What happens if you can't afford vet bill?

[witchycat2]

Not happening to me, but a scenario of someone else has got me wondering.

What happens if your dog is injured and the treatment would cost say, £5k, and you literally can't pay it and have no insurance?

Does the vet put the dog to sleep? Do they seize the dog? Do you have the debt collectors round?

I did have insurance but they were terrible at paying anything out so I cancelled and now I just pay as I go. It should not be compulsory at all

Thank you, it was Sainsbury’s. This was a few years ago now. I did complain and also spoke with the ombudsman but didn’t get anywhere unfortunately. I think pet insurance is like most other types - they will avoid paying out claims wherever possible.

I’d even called Sainsbury’s to confirm whether it would be considered a pre existing condition (I’d declared the surgery on the other leg when I took out the policy but their t&c were not clear on whether this would count as one) and was advised to have the operation and put a claim form in afterwards which would then be sent to the underwriters.

My current Insurance policy (different dog) expressly states that cruciate ligament surgery will count as a pre existing condition regardless of which leg it was on even if the new surgery is required on a different leg. So at least we know where we stand with that one and can plan accordingly if he ever has similar issues in the future

I think that’s a great plan. Fund it with a mandatory licence to have a pet though, not through taxation. Presumably that licence would have to cost a few thousand a year to fund the bureaucracy of running such a service, and running it…but if it prevents suffering no animal owner should begrudge that. Ad a levy to cover waifs and strays ;) No license, no pet. Break the law, fine and prison :)

"I would have taken that to court, what disgusting insurance company was that? Hope your dog is ok now."

Many insurance companies have this as a specfic clause in the contract and often a separate cap for that specific condition as well. Cruciate disease usually affects both sides to some degree at least, like hip dysplasia or IOHC( an elbow problem). Or ear problems. Or eye problems.

That's a very good idea.

Completely agree. I would go as far to say it should be a legal requirement, like car insurance is. If that prices someone out, then so be it. Pets aren't a right, they're a privilege and a financial commitment.

that's pretty disgusting to be honest. My dog had both his cruciates done 6 months apart and Petplan paid for them both and were jolly nice about it too (enquiring about dog's health etc).
Who are you with?
(My dog got his done in 2016 so maybe things have changed since then?)

I had my dog insured with petplan when younger and foolishly stopped his insurance to 'save money' (what a joke that was. Never again)

Anyway I am currently trying to reinsure him with Petplan - he's 11 now and they offered their essential insurance which covers each illness up to £3000 but only for a year. The nice surprise was the premiums were only £47 per month but I have to pay 20% of the vet bill plus the excess. I was expecting the premiums to be way more than £47 per month but I guess it is hard to judge given the restrictions on the policy etc.

Obviously all existing conditions are excluded.

The policy was put on hold while they review his medical history (fair enough) but I'm hoping they let it go through. Otherwise back to paying for everything. My own fault!

Our old cat was insured by PetPlan. It is excellent and very comprehensive cover. However, by the time he was 10 the premiums were about £80 to £90pcm and the excesses were high.

You get what you pay for and the cheap schemes are very limited.

For the two new girls, (2.5 yrs) I took out middling cover with a middling company at £35pcm for both. Meanwhile I put £100pcm into a cat account. I hope that will cover shortfalls but if not, I can. Also, as much as I love and respect animals I think there has to be a pragmatism in relation to quality of life. I am honestly not sure I'd spend £10k, insured or otherwise, on chemo for a cat older than 9/10. Similarly if an accident or health condition rendered an animal paralysed in its back legs or incontinent, I would not be minded to spend thousands to save it.

My old boy was a good example. He was a pickle when younger and the costs of: one inch of tail being amputated, life saving care after being poisoned, tummy wash after eating lillies: £5k. Probably about £2k on meds after he developed arthritis. I worked out once that deducting the insurance payouts from the premiums over his 14 years worked out at a net monthly contribution of about £7.50 pcm. That used to be the supermarket provider premium. It's hardly surprising the cover is limited.

