To not disclose this....

[Nostrings457]

New puppy, needed a trip to the vets before we had even got insurance. Now looking for insurance - DH says not to disclose to insurance, just go to a different vet. AIBU to think that would be foolish and surely insurance companies would somehow have acces to that info? Its a skin condition which the breed is prone to. We were wanting lifetime insurance.

The insurer will directly ask whether a vet has flagged any health problems. I’d be extremely uncomfortable telling a direct lie to obtain insurance for that condition.

I am not sure how pet insurance works, but they surely have systems in place to check against this sort of thing. I know when I take my pets into our vet, their microchip is on their patient record so that may be used for checking? If you are going to do this, register with a new vet but they will use the microchip information to set up the record so be careful. You would need to tell the new vet that the puppy has not been seen previously. If you are taking out pet insurance, read the exclusions very carefully.

The more honest cost-effective route is to ask your vet to issue drug prescriptions (not the drugs). They charge a fee for this but you can get the drugs cheaper online using this form (in many cases anyway).

If you change vets you will need to disclose to them any previous vets you have been registered at, as they will want to transfer your immunisation info over for their records. There's no hiding it unless you got pup after vaccinations were completed by the breeder, and even then there may be a paper trail of who the vets have sent records on to.

Your fault for not getting insurance - expensive mistake you only ever make once. Sorry OP!

Do you drive? Have a mortgage? If you’re found out and your policy is voided, you’ll have to disclose that to every future insurer (all classes, not just pet) who may well decline cover because of the moral hazard.

Insurers have specialised fraud teams for all classes, even pet.

It's not about changing vets, it's about declaring known illnesses and conditions. If you don't declare, you are committing fraud.

I've made a couple of claims on my pet insurance now and they have, every time, asked for my vet history, not just the current vet. If your dog's vaccinations were done at a different vet they will want to see all history back to that point.
I agree with others, I'm sorry. I'm sure it's not your intention but it's fraud.

Did the pup not come with any insurance from the breeder?

Fraud. do the decent thing. disclose it.

What was the medical issue? If it is recurring, then it will affect your premium next year anyway. Over the lifetime of a dog there won't be much difference in price if you declare the vet visit. You could ring and ask how it would affect the insurance price before you decide which insurance company to use.

You don't have to have special puppy insurance. Legally dogs only have to have third party insurance if you are prepared to stump up for visits to the vet. Third party insurance is included in Dogs Trust membership (which is only £25 a year), along with a helpline for emergency medical advice. Some house insurers also have veterinary insurance too. There are loads of options.

So you have a pet that has suffered an incidence of a skin condition that is known to effect the breed. Treatment is probably fairly inexpensive, less than your excess I would imagine ? Honestly I would disclose on this one thing and get insurance to cover the myriad of far more expensive things that potentially come with owning a dog, like a couple of grand or more for a torn cruciate ligament. Do the right thing and cough up for some cream and steroids occasionally. Might be worth asking the vet for advice re diet as this can reduce incidence of some skin conditions.

I'm surprised the puppy didn't have a month's insurance from the breeder.

As others have said, the insurer will ask the direct question 'have you taken the puppy to a vet for any reason, and did the vet mention any issues". You would then have to lie. If the insurer finds out it was a lie, even if you are not prosecuted they will rescind your insurance and you will struggle to get insurance again. So your puppy will not be insured at all.

Those are the practical reasons for not lying, even if you have no problems with the ethics.

@TimeForPlentyIn2020 I'm sorry, I can't disclose what it's for. All I can tell you is, after some years of insurance fraud. The person in question got 3 years.

Sorry I meant to add , that as your dogs breed is known to suffer from skin conditions, the insurance companies will know this and there may be an exclusion anyway or an increased excess in that instance ?

Westie i take it...personally after finding out hard way how expensive having this condition can be i would do what ever it takes to get cover...

That's insurance fraud. Really not worth it, is it? Declare it.

I'm just relieved it's not that herpes thing being posted about again!

Seriously, I would disclose the condition. It's not worth the worry of whether you're paying for insurance they won't honor and risking further action if they ever do get hold of the other vets records for whatever reason....

ask your husband how he thinks society would function if people did this kind of crap?

People do this shit all the time. Of course they do.

There is a TV show on BBC1 from time to time called claimed and shamed and one of the things they look at is insurance fraud in the animal insurance sector.
They absolutely do check other local vets and they do prosecute. Best case scenario they cancel your policy which you then have to declare, making insuring your pet a lot more expensive.

Its fraud, but I think the insurance companies are the biggest thieves, they charge an arm and a leg but will exclude anything they can when you do take out cover. A pup of mine came to me with worms and fleas, I got a prescription but when it came to insuring her all skin, stomach, dietary conditions were excluded, then I took her to the vets as she was limping, it turned out a bee had stung her, but on renewal all her legs were also excluded ... Insurance companies totally suck, but don't try to fool them, they've been in the job longer, know all the tricks and could possibly catch you :-(

I am puzzled as to why you bought the puppy if it had an existing medical condition. If it appeared soon after you got it home, why didn't you contact the breeder?

You could then be reported to the police and cautioned or prosecuted for fraud. Not worth it.

Utter, utter nonsense

@BrickTop999 Ok wow, well insurance fraud is insurance fraud. The moral of my story is prison IS a consequence and companies do make an example of people. It CAN happen. Not it WILL happen.
Anyway, I'd appreciate if you didn't make a mockery of my career choice for the last 5 years. K thanks.

www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/fraud/8-myths-about-insurance-fraud/

I think this link is rather helpful with information. Please don't be dishonest, if not be honest just for the fact that being honest keeps premiums lower for everybody else. The more dishonestly the higher the premiums. Not only that but risk, inflation, costs and many many more factors go into calculating premiums.

www.rsagroup.com/news/press-releases/2015/husband-and-wife-sentenced-for-8k-pet-insurance-fraud/

People do get convicted of offences involving pet insurance. It's fraud and it is a criminal offence, however laughable some posters seem to find that.

Personally I'd think the higher premiums would be worth it to know my insurance was actually valid. Otherwise you'll always have it hanging over you that the pet insurance you'd potentially been paying for for many years could be completely void.