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

I have 2 cats, a 2 year old and an 8 year old. We got the 2 year old as a kitten. The 8 year old STILL hated her and hisses at her if she's anywhere near - unless they're eating. Is it too late to fix this? If not, what could we do? Many thanks!

I spent many years looking after cats that were too poorly to go to the rescue I worked for. Most did die but a couple turned out to not really be that ill and now, 10 years later I've got a handful of cats I assumed would be excluded from insurance given their earlier health conditions. They seem in reasonable health now but have things like runny eyes and are small given they were ill when young. All are likely inbred from the colonies they came from.
Is there a type of insurance that would cover animals like this? Thank you.

I would say insurance is essential having had a £7000 vet bill when my dog was hit by a car. Thankfully I had it!

After major surgery (two broken hip joints, shattered pelvis and broken front paw) my dog has made an amazing recovery and you wouldn't know anything had happened.

My questions is this though....When should I start giving joint supplements? He is 2 and I did try some from the vet but they made him sick. So I stopped.

Do I wait until he shows signs of stiffness in older age or give him a preventative now? Something natural perhaps?

Fatandsassy

Have you tried stinky stuff? Have a look at their website. We got the ear drops after repeated ear infections and they worked brilliantly. I hear great things about their skin treatments so give that a shot!

Recently (within the last 4 weeks) we insured two rescue cats. It transpires that we probably bought too low a level of cover but our insurer won't let us raise the cover until renewal (December 2019) do you think we should cancel the policy and insure elsewhere? Cats are only 9 months old.

Our 14 month old cocker pup just had a kidney removed. Thankfully the insurance covered that and all the initial complications in the diagnosis as came to around £3k which we had to pay upfront.
What are are options going to be when we come to renewal? First time we've ever had to claim for any of our pets... Assume premium will go through the roof?

After loosing my 15 year old border collie last year, (we did no insure him in the final few years due to his many ailments - we just kept the vets in profit). I would love a new dog, my question would be are dogs 'risk assessed' by insurers for potential illnesses based on their breed, and the breeds claims - if so which are the most expensive dogs to insure and the ones with the best insurance track record for claims/illnesses and cost. I want a new best friend, but want to be able to sleep easier as far as bills are concerned. Thank you.

We bought lifetime annual vaccinations for our cat. Could be expect any discount on our insurance premium for proving that she is vaccinated and has had annual boosters every year if her life?

Also, I assume that when she is older, her premiums will increase. How old is considered “old” in insurance terms for a cat?

I have a 3 and a half year old healthy blue and white male whippet, who is lovely and is my pride and joy. He recently spent a night in a kennel, and when I dropped him off, the owner asked what was wrong with his fur. I asked what she meant and she said that he looked like he had hair loss all over the bulk of his body - back and sides. I had presumed the this was just discolouration in his fur, but under the lights in her kennel reception, I could actually see that whilst he does have lots of very soft downy fur, he is actually very hairless on his back and sides except for a small bit from the base of his neck down a little, and a the same amount on his rear to the base of his tail. His tail also has the same fur loss. I feel terrible for not having realised this was hair loss / lack of hair sooner as I thought I knew every hair on his body. His mother was blue and his father fawn, so I thought it was a combination of their colourings and his winter coat growing out. She suggested it could be a thyroid issue. This was a few weeks ago and I still haven't taken him to the vet as I don't really know what to ask for or say, and in addition to this, he's been to the vet several times for a few things: torn dew claw, neutering, tooth removal, vaccinations, stitching of a wound - it's never been picked up by a vet before. Is the kennel owner correct? Should I get him checked out? I'm also concerned as I've recently taken out additional insurance for him for my boyfriend's house for when he stays there, and am worried that it could be considered a pre-existing illness. Any guidance is very much welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

Insurance is a must! Our crazy puppy got ran over on his birthday :( which meant several vet trips (even on our holiday!) and lots of extra care. The bill came to over £2500 which was covered by our policy! We would never have been able to find that money!
Is it always worth shopping around at renewal time?

Will pet insurance policies cover dental work?

Can I get insurance that won’t penalise me if I adopt an older pet, and also can I get insurance to cover end of life needs such as vet costs for putting to sleep ?

We are starting to think about adopting a dog. What is the proven cost benefit of insurance vs real costs over the life of an average dog?

Need some ideas!! So after trying to get my baby on a baby sensory class in my area I realised that there just aren’t enough classes, the ones that we have book up in minutes after booking becomes available for that term! So I am looking into starting my own when my baby is a bit older instead of returning to work, but I’m stuck on a name!! Anyone got any ideas? I am looking into joining the ‘baby sensory’ franchise but need to see if I can afford that 😬 thanks 😃😃

Is there a policy available in the UK which covers guinea pigs? Without lots of exclusions? Thank you

Why are absess' not covered on so many pet insurances?

My cat is prone to over grooming, any ideas on how to prevent this. Have tried Feliway but he still licks bald patches.

A few questions:
My 3 year old cat has had a scale and polish under anaesthetic. As far as we know this is because before we rescued her she had a poor diet. I'm guessing future scale and polishes (if needed) will be excluded?
Also in a few days we have two Burmese kittens arriving. Any tips for the introductions? If all goes well how many weeks would you advise before leaving cat and kittens in same room without supervision?

Do you think it is more important to insure cats at the start of their lives or as they are more elderly. Also can you insure chickens?!

What would you say are the absolute essentials of pet insurance for a cat please? Am i right in my understanding that different levels of cover are available? If so, what would you say was the bare minimum that you'd advise?

What are the best ways to make a dog feel calm and at ease? Our dog is very energetic, but can be overly energetic when anxious. What is the best method to keep him calm?

Do you think pet insurance is essential for small pets like guinea pigs or is it more efficient to simply save a small amount of money each month? Apologies if this has already been asked.

Congratulations to treegone for winning the £300 voucher