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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Original poster

Pet insurance doesn’t look like it’s going to be enough..omg

79 replies

Autumnsoon · 18/07/2023 12:50

Current situation with pup .
5 years old rescued mixed small breed
been vomiting since late April .
had blood tests £300 nothing showing .
vets gave antibiotics just in case and see how u go .
I thought I’d cracked it with lots of small meals throughout the day
but the vomiting is back
today he had a scan £120 and she thinks she’s found a mass

back on Thursday for £800 for X-ray and another scan .
she thinks it will lead to an operation at £2/£3 thousand.

but the vet then said ,the problem we have is if they find something that needs treatment,
we will of already used up the £4 thousand limit for pet insurance.
so if it’s cancer that needs treatment and they can’t remove it ,or it spreads ,what is the cost likely to be
any ideas ??

OP posts:
tabulahrasa · 18/07/2023 19:27

They should talk you through all the options and minimal treatment - just making sure he’s comfortable would be one of them.

But you’ll want to know what the options and probable outcomes are.

I “put a cat through” chemo for lymphoma - it was steroids and a tablet once a fortnight that gave her practically no side effects and 5 extra years.

There are more invasive protocols for some cancers and some pets react badly and you have to stop, but it’s not anything like what you’d give a person.

It might be that the kindest option is to do nothing but keep him comfortable, but you want to find out what they all are first IMO.

Azaeleasinbloom · 18/07/2023 19:31

Sorry to hear what you and DDog are going through.
As to - will the vets insist? No, not if you tell them you cannot pay. Remind them that you know your dog, and what he can endure, better than they do. Remind them that legally he is your property .And refuse to pay. They don’t do it unless they are sure you are good for it.
I know this sounds harsh, but seriously, some of them really try it on.

Azaeleasinbloom · 18/07/2023 19:33

Sorry, meant to say, obviously keep him comfortable, but if they try to push so,etching that you feel is not right for you or your dog, refuse.

SaleOfTwoTitties · 18/07/2023 19:43

You absolutely can decide that you want to put the dog to sleep. If it's in the dog's best interest and you don't want them to suffer. Some vets may try to get you to try other treatments, but it's your choice. So you could insist.
I have always thought it is kinder to do it earlier, rather than later and luckily my vet has always agreed when the time has come with my dogs.
There are practices that come out to your home to do this too, which would be a lot better for a dog that was too ill to travel, or hated going to the vet.
Doesn't stop it being heartbreaking though, but at least you are doing the best for the dog.

CombatBarbie · 18/07/2023 19:54

Autumnsoon · 18/07/2023 14:54

Thanks
I could kick myself I didn’t go for more than £4000 with insurance.I just went for middle of the road ,plus I had 3 dogs to pay for untill last year .
currently paying for 2.
what I don’t understand is how an op can cost £2/£3 thousand on a stomach when getting my dogs neutered cost hundreds and that’s an op on both as well

My dog had 2 ops to remove nail beds... Alternate legs each time. The bill.... £8k.....on the breakdown the soothing nurse was £180/hr alone!!

We only had £4k cover, rest went on credit card.

lampformyfeet · 18/07/2023 21:06

I’d love to know what a soothing nurse is!

namechange998 · 18/07/2023 21:56

Do you have a vet school locally? We have a vet training canter and when my dog had a nasty accident it cost a lot less with them being a training school. It still cost us 12k after the insurance ran out though!

Offredismysister · 18/07/2023 22:05

Ah OP I feel for you. I had similar a few months ago. I even had a thread on here. My girl had a mass in her intestines, which turned out to be a tumour. I had to let her go, whilst she was anaesthetised on the table as she was a dog that wouldn’t have tolerated lots of vets visits. It cost £1200 just for the diagnosis, if the tumour was removed it would have cost another £2-£3k & the increased risk of peritonitis.

WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout · 19/07/2023 06:46

Waiting for lump results for our girl. As a pp said can they take the treatment? I’ve already told dh I’m not going to let her suffer unnecessarily & after I judge what she can tolerate. We are luckily insured for £15,000 but that’s not what I’m going to base any decisions on.

