Insurance

[yorkshire-kid 44]

I have a patterdale and a whippet just wondered should I get them insured or have an account and put a little away each month. If i shoukd get them insured could anybody recommend someone for me. Thanks yorkshire-kid

[Westy76 546]

What if your dog took a turn next month costing £2k plus could you sort it?

If not insurance if you can and the dogs are pretty much trouble free from then on put it away and you win but you really don't know what's round the corner.

Ill recommend NFU.

[Country Joe 1,411]

I got caught recently with my Whippet, I insured him for £2,500 thinking, if he was unlucky to break a leg he would be covered, but after a tragic accident which came to more than that.

i wish now Id had him better covered, my present pup is now with petplan, a little more expensive than some of the others, but they are reliable at paying out.

The british countryside can be a dangerous place for a dog running at speed.

[Westy76 546]

Mine are capped at £2k on a multidog policy and one got ran over recently costing £3.5k if the bill was down to me he'd have been PTS but now he'll run again.........I hope

[Country Joe 1,411]

When a dog gives me his all, and always tries his best, then he is with me for life, so i have my pup insured for 7K.

[yorkshire-kid 44]

That's it when a dog has done everything I have said its the least I can do I was just wondering which way to go about it because you only hear the horror story's when they don't pay out. I will be shopping for a multi dog insurance tomorrow. Thanks gents!

[Country Joe 1,411]

Petplan is a wee bit more expensive than others, but they do pay out no problem.

they have a decent reputation unlike others.

[DazAllison1 556]

What's your monthly rate?

[Westy76 546]

When a dog gives me his all, and always tries his best, then he is with me for life, so i have my pup insured for 7K.

I'm happy with what I've got.

From this

To this

NFU paid out within the month all done direct great service.

[Country Joe 1,411]

I pay £19.86 a month for 7K and insured for life for any long term illness.

[Boris??? 12]

My late mum worked at a vets for 30 years and was a very keen animal person, including all working stock, as a result I spent my childhood and most of my adult life surrounded by dogs that had enjoyed a "second chance".

However, she did not approve of insurance as she stated that over a very short amount of time vet's attitudes towards the welfare, well-being and quality of life was compromised for the pursuit of higher profit. This is often the case for lots of pedigree animals where there may be a congenital fault - hips, shoulder and elbow problems are common in many breeds and vets are now specialising in extraordinary operations with extra-ordinary price tags attached to them. Often a pet owner will be convinced the op is for their pets own good and they will be done on insurance.

This is where the quandary lies for me: very often these ops are sold to the owners as giving the opportunity for extra mobility at an older age and the pet owner will sign on the dotted line only for their young dog to spend 3 months in plaster a further 3 month in rehab and probably a further 6 months before they are back up to full fitness. In essence the dog has been deprived of one of the best years of its life in an attempt to give it a chance of mobility as an older dog. For me, I would rather have a fit healthy mobile dog for 10 years and look after it in it's dotage or maybe PTS a year earlier than I would have liked to imagine when they were a pup rather than have a 12 - 14 year old dog that lost a year between 12 and 24 months which I have to keep going with pills and potions for all sorts of geriatric conditions such as heart kidney and liver issues to feel that my pet has benefited from the operation that it had in the prime of it's life. It's like us saying that we won't move through our 20s so that we can be more mobile in our 80s and 90s...

 

Don't get me wrong, I admire the folks that stick by their dog after an accident or the like, to give them the best life possible and have done it myself, but I have also seen people keep pets alive for far too long to satisfy their own emotional needs rather than think of the quality of life that animal has. The responsibility lies with us as owners to ensure that the dog is young enough, strong enough and has the right mentality to cope with their rehab not leave the decision to a vet who is ultimately thinking of what colour the new BMW will be.

As such I would advocate a savings account for emergencies etc, and then you have control over what happens to your pet at what can be an emotive time rather than being led by someone who may be thinking of the profit rather than your dog's long term wellbeing or quality of life.