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

Original poster

Should we cancel our pet insurance.?

93 replies

Southlondoner88 · 23/07/2023 08:03

Looking for advice please, we have two rescue dogs, one we’ve had four years and she is about 6 or 7 and the other we really are not sure but say about 4 or 5, we have him two years.

The younger one has an old injury that we think he got from being hit by a car (before we got him). The vet thinks it healed by itself and he just gets in with it, he never shows pain but doesn’t like long walks, he runs and plays well and you’d have to really pull his leg for him to show any sign of pain. He’s been on gabapentin since we got him, we buy from the vet and it cost £40 per month, we claim this back with insurance every month so it’s really ‘free.’ Our other dog appears healthy, never had issues apart from colitis in the past.

Lifetime Insurance for both dogs costs nearly £90 pm, we use two different insurers because it was cheaper that way.

We’re about to buy a house and also TTC so I’m really considering cancelling the insurance as money is tight and will be even tighter as time goes on.

In all fairness is insurance even worth it? The younger dog with the injury can’t really be treated for anything. The vet told us if he gets arthritis (which is likely) his size will effect how he can be treated long term, he’s 37kg. If he ends up needing a leg amputated, he will probably be better off being put to sleep, that’s what the vet said (he did say it more politely).

They also both have bad anxiety and hate the vet to the point they won’t even go through the door of the vet, the vet comes outside the door to them so if they had something seriously wrong with them, what could the vet even do? It would be traumatising for them to have long term treatment and I’d worry they’d become aggressive.

The reason we took insurance out on them in the first place was because it seems to be the done thing in the UK, I’d never heard about it before in Ireland where I’m from and many of my relatives think we’re mad for paying for it. Also our dogs stay on leads so it limits their exposure to things that harm then (cars, scavenging).

Would you cancel insurance? I’m worried that if something happened then we’d need to use our credit cards or savings which wouldn’t be ideal or we’d have to put them down because we wouldn’t have money for treatment.

OP posts:
DisgustedOfTidmouth · 23/07/2023 08:15

I used my insurance more in the last year of my dogs life than the 11 prior and they definitely paid out as much, if not more than i had paid in premiums.

If you can afford a big one-off bill, go for it. If you can't, cancelling can be a false economy

Moomindroll · 23/07/2023 08:21

The people I know who “self insure” their cats fully accept that they will not treat them if they get expensively sick. They will euthanise. It works for them.

i

Gloschick · 23/07/2023 08:22

Not everyone has insurance, but that doesn't mean they do nothing, it is just that they have a savings account put aside for the dog. Not all dog health issues are a straight forward pts. So you need funds for those eventualities.

Welshgirl10 · 23/07/2023 08:23

I think insurance is worth it- totally unexpectedly in the past 4 months I've had to claim back over £12.500 for just one of my dogs. If you choose to cancel it you'll just really need to be prepared for the fact that if one of the dogs becomes really ill you may not be able to treat them.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/07/2023 08:23

Medication for things like diabetes, arthritis or thyroid problems can cost hundreds of pounds a month. Surgeries for fairly "minor" issues like blockages or cruciate ligament repair can run in to the thousands in a matter of hours.

If you have thousands of pounds per dog sitting around in savings, then go for it, I guess, but if you don't, then it's a massive gamble to take with your pets' health and life.

24Dogcuddler · 23/07/2023 08:26

I know money is tight but you did make a choice to have 2 dogs. Part of the package is usually insurance. Lots of insurers give access to 24 hour online video consultations with a vet and they report to your vet. This would seem to suit your two but is more for general concerns or if you can’t get to your vet.
Being on a lead won’t stop a dog eating something it shouldn’t or being attacked by another dog.
I’m guessing you don’t really know their full history. Our last rescue dog had so many problems with his legs and joints as he got older. Our vet felt this was partly due to limited and poor diet in his early years.
He had 2 operations at a specialist surgery followed by weeks of hydrotherapy, all paid for by our insurance. This gave him several more happy years. He was just an amazing lad especially considering his background.

You say
if they had something seriously wrong with them, what could the vet even do?
Well they would do what they have trained for years to do, diagnose the problem and find a solution. They are used to anxious dogs and would sedate if necessary.
Sounds like you are trying to talk yourselves out of insurance.

It is a gamble as animal hospital is over £1,000 a day here probably more in London
Entirely your choice but our two are very much part of our family and we wouldn’t be without the security of insurance.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/07/2023 08:26

I know you say your dogs are scared of the vets but would you really be able to forgive yourself if they had to be PTS because you couldn't afford to treat a relatively minor issue?

Even something as everyday as a stomach bug can mean several thousand pounds in bills - especially if the dog requires overnight care and fluids. If they eat something they shouldn't and need surgery to remove it, again, it's easily thousands of pounds for surgery, fluids and post-op care.

JasonOsCubanHeels · 23/07/2023 08:27

dog insurance covers public liability in case your dogs do get free and cause an accident etc. your home insurance might also cover it under legal cover so it might be worth checking for that

Suffolkcatlady · 23/07/2023 08:28

If you have lifetime coverage I would keep the insurance. We pay about £45 a month and last year they paid out £4K for a blocked bladder - then another £4K this year for eye op and CT scan. CT scan shows liver shunt for which more surgery is needed and insurance will pay. It has paid out far more than we have ever paid in. Vets are so expensive. You would still have to save money aside for vets bills or put them on credit card - so you may as well keep paying £90 a month and have piece of mind. One accident can cost £1000s.

