your dog ...luckily our vets are an independent practice. ...and dont ever be afraid to question your vets about something you arent comfortable with ...

 

[JudyN]

some her are £250 before the vets even look at your dog

WTF?

A friend of mine has been saving for a couple of years to be able to afford surgery for her rescue dog's luxating patella. She finally saved enough, then couldn't arrange the surgery because of covid - and now her vet practice have moved to Medivet and the operation has more or less doubled in price (No PDSA in our area.)

 

[Coolio]

I have took out the care plan at our local vets for £19 we get unlimited consultations vaccinations each year and monthly flea/work treatment unlimited nail clippings and few discounts of products. Seems good

 

[Rinkydinkydo]

Unfortunately I think a lot of vets fleece the insurance system,not all of them though. Bit like these lawyers that chase the car crash people.

 

[lurcherman]

Geez seeing these prices makes me realise I’ve been so lucky with all my dogs , they hardly been to a vet, just a few problems with was mainly below £50, I saved so much a week in a pot and lets say 8 years on without my dog seeing a vet I had thousands, the money got me through 3 dogs without hitting my pocket, soooo lucky, but can I win on lottery ? Not a chance .

 

[Hemlock]

When we went up to 6 dogs, insurance became impossible to afford, and after various "disagreements" with claims (such as the insurance company - a good one - setting the value of my dog) I started putting money by on the dogs' behalf. They always had whatever they needed, but I refused certain procedures as IMO they wouldn't help anything except someone else's bank account. I now have a good vet who does not agree with unnecessary procedures, and it's all about quality of life. So for me this works, but another alternative might be better for others.

I'm down to one elderly dog now and the same applies.

 

[Biker John]

We were another that found having numbers made insurance to expensive, in our case it was five dogs and three cats. So we started putting money into an account for them and carried on till now. all our animals have had any treatment we felt right and the account has never got to low, the worst year was when a dog needed an op at a referral center and a cat needed an op at my vets, but they were covered. I often joke that Folly, now an only dog, is the richest dog out playing.