Dog Insurance - 3rd party - any advice

[BasiliskStare]

My two dogs are 9 & 10 , border terriers , fairly robust, healthy and laid back breed ( well our two are. I have just renewed the insurance and obviously it is getting more expensive as they get older ) Some people I know do not insure their dogs. Now , I would be happy to put the insurance money to one side in case they need vet fees etc - the one I feel really uncomfortable about ignoring is 3rd party. Not because I think they would harm another dog or person deliberately , more because we live in a built up area and if by chance the lead broke and a motorist had to swerve & damaged their car etc. This is unlikely but in this way I am cautious. I would be happy to put aside vet fees into an account but do not want to have no 3rd party insurance. I can't find anyone who does this. ( well apart from there is a Dog trust thing which if you give them a contribution you will have 3rd party insurance)

Does anyone know of an insurance co. who would do this or any wise words of advice? Just thinking about it for next year as insurance is becoming really rather expensive. Just to be clear I am not condoning dogs not being insured , not at all , & we I know it is part of the cost of owning a dog. We ( DH & I ) are responsible owners , I like to think - just wondering if someone has a better idea for dogs who are getting on a bit. We do have a vet plan thing for vaccinations and worm etc treatments which are not covered by the insurance.

Not sure there is a good answer to this but thought worth asking

I think boughtbymany do a third party liability insurance only policy but I haven't used them.

Check your household insurance very carefully as some of them have third party cover for pets BUT do read the small print to see exactly what they cover

I'd only be comfortable with doing this if I had £8-10k in liquid assets per dog that I could afford to spend on vets fees. The trouble is - what happens if a major accident or illness occurs before the saved insurance premiums have built up to any useful extent? The other time would be with a very elderly dog at the end of life, for whom significant medical intervention would not be a kindness and euthanasia would be almost inevitable if / when something major struck.

If you do have such cash available, by all means do it, but personally I prefer the peace of mind.

The Dogs Trust membership is what I was going to suggest - I can't see anywhere else giving you equivalent third party dog specific cover for £2/month, proceeds of which go to a good cause. When I've seen this question on other forums it's always the go to suggestion.

Dogs Trust definitely. I have too many dogs to insure, but always keep my DT membership up to date for the public liability cover.

I agree with Avocados. What about if one or both needed a cruciate op?

Join the Dogs Trust as they provide 3rd party cover.

When it comes to rehoming dogs I would place the Dogs Trust above the RSPCA(which splashed the cash on a fancy pants HQ) as a charity.

I have just cancelled my insurance as it had became too expensive and got Dogs Trust membership to cover 3rd party.

What Avocados said! I don't have anything to add wrt 3rd party insurance but from experience insurance gets so expensive once the dog reaches 10. My DH said many times we should cancel our insurance and put the money away but I am so glad that we didn't. Our dog was really healthy up to the age of 10 but we have now needed to claim twice in the past 2 years. I now insure with More Than as they specialise in insuring dogs over 10 and were the best deal.

The thing is insurance goes up when they’re older because they’re more likely to need more treatment as they age...and ongoing treatment that isn’t going to be cured either.

But, they’re not old yet for border terriers, they’re still young enough that a huge bill after an accident or sudden illness isn’t out of the question...

If one of them needed 8k of treatment 6 months after you cancel it, could you get hold of it? If not, it might not be the best plan..

Thank you all

I did read about the Dog's trust . The last three year we have renewed the general insurance which is now close on four figures per year. No - seriously , and I do mean this , we are never going to not not have 3rd party insurance , but given they are healthy and hardy I am wondering about 3rd party and then save some up . That said , if it were necessary , we ( probably) could find money pay for an operation etc even if savings from insurance didn't cover it. It's just I thought about it. @Avocadosbeforemortgages , this is exactly why we have done this , peace of mind . But just wondering if other dog owners had different ideas. @willowpillow we are with More Than , so glad you have had a good experience. ( I am for the avoidance of doubt nothing to do with More Than - not selling their products - not at all )

Thank you everyone , those who I have not mentioned by name as well , but it is a thought and I really appreciate all your thoughts. We are with More Than for another 12 months and then I might have to think again. But I really appreciate comments from those who have gone through the same thoughts. Thank you very much for all on this thread for your comments.

I am not going to leave our two without 3rd party or without being able to have an operation etc if they need it - it is just that as they are getting older the insurance is v expensive. I tried John Lewis - more expensive than More Than . Direct Line , more expensive , I did the compare the market thing - More than are the cheapest but still a lot.

Part of my point is that two people I know do not insure their dogs at all. I would not want to do that.

I am going to investigate the Dog's Trust. I just renewed the two dogs' insurance today so I have some time to think about it.

Seriously - thank you all for replying. I love my two little dogs and I want them looked after well whilst they are here.

