Insurance - HOW MUCH?????????

[Artyjools]

I have an 8 year old cocker spaniel bitch who has been insured through the Kennel Club since a pup. In that time, she has had a bit of an eye infection and tends to suffer a bit with blocked bottom glands (eeewww), but is generally healthy. The main bit of the insurance is cover for vet fees & 3rd party liability, and there is a bit for advertising and reward and I have an excess of £150. The premium this year is £426!!

Surely this is insane?

Part of me thinks I shouldn't bother at all. The trouble is I'm worried about going elsewhere now she is getting on a bit.

Has anyone swopped providers with an aging dog and has been pleased with how claims have been handled?

Thank you.

Once a dog hits 8 the insurance rockets. £35/month seems reasonable. Could you afford to self insure?
was paying north of £150/month for 2 collies when they were over 10.

my oldie is insured with Animal Friends, premium is just under £20 per month and he is 16 now and I started the policy with them when he was about 7 or 8.
Have only had to claim once and they paid up ok, have a claim in at the moment as he has heart disease and has had lots of tests etc. The one thing I will say about them that I dont like much is that as soon as you claim for something its immediately excluded, and whilst the excess is £99 you also pay a further 35% so it needs to be a big claim to make it worthwhile. With hindsight I probably would have been better putting the money away each month and covering costs myself.

Ah, ok Easy, it may be reasonable then. What do you mean by " self insure?". Put some away each month just in case? I can afford the premiums - it just seems like a lot.

Thanks daisy. I think this policy means they won't exclude an illness once you claim. That's probably why it's so high.

Just a word if warning - any conditions that your dog has suffered prior to you taking out any new policies (ie. a 'pre-existing condition') with a different provider probably won't be covered. This might include conditions that are in any way linked to any of the body parts and/or problems your dog has had in the past. However if you stick with the current provider and continue to pay each year without lapsing you should be ok, if they have agreed to cover you in previous years.

It's easy to assume by going with a cheaper company you'll get a better deal, but really, it's a false economy.

I agree, it sounds like a lot but you could easily spend that much on medications, should your dog develop a chronic condition now she's entered her 'senior' years. I suppose 'self insuring' is another option but it's a bit of a risk in that medical bills (particularly emergency care and investigative work) can be astronomical and way above what you could reasonably save.

Thanks Pepperfish. I think I'll stick with what I've got. Deep breath and pay up.

If it makes you feel any better Arty, my dogs insurance is now £200 PER MONTH!!!! He is a 10yr old Newfoundland with some health problems!

OMG landrover. Seriously? Ok, I'll stop moaning now.

Mine is over a hundred a month...he's 2.

It was forty eight as a puppy.

Some big dogs are fiendeshly expensive to insure. The most expensive are the newfies/great danes/mastiff types and the cheapest are the terriers. I think Jack Russels are almost cheap as chips, relatively speaking.

Use a company where you only buy the cover you want, not things you will never need. I only pay cover for vet's fees, it's all I've ever needed.

I stopped all our insurance for animals this year. I worked out that I'd paid out £10k in premiums for the horses and the dogs over the past ten years and never claimed a penny back, yet they still increase premiums and reduce cover, especially as they age. I joined the BHS for Third party cover for the horses and the Dogs Trust for third party cover for the dogs, and have a credit card available for emergencies until I've saved up a bit more! It is a gamble though.

I'm another one for self insuring. We take out interest free credit cards and have a savings for emergencies.