Azaeleasinbloom · 23/07/2023 08:28

I have 2 dogs. One is insured, the other, elderly dog is not. He was but the premiums increased, after he had a cancerous tumour removed , to such an extent that the premium was close to half the limit amount. So he has been self insured for the last 5 years, and has only cost money in the last 18 months, and to be fair most of that cost is my choice ( complementary therapies). But we are older, no kids, no mortgage , so we can afford the bills. That’s what it comes down to.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/07/2023 08:29

Also our dogs stay on leads so it limits their exposure to things that harm then (cars, scavenging)

Being on a lead won't stop them eating something they shouldn't. It won't stop another dog running over and attacking them. It won't stop their cruciates from being damaged. It won't stop them from developing diabetes or low thyroid or heart disease as they get older. It won't stop them from getting cancer (which can be relatively minor in dogs) or getting a grass seed stuck in their ears or between their paws, or being bitten by an adder, or developing allergies...

alloalloallo · 23/07/2023 08:31

Having just claimed £4.5k for my dog’s X-rays and subsequent TPLO surgery, no, I wouldn’t cancel

There is no way I could pull that kind of money out of my arse. She’s 4 so if I had been putting money in a saving account instead of insurance I would have had to save an awful lot more than her monthly insurance premiums.

Plus we can claim for all the physio and hydrotherapy she’s about to have

Now she’s knackered one cruciate ligament, the chances are, she’ll knacker the other, so that will be another £4.5k.

BiteyShark · 23/07/2023 08:33

If money is tight insurance is probably better as it's a known amount.

I totally hear you on the 'wouldn't put your dog through a lot of things' but could you find over 3k for an emergency blockage (yes I had to approve that at the ooo surgery on a bank holiday recently).

Do you have any means of finding that kind of money if needed. If yes then maybe cancelling the insurance 'might' be ok but the problem is dogs are daft and just because you paid for one unexpected bill doesn't mean you won't get another one soon after. I say that because we have had two bloody emergency surgeries for blockages and yes he is now muzzled on walks.

OutingMyself · 23/07/2023 08:34

An old cat of mine developed a mast cell tumor (cancer) and we found out within the first two weeks of the policy which meant we couldn't claim for it. His treatment cost thousands. There's no way I wouldn't have pet insurance

00100001 · 23/07/2023 08:34

As long as you're prepared for the fact that you might have to choose PTS, or can cover any liability, then fine. Go for it.

I think PTS if preferable to invasive surgeries, long recoveries, therapies and medicine etc. It's a dog and the only reason people are putting the animal through that is for selfish reasons.

hattie43 · 23/07/2023 08:34

I don't have insurance but know I can pay any vet bills from savings . I have spent around £9k in the last 4 months on my three . If I didn't have savings I would have insurance although I understand it's such a difficult decision now it's so expensive. I was talking to a lady at the vet who said her insurance had gone up to over £400 a month for her three dogs . I found that shocking . Vets fees have spiralled so it makes sense insurance will go up . I'm definitely not one of these oh we'll put him down types . If I couldn't provide medical care I wouldn't have animals . They are family .

00100001 · 23/07/2023 08:35

OutingMyself · 23/07/2023 08:34

An old cat of mine developed a mast cell tumor (cancer) and we found out within the first two weeks of the policy which meant we couldn't claim for it. His treatment cost thousands. There's no way I wouldn't have pet insurance

...but you did have insurance....? And it still cost you thousands because you chose to put the cat through that treatment.

OutingMyself · 23/07/2023 08:37

00100001 · 23/07/2023 08:35

...but you did have insurance....? And it still cost you thousands because you chose to put the cat through that treatment.

Show quote history

I don't know what you're not understanding about my post 😵‍💫

Gettingbysomehow · 23/07/2023 08:38

My last cat cost my insurance 10k. Id have had to have her PTS without it. We had an extra 10 years together which I will always treasure.
It depends how much you care about your animals really. Can you find a cheaper insurance?

OutingMyself · 23/07/2023 08:39

If I had left it two days I wouldn't have had to pay thousands.

My point is that an unexpected health situation came up that cost thousands. The op has no idea if her dogs are going to get cancer. Being on a lead won't help. It could cost thousands.

SoSheTakesTheDog · 23/07/2023 08:41

I don't have insurance for my dog - rescue, 10, severe neglect for a couple of years, generally pretty healthy.

But I can afford vets bills.

In theory, I'd take out a mortgage against my house if I had a bill big enough that I could pay through savings. But, a bill that big would suggest a complex, invasive, perhaps experimental procedure and I wouldn't put my dog through that kind of thing.

SoSheTakesTheDog · 23/07/2023 08:42

SoSheTakesTheDog · 23/07/2023 08:41

I don't have insurance for my dog - rescue, 10, severe neglect for a couple of years, generally pretty healthy.

But I can afford vets bills.

In theory, I'd take out a mortgage against my house if I had a bill big enough that I could pay through savings. But, a bill that big would suggest a complex, invasive, perhaps experimental procedure and I wouldn't put my dog through that kind of thing.

Should say "couldn't pay through savings"

Wolfiefan · 23/07/2023 08:43

Not a chance. If money is tight you risk not being able to afford treatment they need. And I would be addressing any anxiety and inability to let them off the lead now. Before you end up with a baby and two dogs you suddenly want to rehome.
And a dog on gabapentin for life? It is in pain. Consider supplements or alternative treatment too.

cinnamonfrenchtoast · 23/07/2023 08:43

...but you did have insurance....? And it still cost you thousands because you chose to put the cat through that treatment.

Of course she chose to have treatment ConfusedThe vast majority of people don't have their pets put to sleep when there are other options.

DisgustedOfTidmouth · 23/07/2023 08:52

On the medication front. You may find it cheaper to pay vet for a prescription and buy from an online vet.