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The doghouse

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

Urgent. At vets now

42 replies

NorwichMom · 03/01/2026 18:08

Dog seems poorly and waiting at emergency vet. My direct debit for pet insurance to animal friends didn’t go through yesterday. They’re shut. Will she still be covered

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Clefable · 03/01/2026 18:39

Obviously be guided by your vet but my dog has had this before and it was colitis, which did resolve itself without much intervention. It did look dramatic and scary though!

NorwichMom · 03/01/2026 18:42

Clefable · 03/01/2026 18:39

Obviously be guided by your vet but my dog has had this before and it was colitis, which did resolve itself without much intervention. It did look dramatic and scary though!

Thank you. That’s what the vet said. It looks dramatic but will clear up and it’s just a case of making sure she’s not dehydrated

Ive managed to change the direct debit bank account details with animal friends now to a different bank account so am guessing they’ll retry on Monday and it’ll go through. I’ll keep an eye on the account and ring if needed

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EleanorReally · 03/01/2026 19:35

diarrhoea is always so worrying in dogs
we cured the last attack without a vet visit but it was a near thing
rice and boiled chicken
sweet potato
scrambled egg
although colitis is a different matter perhaps

NorwichMom · 03/01/2026 20:05

She’s been admitted. Blood tests showed she was dehydrated but also getting into metabolic acidosis through shock.

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NorwichMom · 03/01/2026 20:06

I’m really worried about her now.

OP posts:
noctilucentcloud · 03/01/2026 21:08

I'm sorry to hear that OP. She's in the best place to get help and it sounds like the vet is on it. I'll keep my fingers crossed for her.

Nocameltoeleggingsplease · 03/01/2026 21:36

Clefable · 03/01/2026 18:19

You’re fine, OP. No insurance policy gets instantly cancelled when a payment is late. In fact I suspect there’s regulations to avoid it.

Their own Ts and Cs confirm:

When we will cancel your policy

We can cancel your policy for the following reasons. If we need to cancel your policy, we’ll get in touch with you first by email or post.

If you don’t keep up with your payments

If you’re unable to make a payment, please get in touch with us to find out how we can help.
If we don’t hear from you, we’ll cancel the policy one month after the date we last received a payment. We may be able to reinstate the policy if you pay within 28 days of the cancellation date, and your pet’s health hasn’t changed

Edited

But your pet’s health has changed.
Sorry but they might use this to get out of paying especially as you cancelled the DD.
Hope the dog is ok.

Crwysmam · 03/01/2026 21:49

Hopefully your insurance will be ok. Our dog had haemorrhaging gastroenteritis when she was about 4yrs old. She was going into shock when we got her to the vets. It came on overnight and was pretty grim. I arrived home from work at lunchtime to find the kitchen covered by pools of almost pure blood.

The vets were brilliant, she stayed in for 5days, made herself at home, the staff fell in love with her, but their prompt action meant that she made a rapid recovery. I doubt she would have survived without the continuous IV fluids and tlc. She even came with me to my DS’s rugby match the day after she was discharged. The diarrhoea didn’t linger and her appetite returned to

I have never regretted paying insurance and we are currently benefitting after she suddenly went downhill. It turned out to be IVDD ( slipped disc). She’s currently improving but it will be a slow process since she had spinal trauma 2 yrs ago which left her with mild neurological deficit in one of her back legs.

Unfortunately the MRI they did this time has uncovered a problem with enlarged adrenal glands. A bit of a mystery because she has no clinical symptoms for enlarged adrenals and it’s unlikely to be cancer since both sides are affected.

The good news is that the insurance resets every year so will cover her for ongoing investigations, however the meds are expensive. She is booked to have blood tests next month to investigate the adrenal issue but if it comes back normal she may just need regular blood tests.

When we first visited the specialist with her back problem the outlook was grim because they thought it was most likely to be a tumour causing her symptoms, other possibilities included end stage hip dysplasia. The vet was very upbeat when it turned out to be a bulging disc, but we will have to wait and see if she has a more chronic endocrine problem.

She’s currently thoroughly enjoying crate rest which consists of lying on her bed in the living room keeping DH company, who is also on “crate” rest waiting for a knee replacement at the end of the month. Sh is a typical Labrador who enjoys a laid back lifestyle.

Clefable · 03/01/2026 21:50

Nocameltoeleggingsplease · 03/01/2026 21:36

But your pet’s health has changed.
Sorry but they might use this to get out of paying especially as you cancelled the DD.
Hope the dog is ok.

That’s after cancellation. The policy has not been cancelled. It’s saying that if the policy gets cancelled after a month due to non payment, you can reinstate it within a further 28 days if no change to pet health. OP’s policy has not been cancelled so that part isn’t relevant currently. They have to notify of cancellation first, and the non-payment will likely not even register till Monday due to bank holidays/the weekend.

Clefable · 03/01/2026 21:57

I would check again tomorrow though to see if you can pay online, OP, as you may be approaching the month since last payment cut-off and be close to triggering their cancellation process. Otherwise first thing on Monday before it shows as being late.

NorwichMom · 03/01/2026 22:11

Clefable · 03/01/2026 21:57

I would check again tomorrow though to see if you can pay online, OP, as you may be approaching the month since last payment cut-off and be close to triggering their cancellation process. Otherwise first thing on Monday before it shows as being late.

It’s still showing as “paid up” and “you have nothing to do”. So I can’t pay. I suspect this won’t change until Monday but will check again tomorrow and ring them up on Monday.

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noctilucentcloud · 04/01/2026 16:46

How's your girl today OP?

NorwichMom · 04/01/2026 17:09

Much better and back home thanks. £1800 bill so hoping the insurance pays out.

Vets have already warned me that animal,friends won’t pay the £320 consultation fee as they consider it excessive and always refuse to pay it, will only pay £120. Small print says nothing about a maximum consultation fee so that’s bad.

Their website still says the policy is active and dog is covered. I’ll ring them first thing tomorrow.

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noctilucentcloud · 04/01/2026 17:58

Glad she's ok. Good luck with the insurer, you should challenge it if they have a cap which isn't in their t&cs

Shinyandnew1 · 05/01/2026 11:25

NorwichMom · 04/01/2026 17:09

Much better and back home thanks. £1800 bill so hoping the insurance pays out.

Vets have already warned me that animal,friends won’t pay the £320 consultation fee as they consider it excessive and always refuse to pay it, will only pay £120. Small print says nothing about a maximum consultation fee so that’s bad.

Their website still says the policy is active and dog is covered. I’ll ring them first thing tomorrow.

Did you get through to them?

anonlawyer · 05/01/2026 11:32

Take a screenshot that cover is in place

NorwichMom · 05/01/2026 12:22

Shinyandnew1 · 05/01/2026 11:25

Did you get through to them?

Yes, cover is all good. Apparently as long as you pay a missed payment within 28 days the cover holds.

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