Thank you

Basilisk

Do your dogs have any pre-existing conditions? If not, or if you are happy to forgo cover for those conditions, it might be worth seeing if you can swap and get a cheaper deal (or take the quote to More Than, threaten to leave, and haggle to bring your premiums down)

Avacados , thank you - we did that last year , no pre existing conditions we haggled down a bit and indeed we have a bigger excess , but stayed with more than . Ah look I know that insurance is part of owning a dog but as they have got into pretty much double figures , it is expensive. We will still do it , but I do appreciate other experienced peoples' point of view. I am going to research suggestions made here , Thank you all

Sorry - when I say double figures I mean four figures

So less than 1k a year?...

Mines medication costs more than that, nothing too serious, one painkiller (he’s been on 3 at once before) and some allergy meds...

That’s without vet visits for those conditions and in a year where he gets nothing else wrong with him.

If you can and will pay for any necessary treatment, then yes, maybe you can do without insurance, but, as long as you know it doesn’t take much for it not to be a saving.

Thanks @tabulahrasa - I know you are right - we've just had a few household bills and given my two borders are healthy and hardy & we have the medi vet thing for jabs , checkups and flea etc treatment ( which we pay for monthly) , & teeth cleaning was outside both of those , I just wondered whether a 3rd party insurance would work. But I get your point. To the point where I just renewed today - just under £1000 ( for both ) , next year will be more expensive. So I am asking now to have time to think about it before next year . Would you mind telling me which breed your dog is tabulahrasa - please do not say if you would rather not.

Mine's £600/year for one young mutt...! Can we swap? (I live in London, which doubles the premium)

He’s a rottie... so pretty different to a BT, lol

He’s actually no longer insured because his general health and other issues mean he isn’t fit for any expensive diagnostics or treatments that involve things like staying at the vets for operations and his insurance got so high that it’s cheaoer to buy his medications... our cut off was £150 a month lol

But, we’d have been stuffed without it when he was younger.

Sometimes I think people don’t realise it can be a false economy to not pay for insurance, if your pet has so far been healthy it can come as a bit of a shock to realise how much things cost...

Avocados and Tabulah

You are making me feel better! It felt like a lot of money - but as I say I would not go without 3rd party insurance and I renewed today. It has gone up £160 since last year as they are a year older and it will do the same again - if not more - next year . Of course , insurance is something which feels expensive until you actually need it. My two are little rufty tufty ones and pretty hardy. But as you say one never knows.

Avacados - I am sure your little mutt is lovely & beautiful , but I won't swap my two little chaps ( insurance notwithstanding) . I shall no doubt be posting again with - " My two little border terriers are now ( let's hope) 13 and 14 and the insurance premium is eleventy billion pounds - can anyone advise ?

Seriously Thank you all on this thread for advice and experience - I appreciate it.

In thanks to all who have posted and given advice here is a little photo of the younger one - 9 yrs old rising 10

Within the first two years I have claimed over £4500 in vet fees. One was near £2500 trying to find and treat severe D&V which involved being admitted to the vets and still didn't end with any diagnosis. My vets are cheap as we had blood tests, stool tests, X-rays, ultrasound, meds and admissions. For far less for a similar condition I know someone charged just as much without any of the diagnostic tests so just admission and fluids/meds.

We would have probably only saved a few hundred in that time before we needed it so if you cancel insurance you need to make sure you can find thousands instantly as you can't assume an illness or accident won't happen the day after you cancel.

Beautiful doggy. I pay just over £700 a year for nearly 12 year old daxie and a 9 year old Jack Russell. Have you googled insurance for older dogs? Here is a link for you, not sure if it's any good. You sound lovely and your doggies are lucky to have you, hope you manage to get a good deal on whatever you decide to go for.

www.pet-insurance-guide.co.uk/policy-lists/dog-insurance-for-older-dogs/

Sorry can't do the clicky link thingy.

Nah, I'll keep the dog, just swap the premiums

I don't insure any more. The premiums on my 1year old healthy boy increased to £600 and I'd just got my new puppy. I thought that was ridiculous pricing tbh.

I'm fortunate to have the ability to access thousands if needed (as a loan from parents).

My youngest has had to have a tail amputation in his first year of life. Even with numerous appointments trying to save his tail, the cost of the operation, pain relief and follow up appointments, it has still come out at just under what an insurance premium and the excess would have cost. I believe my vets didn't charge me as much because I wasn't insured (i.e. he had a few check ups during the attempts to save his tail for which they did not charge me anything). My vets are also considerably cheaper than the previous vet I was with anyway (plus I trust this vet but didn't my last).

I just got a bill for £950 for an exploratory laparotomy to find the blockage and remove
It. Included, x rays, general anaesthetic, pain killers, follow up, stitches, fluids etc after my stupid dog ate a sock! I like the peace of mind that I have to say do it I'll sort the insurance out

I’d claimed about 24k by the time I cancelled mine...

Looks at dog... not sure he’s worth it tbh

About 3 1/2 k of that I suppose I could have not done... that was elbow arthroscopy, but, it is the standard treatment and there isn’t really a conservative option for what was wrong. So he’d just still be lame.

The rest is referrals I asked for for ongoing issues, drugs and a huge emergency life saving stomach operation when he was 2.

So the cheaper option would be a dead dog.

My vet goes through all the options whether you’re insured or not, it’s not about the cost it’s about working out what’s the best option for the pet.