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 19/07/2023 10:01

If the dog needs treatment which you can’t afford yes the vet will let you have the dog put down. If they try arguing the toss you tell them you can’t afford it, you don’t want the dog to suffer so the options are no treatment, pts or you sign the dog over to the vet. See what they say then.

sometimes you do need to be firm and say that’s what you want. I had an uninsured poorly elderly cat, 15yo a few years ago. We did about £300 worth of tests, enough to know she was sick and likely to be a serious cause. Not enough to work out the definitive cause but none of the options were going to be cheap. I said to the vet pts, I can’t afford the next step of fancy scans and exploratory operations, it’s likely I can’t afford the treatment, the cat is old and I don’t think it’s in her best interest.

Original poster
Autumnsoon · 19/07/2023 10:04

Offredismysister · 18/07/2023 22:05

Ah OP I feel for you. I had similar a few months ago. I even had a thread on here. My girl had a mass in her intestines, which turned out to be a tumour. I had to let her go, whilst she was anaesthetised on the table as she was a dog that wouldn’t have tolerated lots of vets visits. It cost £1200 just for the diagnosis, if the tumour was removed it would have cost another £2-£3k & the increased risk of peritonitis.

Could you link to your thread please.
Hes absolutely terrified of vets ..he has to he carried in
he is a rescue dog got him at 18 months ,been fed cat food before we got him.
im just praying it’s all some horrible mistake.
I don’t want him cut open unless they can guarantee he will be cancer free after . But I know realistically they probably can’t .

OP posts:
Original poster
Autumnsoon · 19/07/2023 10:08

I also don’t want to be pushed in to things ,just because I have pet insurance to cover it .
he’s been being sick on and off since April ,
that going to be making him feel crap ,and he’s definitely not himself.
im Feeling I just want him pain free and comfortable at home .
just hoping it’s all a mistake

OP posts:
hattie43 · 19/07/2023 10:11

As someone who doesn't have insurance and has spent £9k at the vet in 3mths with more to come I would say any policy only covering 3-4K is woefully inadequate. Most people are not familiar with how quickly costs wrack up .

Wheresthebeach · 19/07/2023 10:22

Sorry you are going through this. I’ve already agreed with DH that if Ddog gets cancer we will PTS. They don’t understand what’s going on and I think it can be more cruel to put them through chemo etc. it’s heartbreaking.

No Vet can force you to pay for expensive treatment you don’t want.

Offredismysister · 19/07/2023 11:18

My girl seemed happy in her self but had constant vomiting & bloody diarrhoea for a week, so she must’ve had some pain. We weren’t insured, but had savings that we were prepared to use. But on the balance, she was a large breed, nearly 8 & had hip dysplasia. The idea of removing over a foot of bowel with an increased risk of peritonitis was too much for me. I paid for the scan, they thought either foreign body or tumour. They opened her up, said it looked like tumour but hadn’t cut into it the bowel yet. I said go ahead, I needed to know. As if it was a tumour I would PTS as chemo on animals doesn’t sit well with me as they don’t have a voice. I had to give consent to PTS over the phone whilst I was sobbing & she was on the table. But it was the right choice.

Original poster
Autumnsoon · 19/07/2023 11:22

Offredismysister · 19/07/2023 11:18

My girl seemed happy in her self but had constant vomiting & bloody diarrhoea for a week, so she must’ve had some pain. We weren’t insured, but had savings that we were prepared to use. But on the balance, she was a large breed, nearly 8 & had hip dysplasia. The idea of removing over a foot of bowel with an increased risk of peritonitis was too much for me. I paid for the scan, they thought either foreign body or tumour. They opened her up, said it looked like tumour but hadn’t cut into it the bowel yet. I said go ahead, I needed to know. As if it was a tumour I would PTS as chemo on animals doesn’t sit well with me as they don’t have a voice. I had to give consent to PTS over the phone whilst I was sobbing & she was on the table. But it was the right choice.

Oh I’m so sorry ,how awful for you both ..poor old girl .

