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Original poster

To get the pet insurance now?

26 replies

Icedwatermelon · 25/01/2018 07:57

You may have seen my post yesterday relating to my dog. After googling and looking online it's a possibility that it may be a problem with ligaments.

When my partner was made redundant 6 months ago we cut all "unnecessary expenses" on the suggestion of the financial advisor, which included the pet insurance. My DH has another job now but no where near as good money as what he was on.

If I take out pet insurance now and take him to the vets on Monday to get diagnosed with possible ligament trouble will it be covered??

OP posts:
Ginmakesitallok · 25/01/2018 08:01

V unlikely it would be covered as it's a preexisting condition.

dementedpixie · 25/01/2018 08:03

There is also a delay before it kicks in - 14 days I think. Also it is a pre-existing condition which isn't covered

Hoppinggreen · 25/01/2018 08:03

I think that there is usually an exclusion period when you take out a pet insurance policy

Original poster
Icedwatermelon · 25/01/2018 08:04

Even though it hadn't been previously diagnosed? He went round a corner and yelped so I'm assuming that's when the ligament went - quite common in small dogs apparently. I was going to say it happened on Monday morning and I had taken him straight to the vets, I can't afford £2000 worth of vets fees Sad

OP posts:
Cath2907 · 25/01/2018 08:04

Mine has a 14 day exclusion period :(

sleepyanne · 25/01/2018 08:06

Do you have a PDSA hospital near you? They may offer treatment for free if you meet their means test?

dementedpixie · 25/01/2018 08:06

You have to say they are fit and healthy with no issues on the application which you can't do truthfully if they are in pain

Ohforfoxsakereturns · 25/01/2018 08:08

I pay £50 a month for my pet insurance. Now he’s 11 it doesn’t cover all his bills (think I pay an excess of £75 plus 20% of the bill). It’s a lot and I do question whether I should just put this money away and save whilst he’s in good health.

Make sure you do your research, a lot of policies will pay for a condition but there’s a ceiling, or it’s only for a year. It’s a bit of a minefield.

GlitterUnicornsAndAllThatJazz · 25/01/2018 08:08

No, he won't be covered. Unless you can wait a good few weeks before taking him to vet which you cant if hes in pain.

There are associations where you can see a vet for free or some vets accept "payment plans" (where I am anyway).

Angelicinnocent · 25/01/2018 08:09

It's insurance fraud and if you get caught, good luck getting or affording insurance ever again, including car insurance and home insurance.

Find a PDSA hospital and see if they can help or speak to your vet and see how much it will be and if they offer a payment plan.

stickytoffeevodka · 25/01/2018 08:10

No he won't be covered.

Most insurance policies won't pay out for the first 14 days.

FayeGnus · 25/01/2018 08:12

Most policies have a 14 day exclusion period - it’d be a gamble with your dogs health, which isn’t worth it. Though if you sign up now before diagnosis, you might be covered for future (if you choose a lifetime cover plan) if this ends up being a long term issue? I’m not sure how the rules would work around this!

Call round vets - if you’re eligible you might be able to use PDSA, or the RSPCA if you have an animal hospital near you. Alternatively, some vets will offer payment plans (mine does) so people don’t have to worry about finding a lump sum when their pet is sick.

Mulberry72 · 25/01/2018 08:14

He won’t be covered as there is usually an exclusion period before you can put a claim in.

You’ll have to bit the bullet and take him to the vets, don’t leave him if he’s obviously in pain, it’s cruel.

araiwa · 25/01/2018 08:18

No way will they pay out

Why would anyone ever buy insurance if you could just buy it when you needed it. The whole industry would collapse in a month.

You chose not to have insurance, so now you pay it all out of your pocket

Oysterbabe · 25/01/2018 08:20

No that would be fraudulent.

Iliketeabagging · 25/01/2018 08:21

Fraud. Your dog will get a criminal record and will have to pay a fine. It will not be able to travel to America because of their policy which denies visas to felons. Don't do it, for the sake of the dog's good standing in the community.

meandmytinfoilhat · 25/01/2018 08:23

There's a 14 day exclusion period on any new policy.

BMW6 · 25/01/2018 08:33

That would be fraud and you stand a good chance of being sued by the insurance company........

notapizzaeater · 25/01/2018 08:40

Mine has a 14 day exclusion 😢

HotelSchmo · 25/01/2018 08:43

No he won't be covered.

The FA you saw is an idiot. Pet insurance is not an unnecessary expense.

NoMoreUsernames · 25/01/2018 08:43

Yeah sorry that would be insurance fraud. Please don't lie to your vet about how long your dog has been injured for, the longer you leave things the less chance of a successful outcome for him not to mention the fact he's likely in a lot of pain. If that's the case he needs to see a vet today, whatever you do do not self medicate with human meds.

Feilin · 25/01/2018 08:52

Our vet did payment plans . We had insurance but a redundancy and a sick dog meant we had to pay it off.

stickytoffeevodka · 25/01/2018 10:06

Most vets will accept a payment plan, so please don't use the lack of insurance as a reason not to take the poor dog to the vets.

Insurance is there for a reason - as a "just in case" against the worst case scenarios of your pet getting sick or injured. You chose (for perhaps good reason) not to buy that, so now you have to take responsibility as an owner and pay for whatever care your animal needs.

I've been bitten by this before. Didn't insure two indoor cats - of course they both got sick within months of each other and cost me £1500 in vet bills. My current indoor cats are both insured on the best policy I can afford!

AwkwardPaws27 · 25/01/2018 10:16

There are companies which offer loans for vet fees if your vet can't do payment plans, although I'm unsure what the interest rates are like (there are legal issues around vets offering credit which is one reason many now won't - I used to work in a vets).

Otherwise, any chance of getting a 0% credit card and putting it on that, then paying off gradually?

WhatATimeToBeAlive · 25/01/2018 10:19

I can't afford £2000 worth of vets fees

That's why it is a NECESSARY expense. You never know what trouble animals will get into. My dog was insured for that reason. I couldn't afford expensive treatment for her and dreaded the alternative. I made two very small claims in her whole life but at least I was protected just in case.