Why , so that responsible owners who get insurance etc and pay to look after their own pets end up subsidising people who prioritise holidays / new car etc over insuring or saving for their animals . There is vet care in place for people on benefits - PDSA , if you feel strongly about helping the less fortunate then donate to them but you cannot impose a charity on everyone else . Most councils have reduced their dog wardens to the bare minimum now so who do you propose would implement and check all these licences ?

I've had my dog for over 11 years now from a puppy. One of the most stressful things about having a dog is when they get ill and the expense. I took out a for life insurance policy with petplan when I first got him and I have to say they were amazing. Paid for everything needed with a smile and a kind word including 2 expensive surgeries.

Why oh why I got it into my head to stop insurance when he was about 3 to save money (NEVER do this).

Thankfully since then I have always managed to pay for good treatment (sometimes with parental help) and now I always make sure there is access to money for his treatment.

The costs are eye watering and honestly I must have been so naive (he was my first ever pet). The last 5 years he has has several gastro virus type things which have cost me over £1K each time as he spent a night in the vet hospital to get fluids, antisickness, pain meds etc. He's has lots of wee warts on his body under his fur and I am used to them now but when he first started to get these warty lumps (especially as they would bleed sometimes) I had quite a few biopsys to rule out anything horrible like cancer. Each time was over £1K as they had to put him to sleep. Then he had some teeth problems and an absess and had to get a couple of teeth out which was again near £1K. This year his stomach problems turned into PLE (protein losing) and he was very ill with an albumin level way below what is should have been. There were trips to the emergency vets when he couldn't stand up and was walking into walls (he was so weak and malnourished by this point as his body couldn't absorb any nutrients). There was ongoing vet treatment - steroids, b12 jabs, special diet and still he deteriorated. Eventually I forked out 3K to a specialist who did stomach biopsy to rule out lymphoma (thankfully was clear) and was able to set me on the right path with a new diet. Dog still getting monthly blood tests and steroids so still costing me over £100 per month just for this.

I must have spent easily over 10K on vet bills in the last 5 years and that is not including his vacs, flea, worm, etc. Next dog I get will be on the best plan for the highest amount and will keep paying those premiums no matter what.

I think loads of people get a dog and don't have a clue how expensive it gets. Lucky for my dog he has not suffered from lack of care as funds could always be found although sometimes it was very stressful.

Currently trying to get him reinsured but now he has a whole bunch of pre-existing conditions including a heart murmur which is mild just now but will no doubt need treatment at some point.

I would never let him suffer and I am really frugual in other areas of my life to be able to pay his bills but yes I wish more people understood the costs before getting a dog.

When I call my vet out of hours (they have a 24 hour service) you get a huge message about this is a paid service and abuse will not be tolerated blah blah. From the huge message I am guessing they get lots of people calling with sick animals and being refused treatment as they can't afford it and then the people get abusive to the vet. (An out of hours appointment is £400 or £200 if you are a member of their monthly care plan costing £38 per month)

p.s. I would never expect taxpayers to fund an nhs for my dog. I do think some kind of compulsory insurance should be brought in. That would stop people buying them who can't afford the insurance. It's not fair for the animal to suffer if the owners can't afford vet fees.

I completely agree that if you can't afford pet insurance or a large unexpected bill you shouldn't have a pet. It's not a human right. I duly paid out every month for my robustly healthy cat who is never ill, and sometimes I did consider cancelling it when things were tight. Very glad I didn't when one day when she was 10 she broke her ankle in a way requiring surgery! I saw the x ray, it was absolutely needed a plate and screw for the bones to heal. It was between 3 and 4k I think, they billed the insurer directly. She is now 14 and thriving, healthy as a horse, and still able to jump on counter tops. I dread to think what they'd have suggested if not insured. Hopefully a payment plan, but if not, euthanasia I guess. Which is awful to think of because it was absolutely repairable and she recovered great. The vet was visibly relieved when I said she was insured.