OP posts:
CombatBarbie · 19/07/2023 11:24

lampformyfeet · 18/07/2023 21:06

I’d love to know what a soothing nurse is!

Apparently the person who was with him when he goes under, during in case he woke and after when he came round. I'm clearly in the wrong job!!

Original poster
Autumnsoon · 19/07/2023 16:48

hattie43 · 19/07/2023 10:11

As someone who doesn't have insurance and has spent £9k at the vet in 3mths with more to come I would say any policy only covering 3-4K is woefully inadequate. Most people are not familiar with how quickly costs wrack up .

I didn’t get the cheapest policy by any means

OP posts:
Original poster
Autumnsoon · 20/07/2023 20:20

Just thought I’d come back on ,to thank everyone for their help and tell you all the outcome.
he spent all day at the vets today ,having a scan and an X-ray .unfortunately he had a bad reaction to the sedation and turned red .
but they sorted that out and proceeded with the X-ray
we were told he has a condition called megaesophagus.
which I’m just reading up on
hes supposed to have 2 lots of medication tonight,but I can’t get him to take any .
currently,he’s fast asleep ..so thanks everyone much appreciated x

OP posts:
HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 20/07/2023 20:25

Autumnsoon · 20/07/2023 20:20

Just thought I’d come back on ,to thank everyone for their help and tell you all the outcome.
he spent all day at the vets today ,having a scan and an X-ray .unfortunately he had a bad reaction to the sedation and turned red .
but they sorted that out and proceeded with the X-ray
we were told he has a condition called megaesophagus.
which I’m just reading up on
hes supposed to have 2 lots of medication tonight,but I can’t get him to take any .
currently,he’s fast asleep ..so thanks everyone much appreciated x

I saw a dog on tv which had this, he was fed in a special upright chair and was then ok.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 20/07/2023 20:30

Megaesophagus can be controlled by feeding the dog upright - there's lots of accounts on TikTok with dogs who have this condition and they generally live pretty normal lives, all things considered.

Original poster
Autumnsoon · 20/07/2023 20:39

I’m just reading about it
I was wondering about the chair

OP posts:
Original poster
Autumnsoon · 20/07/2023 20:40

I’m on tick-tock’s far to much ,so I can search for the accounts thanks

OP posts:
Messyhair321 · 20/07/2023 23:21

Autumnsoon · 18/07/2023 19:16

Will I get a choice .
my last dog the vets refused to put down ,even though I was begging them.
I have a thread on here about that ,although it was ages ago and I change user name .
he had Alabama rot and cushings ,nothing could save him ,but still they kept him in the vets for week over night trying ,ran up £5000 on insurance,when that ran out they let me put him down …then said as doing it ,oh he’s half dead anyway..
this was supposed to be the best practice in town ..
im at a different vets now ,but I assumed if something can be done ,or the vets think something can be done ,they won’t put a dog down even if owners want them to

Show quote history

Those vets were trying to max out your insurance surely? That's the game isn't it. I've experienced this myself & it's a racket.

I remember when no-one had insurance for pets & it was unheard of. People went to the vets when they needed to, & although they were always a bit pricey, nothing like they are now comparatively.
I've just had to put my dog to sleep & honestly she was so unwell, couldn't eat, or walk, they were trying to get me to put her through more tests. Just absolutely ridiculous, looking at her she was barely alive. I just thought what the hell are you talking about, more tests. Get a grip on reality..
They put me off having pets to be honest.

Honeyroar · 21/07/2023 13:02

So have I understood correctly- they didn’t find a cancer? If so that’s good.

My friend’s dog has that condition and has the chair feeder thing, it’s been very manageable.

Re the cancer and insurance issue. Our last dog had a tumour. We tried a bit of treatment but it didn’t work. The vet suggested various other things that might give him a year or two more. He was a ten year old lab. I told them I’d just watched my best friend struggle through cancer treatment and I wasn’t going to pay to put my dog through it. We had a wonderful last week at home spoiling him and doing everything he loved, then he was pts in his own bed. I don’t regret that decision at all, despite missing him a lot.