I have just worked out how much my dog is costing me to run each year, and I could run a car for less.
Our local vets are Petdoctors, and they recommended Petdoctors insurance. Fine, we thought it would reduce the hassle factor.
The original insurance policy was life cover, taken out 3 years ago, at £30-something per month. We went for their highest level of cover because I predicted an injury!
We mostly escaped injury and incident, but our dog was very ill in his first year with gastric issues, and still has ongoing meds/special food etc for it.
The investigative treatment and meds in the first year came to around £900, which after a massive dispute the insurers coughed up for.
They then put the premiums up to £50-something a month in the second year, last year was £56/month (OUCH!), and it renews next month so god only knows how much.
The treatment plan has settled down, and we now manage his condition on Z/D food, supplements, and occasional B12 booster shots. The foods and meds are expensive, but insurance claims are probably no more than £300-400 a year (it's actually been less to the insurers because of admin issues we've ended up paying for a lot direct ourselves, but that's a different story).
Clearly £650 a year to insure a dog is bonkers, especially now his treatment costs are basically a known quantity. Has anyone got any experience of moving lifetime cover policies for a dog with ongoing medical needs?