We cancelled the pet insurance last year. At 12 years old, he had such high premiums, a large excess and we’d have to pay 25% of costs in all claims.

We decided on an amount we could cover before we’d call it quits on the grounds that much of treatment of older animals would be more for our sake than his.

The younger animals are still covered but there comes a point when it’s uneconomic.

I can't speak for dogs as I have cats but monthly:

Insurance: 17.00
Cat account: 50
Vet Plan: 17.50
Cat sitting: £25
Food: £50

That's £160pcm per Cat.

People don't understand the financial commitment. And yes my girls are spoilt rotten.

It was a tongue in cheek response to the lunatic suggestion that we have a national health service for pets. As surely it’s fairer that pet owners subside other pet owners rather than taxpayers as whole, the majority of whom don’t have pets, subside them ;)

However, I do think there’s some merit in a form of mandatory licensing, registration and insurance for all pet owners.

People's circumstances can change quickly, ours has through no fault of our own.

It seems to me insurance costs are spiralling and cover is reducing.

An example is Many Pets have reduced their Emergency cover for my renewal to 'We define this as an illness or injury that could result in death or permanent damage to limbs or bodily functions if not treated within 12 hours'.

@Tryingtokeepgoing no I disagree , if someone chooses to have a pet that makes it their responsibility . I’m no different to a non pet owning tax payer in that I don’t want to pay for other people to have pets .

Probably need to sort out the nhs service for humans first !

But seriously it’s a good idea perhaps the RSPCA should be made responsible and then they can actually do some work !

Imo there's a massive racket going on between vets and insurance companies.

Back in the day, pre insurance, surgeries etc at vets were mostly affordable. Since insurance has become mainstream, vet prices seem to have gone through the roof.

It's not even just a case of just getting insured as so many of the companies seem to be charlatans and refuse to pay out. People pay every month assuming they're covered but these companies will always find a way to avoid paying. It's totally different to most types of insurance too as I'm guessing fraudulent claims are close to zero.

Alas, they've got us over a barrel, which unfortunately they're fully aware of.

Because most people rely on the NHS, the actual cost of medical procedures is not well known in this country. Yes, they're animals, but many procedures are similar. If your pet needs surgery, scans, x-rays, bloods etc, it's going to cost. The equipment and the expertise does not come cheap.

charities are run off their feet!!! Can't cope with the number of animals they're expected to look after by the public!

As I said, it was a tongue in cheek comment 😂

That seems extortionate for a simple break.
My old vet recently retired & sold out to Medivet since when the prices even for consultations & boosters has tripled.
Two months ago I was visiting my father who lives in a very rural part of Scotland. One of my dogs damaged her foot & it was bleeding badly though I had trouble locating exactly what she’d done. I rang the local vet, 10pm Friday night. He answered straight away, said he washout on a farm visit but ring him next morning. I did at 9am, he said bring her in straight away. Examined her, clipped her paw, found a claw ripped down to the pad. We discussed options, including him removing the claw under anaesthetic there & then, but as she was walking ok agreed just to leave it be & see if it would heal . He cleaned her up, gabbed me a bottle of Loxicom for the pain. Asked him what I owed, remembering this was Saturday which is considered “out of hours” at my local vet. He said £40.70p. Was gobsmacked!
My vet charges far more than that just as a consultation fee in regular hours.
He then got into a discussion about vets having been taken over by these big companies. To say he was not impressed would be an understatement.

Our vet is the last independent in the area. Some prices have gone up but that’s mostly due to the fact the services they use are now owned by the big chains who make it extortionate for non chain vets to use. My dog was spayed in August. Four pre consults (she had phantoms and they wanted to be sure shed dried up), the op, three follow ups, one video consult when I wasn’t sure about something three weeks later, all pain relief and a collar was £345. My cat needed blood tests and that cost £300 as they had to send one off. In house tests were pounds. The company they had to use were not.