to not insure my pets?

[Chevrotains]

Does anyone here just put away savings each month for their pets? I'm aware there is definitely a risk to this as well, but just tired of the amount going up each renewal.

I’d never not insure unless I had a house cat. Our current cat has had multiple issues and we’ve claimed a lot - never had a problem getting money back (was £3K last year).
My mum never insured our family cat and she was only ill right at the end so it would’ve been a waste. I only didn’t insure one cat who we adopted late in her life and she died without being visibly ill (and barely went out).
If your pet gets run over/a disease you could be up to your eyes in vet bills.

Ah, no - we got the Akita three weeks after she died. It was against every instinct we had, but a (very wise) friend said it was the only thing that would help.

We showed up at the rescue to see an entirely different dog, and the Akita in question saw us and instantly decided she was coming home with us. As an Akita owner yourself, I'm guessing you'd know that nobody involved had any choice at that point.

His dog ran over, our dogs got into a fight, he got bitten, said it was my dog that bit him, sued me.
No way to know which dog bit him really, but my dog is a bigger and less fluffy breed so of course it must have been our fault…
A very worrying time, never been in any sort of trouble before and the thought of being in court room was terrifying. My pet insurance was absolutely incredible throughout, no idea what I would have done without them fighting for me.

@RunningFromInsanity glad you had the help and support from the insurers for a scary experience.

I've always insured my cats but I have now stopped the insurance for the 18 year old. The insurance company wanted £40 per month and also for me to pay 30% of each claim plus the excess and also they cap the costs from the vets - so I'm putting the £40 away in an account.

The younger 2 are insured but theirs is cheaper and I do worry that they might need treatment or an operation. For my 18 year old I would PTS rather than treat cancer etc so I'm happy to take the risk.

@RunningFromInsanity I'm sorry but that's ridiculous. His dog ran over... that's the problem (assuming your dog was on the lead or at the very least close to you to have been run to/at) so unfair that you need to claim on your insurance.

My dog has been attacked many a time and I'm so fed up of pulling him back and increasing the risk of him being hurt while I fight off the other dog and the owner does fuck all.

He recently was attacked and I was injured in the process of separating them while their owner was not in the thick of it because they have no idea how to behave and when I sent a text after (swapped numbers due to risk of injury) stating that my jeans were ripped and my hand was bruised and scratched I didn't even get a reply.

If he was attacked to injury, I'd be fighting any claim costs to the death! But do understand it's up to insurer.

To be clear, just venting my frustrations. Not blaming you at all!

It would have been laughable if it wasn’t so serious.
Dog ownership is so shit nowadays.

I suppose it defines how loving home is defined. There are far far worse fates than death. Taking in your elderly neighbours elderly dog, knowing full well you can only afford anything minor/ the cost of euthanasia and providing a good home, yes, of course it’s better than it living out it’s days in a shelter. Taking it on and then leaving it with a tooth abscess, or crippled with arthritis because you can’t afford any vet bills, then no, it would be kinder to pts. I would also question how loving a home was if someone was happy to leave an animal in pain.
I’m also horsey, so unfortunately very familiar with the type of scum that ‘rescue’ horses without the means to provide for them.
Not having the funds for expensive treatments is completely different to not having the funds for basic welfare, and I include standard vet’s bills in that.
I have, and always will choose the path that’s best for the animal, so as to mandatory insurance, it will be a cold day in hell when I let an insurance company, or anyone else dictate otherwise.

Agreed.. I would define a loving home as dispute not having funds for major issues, being willing to scrape the money together for euthanasia rather than let it suffer. That's loving enough for me and better than in a shelter.

*despite not dispute

Completely agree.

@RunningFromInsanity I completely agree with you . For dogs ( not cats ) 3rd party insurance is a minimum. I can see the arguments for saving instead of insurance . But I have Neve found a pet insurer who will do 3rd party ( apart from the Dogs Trust )

I've always insured my dogs. The insurance includes public liability, legal fees and damage.
A neighbours large dog escaped her garden a few years ago and ran into the path of a car.
The dog was badly injured and had to be PTS due to her being unable to afford the cost of treatment, then the car driver sued her for damage to his car and his injuries, which cost her money that she didn't have which resulted in the bailiffs calling.
If she'd had insurance it would have paid both the dogs treatment and the man's claim.

I've never had it, because 1) it's too expensive and 2) for my current pair, it wouldn't be worth it, because they have pre-existing conditions that wouldn't be covered anyway. They only need twice-yearly checkups, which are about $100 (more when vaccinations or teeth cleaning come up). They're both indoor cats, so the chances of accidents are minimal.

I was uninsured and had to pay £2k. Always better to have insurance.