Pet Insurance for my Doggie

[lisa84]

Hi,


Just want a bit of advice my lovely dog is 13 in June. The last few years the pet insurance has slowly gone up in price £4.00 per month increase last year and now its doubled from £22.00 to £41.00!!!!!:(
Shes blind and I had to spend a lot of money on her treatment but this stopped approx 3 years ago....I was going to put say £25 per month into an account instead in case we needed it.....Is this a good idea?
Also does anyone know if she still needs vacanations she hardly ever goes for a walk as she hates being too far from home as it stresses her she normally just goes round the block and then home.

Please may I have any thoughts, Lisax:)

[pboae]

Who is she insured with, what is the excess on the policy, does she have any regular medication and if so what's the cost, how big is she and what breed is she?

With regards the vaccinations, it's not a straightforward decision. On the one hand if she has had regular boosters for the last 13 years, she probably has life immunity to most of the major diseases, but not all dogs develop it. They are more at risk if they go to places where lots of other dogs go, but it's still possible to catch parvo just going round the block.

The safest thing would be to speak to your vet about getting a titre test. This will tell you her antibody levels and you can decide then whether you think she still needs a booster.

[Maverick]

regarding the vacs my dad is a retired ve and he would say no not at this age.
Bit the insurance it is likely that your dog will need treatment soon due to his age, so even saving every month, may not pay what he needs. If you have a young pet if you did this it prob would be better, but at his age????

My pooker is here on the bed and only has a few weeks left according to the vet, very sad, just sent off an insurance bill.
Your dog could just die in her sleep or could need a lot of care, only you can make the decision its a hard one. :hug:

[jen]

I think I agree with Mav, having paid all those years now is the time you are likely to need it, unfortunately you are more likely to need it now than ever before.
Mav sorry to hear about your dog, I lost my labrador a few weeks ago and it is horrible can only send you hugs, don't know what else to say. My lab was 14 on the monday and had to have her put down on the wednesday, her legs went suddenly and the day I had to put her down she was in pain. It was a bit of a shock because her hind legs had gone the previous week but she was not in pain when she wasn't moving and was quite happy, had booked her into to an accupunture vet the following day, but suddenly that morning from being quite happy she was obviously in pain and there was nothing more that the vet could do.
I hope your dog is as happy and comfortable as he can be at this time.

[mutley muppet]

Sorry I cant advise on insurance but I think it would be a good idea to put back an amount each month, especially if you also have a credit card to use incase of sudden emergency?

The problem with most pet insurance for elderly dogs is that they will exclude any pre-existing condistions such as blindness, arthritis etc?

Regarding the vaccinations, I personally wouldn't vaccinate an old dog. My vet has told me that by this age the dog would have good immunity, but if you are worried you could do as Pboae says and get a titre test to test her immunity.

My mum's dog is also blind and he is so clever. I think he can hear a pin drop five miles away and smell a biscuit at 10 miles, lol! :p

Can you post a photo of your dog? I'd love to see her?
MM. x

[lisa84]

Thanks for the advice its such a hard decision to make Ive not had to pay out for about three years for her treatment shes a lovely dog.
The kids adore her even though she was in terrible pain when she went blind she never showed it at all!!!!They said there would have been a pressure on both her eyes. Shes always had such a good way with everyone and only snaps when I cut her nails as Viszlas have tickley feet!!!!!
Shes called Jade and shes a gun dog, Hungarian Viszla is the breed and they live to around 14 years. She cant take walks anymore and prefers cuddles and a warm radiator.
I will try to post a picture but Im new to all this computer stuff, I will have a look on a disc and see if I can put one on my avatar!!!! Please bear with.
She looks like a ginger Wiermarnier, I think Ive spelt that right.

Lisaxxxxx

[lisa84]

Who is she insured with, what is the excess on the policy, does she have any regular medication and if so what's the cost, how big is she and what breed is she?

With regards the vaccinations, it's not a straightforward decision. On the one hand if she has had regular boosters for the last 13 years, she probably has life immunity to most of the major diseases, but not all dogs develop it. They are more at risk if they go to places where lots of other dogs go, but it's still possible to catch parvo just going round the block.

The safest thing would be to speak to your vet about getting a titre test. This will tell you her antibody levels and you can decide then whether you think she still needs a booster.

Shes insured with Sainsburys, I dont know the excess I think its 20 per cent of treatment. No regular medication, and shes a Vizsla.

[mutley muppet]

Aww, Lisa she looks lovely. :love: What a gorgeous face, she looks like a real sweetie!

I looked up lots of blind dog info for my mum& her dog so thought I'd pass on the links as there might be some good info for you.

Yahoo blind dog group:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/blinddogs/

Blind dog hoops:
http://angelvest.homestead.com/
http://www.handicappedpets.com/acc/harness/index.htm

Lots of blind dog links:
http://www.blinddogs.com/other-sites.htm#other

A couple of message board:
http://www.blinddog.info/msgbd/
http://p199.ezboard.com/SupportInformation/fblinddogsfrm1

Book that might be interesting:
http://www.petcarebooks.com/books/living_blind.htm

Here's a piccy of my mums blind dog Gyp. He has been blind for years now and had to have his eye's removed due to glaucoma.
Don't pitty him though. He is a right cheeky little little moo and gets around fine!!!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v476/ginagreys/P1010025.jpg

[meemo38]

I truly sympathise, i had a good insurance £11.99ish with no excess, last year this went up to £17.53, i queried the price increase and was told it was a one off price hike, then this week got my new policy documents and its gone up to £23.99, and the excess is now £70, my dog has a lot of ear problems which usually come to around £48, so was so glad of the no excess, so we have decided to put money aside and hope we dont have to have to many visits.
Michelle

[lisa84]

Savings account here I come!!!!! Im not gonna pay nearly £42.00 per month and if I set this up I will have it there when she will need it.

