Any questions about pet health/well-being and pet insurance? Ask the experts - NOW CLOSED

[EllieMumsnet]

This activity is now closed

Buying or adopting a new pet is a lovely mile-stone for many people, however it can also be a bit stressful as there is so much information out there to sift through. What breed of dog do you get? What’s the best pet insurance to go for? How do you ensure your pet is settling in well? What are the top tips everyone needs to know when buying a new pet? Experts Jade Statt and Tara Hughes are here to answer all your questions about pet insurance and pet health & wellbeing.

Here is what Animal Friends has to say: “For Animal Friends animal wellbeing informs everything we do. We were founded 20 years ago in order to provide both affordable insurance for UK pets while also ensuring animal welfare worldwide through our extensive donations programme to charities. Animal Friends is delighted that Jade (whose organisation StreetVet just won our £100k giveaway competition) has agreed to help with any questions MNers may have about their pet’s health and wellbeing. Tara is also on hand to respond to questions about the ins & outs of pet insurance. For further info on looking after one’s pets please click here.”

Here is some information on Jade Statt who will be answering your questions on pet health and wellbeing: “My name is Jade Statt and I qualified from Glasgow Vet School in 2002 and have worked as a vet in small animal practice ever since. My specific veterinary interests are internal medicine, analgesia and small furries! I am the co-founder of the non-profit org Street Vet - a vet let volunteer initiative offering free accessible vet care to the homeless and their pets. What started as 2 vets (myself and my co-founder Sam Joseph) and a backpack in 2016, is now an army of over 300 veterinary professionals outreaching in 9 locations across the U.K. When I am not being a vet in practice or “ StreetVetting” , I am usually found walking my two huskies Timber and Innoko.”

Here is some information on Tara Hughes who will be answering your questions on pet insurance: “Tara Hughes is a registered veterinary nurse who graduated from Bristol university in 2010. She started working for Animal Friends as a claims assessor in February 2012. Since then she has taken on and assisted in multiple roles within the claims department, including Pawtal co-ordination and claims trainer. She is currently the Claims Quality and Training Manager. Her entire world revolves around animals, but more specifically Ellie, her husky!”

Watch this video below:

Whatever your questions around buying pets and pet insurance, post them below and we will choose 10 in total for Jade and Tara to answer. Everyone who posts their questions will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

[Ratbagcatbag]

I adopted a three legged cat back last year. I stupidly forgot to sort the insurance, and got hit with expensive bills for stress related cystitis.

I'm now wondering whether to insure him or not. I obviously know anything bladder related won't be covered and that's fine. But I do wonder what would be excluded as a result of a missing front leg? Or as that was all sorted and is healed if that would now not cause any further issues.

[PatPhoenix]

Does insurance usually cover the cost of putting a pet to sleep and cremation, and would there be exclusions from that cover?

[JellySlice]

How essential is pet insurance? In my youth it was virtually unheard of. None of our pets ever needed much more from the vet than routine immunisations, and all lived to good old age. Even had we had insurance to treat the conditions that our pets died from, I don't think we would have put elderly animals through that stress and pain.

(Trying to persuade dh, who did not grow up with pets, that we should have pets, BTW.)

[MrDarcysotherwoman]

Will it get more expensive to insure/change insurance provider as my dogs age?

[BristolMum96]

I've never had pet insurance. Either pay if needed or PTS. Don't want to be paying out monthly for a 'just in case' that I may never need. Is it more just for already sick pets? Or pre disposed pets?

[MrsFrTedCrilly]

We are considering getting a cat, have never had insurance on our previous pets. Our only costs were for immunisations. Is pet insurance really worth the policy price or would it be more sensible to have a separate kitty see what I did there aren’t I hilarious

[cheekychicken24]

We've always insured our dogs. One of ours is nearly 5, & we've never made a single claim, yet the premiums go up and up every year. Would we be better just putting the money into a savings account every month?

[April2020mom]

We are currently starting to think about pet adoption. Is pet insurance a good idea?

[icouldbewrongicouldberight]

One cat or two, which is best?

[Theimpossiblegirl]

How essential are vaccination boosters? I pay out every year for my dog's shots but am aware that many people don't have the repeat shots. Are they really essential?

[helloswellow]

Our dog was a rescue from an unknown home before she was rescued. We don't know much about her health background before she entered the rescue. The vet said there's evidence of abdominal surgery. What do you do when applying for insurance if you don't know the full history of your pet?

[OrdinaryGirl]

If your pet has a health condition (roughly quarterly seizures in our cat's case) and you have an enhanced policy that covers any health conditions from year to year (rather than being one that then gets taken into account at annual renewal), does that mean you're effectively stuck with your current insurer for your pet's whole life?

Our insurer whacks up the premiums massively every year but I don't think I can shop around on comparison sites because the cat has these seizures on his file and it seems like it would be complex and prohibitively expensive going with a new insurer.

I don't really understand how it works - any light you can shed would be much appreciated. TIA. 🙂

[del2929]

can you get pet insurance if your pet already has an existing injury/illness?

[ninalovesdragons]

Are there insurance policies for small animals eg guinea pigs?

[defineme]

Is my insurance valid if I don't get my cat's annual vaccinations?

[SillyMoomin]

I’ve heard the rumours that once you’ve chosen a pet insurance company, you’re then “locked in” for a lifetime, as should you need to claim for anything, that condition would then become “pre existing” should you try to move to a different insurer- how true is this?

[fishnships]

We already pay for a vets plan which covers vacs and flea/worming treatment as well as a yearly check up so adding insurance on top would be expensive - do you really think pet insurance is cost effective?

[Queenofthedrivensnow]

I need to insure my dog urgently. It's a show cocker he is 4. He's had treatment twice in 4 years. A jab when he was bitten by another dog and an anti sickness jab the other week (useless) when he got a bug. He is very healthy and hardy. I need to know what total claim per year I should go for assuming it's lifetime cover. He already has a pet club thing at the vets I pay monthly for jabs and flea and working. I need advice!

[Ashhead24]

We've got "for life" cover so that if they develop an illness they don't become impossible to insure. But does that mean we can't shop around each year?

[asuwere]

I always shop around for my house/car insurance each year but can I do that with pet insurance or are you tied to your first insurer? If the pet has any treatment, does that make it a pre-existing policy should I go to a new company?

[torthecatlady]

One of my cats has a lump on his side. The vet has said it looks fine and isn't worth doing a biopsy. Would this be a pre-existing condition even though it has not been looked into?

[Pegase]

Is it better to keep cats indoors or let them range outdoors?

[Bebe03]

Do you do discounts on more than one cat? And what if you haven’t had your cat from birth so aren’t sure of medical history?

[DaisyDando]

I’ve had a lovely rescue cat for seven years. We have insurance for him but we’ve never bothered to get the information on his chip changed. Is this going to be a major hassle? I’m thinking yes.

[starpatch]

Can you recommend pet insurance for guinea pigs?