Pet insurance increase following claims

[Thelighthousekeeper]

Hi,
I have an 8 year old miniature poodle who out of nowhere had a seizure last December. He made a full recovery but then had another one in May which lasted longer but again quickly recovered. Following the second seizure the vet prescribed phenobarbital and he is being treated for seizures although the vet said it was rare to suddenly get epilepsy at his age. In the absence of any other symptoms we decided not to go down the route of an MRI although he did have various blood tests which the vets recommended. All came back fine.

We have been claiming the cost of his medication (its works out at about £88 pounds a month) and have now received our renewal from out pet insurance. Since December I think we’ve claimed just under 1k (his policy covers 7k of treatment) but his renewal has gone through the roof and doubled in price.

It looks like he will be on phenobarbital long term and the small print of our insurance say the policy will double in price if a claim is made. Has anyone been in our position and able to offer advice? I have looked around but obviously none will insure this pre-existing condition.

What are you premiums?

It's really common for insurance to shoot up in price once they hit 8 - even with no existing claims. It's because they're now considered senior animals and are at more risk of needing long-term medication for things like arthritis or other health conditions.

It’s currently £58.76 but will go up to £116.95 per month

I think £116 a month is reasonable if you are claiming the equivalent of £88 per month , the way to look at it is that you are paying in effect £28 per month to cover anything else that goes wrong - bargainous really .

I think also at the age of 8 premiums jump as they are classed as geriatric and the terms can change where you have to pay a percentage of the claim plus excess.

We were with Direct Line and I’ve never had to pay a percentage , just the excess . Our dog is 14 with a variety of ailments and I’ve just stopped his insurance this year as it had gone up to over £200 per month and I think I can do all his current meds for about £60 per month online including the prescription cost . He wouldn’t be fit enough to have anything major done as he has high blood pressure ( medicated) .

Which insurance company are you with?

My dog was diabetic. I didn't claim for his medication for this reason.

I got a prescription from the vet for £10 and ordered online from animed which cost £24 per month instead of the £80 that the vet was charging.

I worked it out that it was cheaper than the annual increases. When he got to 11 I actually cancelled the insurance because it went up to a 50% co pay.

Tesco. They have been brilliant at paying up quickly. Just a shock that it says in the small print the policy is likely to double if you make a claim- and obviously it has.

Do you have to pay the £10 every month you get a new prescription or is it a one off fee? I think my vets charge about £20 for this but then the medication is much cheaper online.

I'm with Tesco for one dog. For about 3 years we've been claiming for Apoquel medication for allergies , which is now approx £55 per month dispensed.
The premium goes up each year, but has not yet doubled. It started at about £23 and is now about £37. The dog is 4.5yrs old. Perhaps it is more about the age than claiming.

The prescription charge will depend on how long it lasts. We get 6 months for parasiticides, but other meds are usually either for 1 or 3 months.