Pet insurance

[SauvignonBlanche]

We have just started permanently fostering a 9 year old lab.
He was up for fostering rather than adoption due to his medical needs, he has epilepsy.
We were advised to register him with a local vet, the rescue is some distance away.
He has developed a limp and we want to take him to a local vet.
Can anyone recommend pet insurance as this may turn into a costly business, I have visions of him needing a hip replacement!

Insurance wouldn't cover this as its a pre existing condition.

Oh dear!

Surely the rescue has him covered? Or will meet costs? As a fosterer you are usually helped this way.

Very unhelpful to give you an old uninsured dog!

As part of fostering, it is absolutely normal for the rescue to fund vets bills, not the foster home. If they are unwilling to do this you should return the dog immediately.

Check your fostering paperwork - this should be made clear there, or talk to your foster co-ordinator. Some rescues will, for example, ask that you use specific veterinary surgeries. We currently have three foster dogs with us and one is due to be spayed in a couple of weeks. For this operation she will be attending a vet of the charity's choice (not our normal vet) as the charity has an account with them and has negotiated fixed prices on certain standard procedures such as spaying. However, for ALL other medical matters, the charity is happy for us to use a vet of our choosing and trusts us to ensure dog is taken to vet if there are any medical concerns.

Most charities will bend over backwards to make sure dogs in their care are properly treated and that financial worries are not a barrier to good care. Another of our fosters accumulated medical bills of nearly £600 in her first week - she was in desperate need of dental surgery as soon as we collected her. In that case, although the funding charity were kept informed every step of the way, at no time did they quibble about a single penny that was spent. We paid upfront, sent in the receipts and within a week, received a cheque back for the full amount. However, in cases where foster carers are not able or willing to pay upfront, many charities set up accounts with vets, or will arrange matters so you are not out of pocket.