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

[EllieMumsnet]

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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

Is pet insurance for an older cat expensive? Can you get insurance for a 15 year old cat?

My dog is 11 and I want to shop around for her insurance as I can't afford the premiums but I'm so confused.

She has four pre existing conditions on her file, some of which she is now healed from completely. My current insurance only cover these up to one year so I feel like even if I switch I'm scuppered if she ever gets one again!

Is it possible to switch insurers and is it worth it given that they will not cover these conditions anyway?

Went to vet with 7yr old lab and she said her teeth were good. How often should you brush a dogs teeth?

We live in a flat with no garden or balcony, my daughters really want pets, but we don't want to commit to any pets that would be unhappy in a flat,

Which pet would be best suited in a flat. Thanks

A friend of mine is convinced that if you have pet insurance that some vets will offer/ give treatment that they wouldn't normally bother with knowing that the insurance will cover it.
I disagreed with this (we do have our dog insured) but then noticed that one of the first questions we are asked at reception is do we have insurance?

Do you think there's any truth in this?

I have to say I'm not a huge fan of the 'celebrity vets' who perform complicated operations on animals because I do wonder if it's for the animal's benefit or the owner's, and I wondered if insurance feeds into this.

Huge congratulations by the way on the £100k win for StreetVet, that's fabulous.

Does getting your pet from an animal shelter make it more expensive to insure?

We really want to adopt a cat (or two) when we get a new house. IS there a way we can adopt a cat who needs a home but also be able to know a bit about its pedigree too? What is the best type of pet insurance to get and to you recommend it right from the start?

Does insurance become more expensive once a pet has had an illness? Is it difficult to shop around for insurance if you need to get a full medical history every time you get a quote?

Does pet insurance become more expensive as your cat gets older?

Can you get multiple pet policies as a package and are they cheaper?

Do dogs get thinner, lose a bit of muscle, when they get older?
My dog is 14 and has slimmed down slightly, no other changes and has always been thin anyway.
Not a concern, just thought I'd ask!

I have two cats, who don't really get on. The older girl probably wold have preferred to stay an only cat but I took on a kitten 18 months back. They have an uneasy truce, but bicker and he gave her a good swipe on the nose last month which healed ok but was the first real "flesh wound". At what point do you say, enough is enough with animals that don't get on, and to separate them? Any definite red lines?
(Have tried feliway and it's a decent sized house with garden access btw.)

My questions are - What’s the most family friendly dog breed to get?
And
How much should we budget for basic insurance?

Our dog is young and healthy so I chose the 'yearly' insurance option. It's also partly because I don't quite understand the 'lifetime' option - do you tie yourself up with one insurance company doing this? What exactly is the difference between the two options, as almost every insurance company now offers these two types?
What is the main thing to look out for when choosing insurance?

My DDs would really love to have a pet. We are not around enough for a dog or cat (allergic) so wonder what might be good. We used to have lots of rescue rabbits (they lived in a converted shed, very plush) but are contemplating rescue guinea pigs. Is there much of a difference in care Rabbits I know about but not guinea pigs.

We have a naughty tortie (tortoiseshell) cat. She has always had aggressive tendencies which annoys me because I love cats and I want her to react in a typical affectionate cat like way so we can have have cuddles. How can she just go from being on your lap and purring to suddenly hissing and having a go at you?! She's 14 now - do you think she will mellow with age?

Would insurance pay out of the animal was overweight? My cat had a health check recently and is overweight (we've always struggled to keep her weight down as she is very lazy and very greedy!) Obviously we are trying to get her moving more!

Does cat insurance cover cat pregnancy?

Another one here with cats protection kittens. They were strays and one of them was pretty ill and needed medical care. Both are tip top health now, no problems at all. Do I have to declare that on insurance forms? I don't know any more than what I've said above.

My cat is 4 and a half.
We keep paying £££s at the vets to get her steroids and flea treatments - they don't investigate further - she seems to have a flea allergy which has led to over grooming. She's now balding and licking and scratching herself so much she's covered in scabs and bald patches. Any advice as to what to do with this? Is there anything we can do to help her? Would she even get insurance at this point?
We have 4 other cats too, none of which are anything like this and all fat, fluffy and pretty chilled. Is group insurance an option?

Our dog has regular annual vaccination from our local vet, and is microchipped. However, we haven't had him insured, although considering doing.

I wondered what criteria pet insurance companies use regarding breed of pets, eg if the pet is a pedigree, would insurance costs be higher? Or would breed characteristics play some part in insurance costs?

Thank you

I have older cats now, 10 and 5. Is it too late to insure them?

Marking place will be back to read the post. Will be updating insurance but it's all confusing

The cat owner should be responsible for it being killed by a dog? How about you control your dog?