Thanks Guys for all your help on this. Lisax:p

[pboae]

The reason I asked her breed, is to consider her life expectancy. Vizslas are averaged at 12-15 years, so she is already a good age. If you put the £42.00 away for 3 years (which would take her to 15) that would be £1,512. At £25 a month it would be £900.

IMHO that amount would not be sufficient if she needs major treatment over the next few years.

If she had Hip Dysplacia (which is common in Vizslas) you would probably know about it by now, but she could still develop arthritis or just get stiff as she gets older. Assuming she is around the average weight of 50kg, her dosage for Rimadyl would be 100mg a day, which would be around £1 a day for the tablets. So £25 a month wouldn't cover that, and that's before you consider the consultation costs, etc. £42.00 would barely cover it.

If she were a young dog, and you could realistically hope for 5 or 6 years of good health (although it's never guaranteed, but the likliehood of problems does increase with age), then you'd have time to build up a reasonable pot of cash.

And of course 12-15 years is only an average, she may live much longer than that, but as she ages it is even more likely that she is eventually going to need some help with her joints.

So if she were my dog, I'd keep her insured.

[lisa84]

The reason I asked her breed, is to consider her life expectancy. Vizslas are averaged at 12-15 years, so she is already a good age. If you put the £42.00 away for 3 years (which would take her to 15) that would be £1,512. At £25 a month it would be £900.

IMHO that amount would not be sufficient if she needs major treatment over the next few years.

If she had Hip Dysplacia (which is common in Vizslas) you would probably know about it by now, but she could still develop arthritis or just get stiff as she gets older. Assuming she is around the average weight of 50kg, her dosage for Rimadyl would be 100mg a day, which would be around £1 a day for the tablets. So £25 a month wouldn't cover that, and that's before you consider the consultation costs, etc. £42.00 would barely cover it.

If she were a young dog, and you could realistically hope for 5 or 6 years of good health (although it's never guaranteed, but the likliehood of problems does increase with age), then you'd have time to build up a reasonable pot of cash.

And of course 12-15 years is only an average, she may live much longer than that, but as she ages it is even more likely that she is eventually going to need some help with her joints.

So if she were my dog, I'd keep her insured.

Thanks for all this Im gonna take it all down and see what I can afford its really hard now as I have loads of other bills at moment, shes never needed treatment except her eyes and this is why Im annoyed that it has gone up so much. It doesnt seem fair at all.
I feel I will need to stop paying when its due in March but will set up a savings account in fact Ive already got £400.00 in her name!!!!! Dont ask!!!!! Lol a dog with a bank account.
Thanks again for helping me on this Lisaxx

[pboae]

If you've already got a decent chunk put away, it's not so much of a problem.

I'd be lost without insurance, but it's getting very difficult. I have my dog insured with M&S, and his premiums have nearly tripled over the last few years, and now they have got rid of the no excess option as well, so that's another £210 a year in excess charges, just for his regular meds. It's depressing :-(

[mutley muppet]

Pboae, which meds is your dog taking? Have you looked at getting a precription from your vet then buying online? I was shocked at the difference when I compared the prices on Previcox for my old (now dearly departed) GSD.

[pboae]

It would be cheaper to buy them online, but not massively so, my vet is quite reasonable for med charges. As the insurance pays anyway, I don't mind giving my vet the business.

It'd be easier to list what he isn't taking :-\
He has arthritis and hip dysplacia, he has 300mg Rimadyl (approx £100 a month) and 4 x Nutradyl (approx £50 a month) every day, and cartrophen injections every 2-3 months (approx £15 a go, though he has to come off the Rimadyl to have them, so it's swings and roundabouts). But all of those are covered by one £70 excess payment.

He also has problems with his ears so he has Epiotic every month (approx £8) and Canaural (£8) every few months. Every 4-6 months that won't work, and then he needs Otomax as well (£15). So that's another £70 excess

Then he has ongoing problems with his feet (this is caused by the way he walks, which is a direct result of his hip problems, but the insurance co insist it's not related, so it has another £70 excess). He usually ends up with a serious infection 3 or 4 times a year, and then he needs anti-biotics (2000mg of Synulox for 14 days minimum, approx £100 per series). Towards the end of the antibiotics he needs Promax for 3 or 4 days, 1 syringe a day at about £9 a day.

So although his insurance is £50 a month, it's still a bargain really. Though next year we'll probably get hit with another increase because his breed are usually considered elderly when they turn 6 :-(

[mutley muppet]

Blimey Pboae, I can see why your dog DEFINATELY needs insurance now! :shocked:

[keatergreyhound]

Hi
Id got my cats insured with Marks and Spensers
My cats are only just over a year old and havent ever claimed
All of a suddern the premiums went from six to 12 pounds a month per cat
I did my reseach and found a for life policy with E&L isurance for less than five pounds a month which coveres more than my old policy
The excess is 70 pounds
Its worth shopping round

[pboae]

E&L (and Animal Friends who are underwritten by them) are the one insurance company I would never touch. They have the most terrible reputation for not paying out on claims, especially larger claims (i.e. over about £50). Vets will not deal direct with them, because they are so unreliable. Even when they agree to payout, getting the actual money out of them is another matter. If you google E&L reviews (or similar) you will see what I mean.

I do tend to rant on about them, so I will try and stay off my soapbox, but I get really wound up by them. It doesn't matter how cheap insurance is, if it doesn't pay out when you need it then it was money wasted. But most people don't find out what they are like until it's too late. :-(