Pet insurance - to have or not to have?

Vet's fees now are quite obscene. As an octogenarian, I still remember as a child the cats and a dog we had for many years. Don't think pet insurance was around then or tinned pet food!. We were always so grateful to the PDSA for the care they gave us as money was tight after being bombed in the war. We have no pets now but family and friends dread the vets bills as something always seem to crop up. However, what price can you put on a beloved companion.

amt101 Sat 23-Dec-17 12:43:28
I think Jacksmum is a really good reason why you shouldn't have a rescue dog. I've been looking for one for ages and when you read the blurb about them there always seems problems. I've had cats and dogs all my life and never had insurance and only taken them to the vet when necessary.

I really cant understand your post ??? saying i should not have rescue dogs ??? my 3 dogs all rescues are loved and well cared for , being rescues just means they could have come to me with problems but that is part of them and i accept that and am willing to deal with them ,whether its health or behaviour problems, 2 of my rescues are care visit dogs , going into care homes where the residents with dementia get so much pleasure from being in the company of my dogs, 1 of these dogs came to live with me aged 13 months old and i am his 4th home !!! but with love and training he is doing really well, i look forward to you explaining your post saying i should not have rescue dogs !!!

yes get for life it is a little more a month but if your animal gets a condition eg heart murmur like mine who was only covered for one yearand he still going strong after 5 years with medication etc costs me just under £100 a month

Oops, an unnecessary 'even' in the last sentence

Next time any of you have a vet's bill to pay, ask for a detailed account. It will really open your eyes. We checked the details of a bill my DD had a few months ago and compared prices online. Items that you could pick up online for just a couple of pounds were being charged at 10 times the amount. It is, as others have said, a racket and I believe it is down to pet insurance; years ago we never had insurance for our dogs and the vet's bills were never scarily high - we weren't rich by any stretch, but the costs were never beyond our means. Nowadays you'd almost need to take out a second mortgage to cover some of the most routine procedures. Pet insurance has pushed prices up to the point where people are forced to take it out because they would otherwise be unable to afford even the vet bills for even minor treatments.

My cat (14) is insured as I would never forgive myself if he needed expensive treatment and I had to have him put to sleep due to the expense.

We never had insurance before our last cat who was rescued by our son in Dubai. Watching Super Vat made me think about possible bills and so I insured her with John Lewis. Poor little cat was diagnosed with liver cancer and died before she was 8. It was very reassuring to know that all her tests and palliative treatment were covered. The final bill was around £1000 and was promptly paid. DH has decreed we will have no more pets as he was so upset by her death, but I wouldn't hesitate to get insurance if he relented!

The cost of vet's bills is getting ridiculous and will result in animals not being rescued and being allowed to suffer instead of going to the vets. We've just paid £210 for a grass seed in the foot. Insurance doesn't help as it increases as the dog ages and you still have to pay the excess. We would not have expensive operations and tests. It's a racket like many other things I feel we are being forced to take out insurance I just won't have a pet. Ever met a poor vet?

Also bear in mind that at certain ages of the animal, e.g. 8 and over, the insurers will only pay a certain percentage of the bill, not 100%. Clumsily worded but brain too tired to re-word!

Sorry if someone else has already pointed this out but CBA to read the whole thread.

Yes, I think pet insurance is essential. Just watching the treatments now available/possible as illustrated on 'Supervet' make me wonder how on earth this would be possible without insurance.

Our vet does a Dog pet plan scheme that covers a six month check up, all monthly flea treatment and wormer, along with any annual vaccinations. Our dog has bowel disease and is on permanent antibiotics he needs a check every six months which is done at his health check. We had him vaccinated but as he is seven years old his pet insureance went up to £41 per month. We can't afford that. His bowel disease is not covered so we cancelled are with looking around after Christmas for another policy. Even without claiming and having no other health issues it goes up each year

I think Jacksmum is a really good reason why you shouldn't have a rescue dog. I've been looking for one for ages and when you read the blurb about them there always seems problems. I've had cats and dogs all my life and never had insurance and only taken them to the vet when necessary.

I have never insured my pets, neither dd my parents, although I have to say if I owned a dog now I possibly would consider insurance.

I have a cat, he was my DD's & came to me when he was 6 years old, he's never been vaccinated, I had him neutered & micro-chipped when I got him. Too late to consider insurancenow, I do the flea/tick treatment. He's more at risk from squirrel attack than fox where I live

Pets do have some advantages, GabriellaG. Though as mine is a crotchetty old thing at the best of times and has just coughed up a furball out of reach under the Christmas tree, I'm struggling to think of one at the moment.

Regarding worming and flea treatments I buy off the internet, just the same stuff as from the vets, but I don't worm or flea treat monthly, only twice a year, but they are mostly indoor cats
Also don't vaccinate after the initial one,they don't need it, and now even some vets agree the vaccines last for about 3 years
I do vaccinate my dog regularly and flea and worm more often than the cats as she obviously goes out, and wouldn't risk her catching anything
Its all about money with vets insisting flea and worming monthly,
Never ever seen a flea on my cats or dog
It is just too many chemicals,

Yes always get pet insurance our setter develop epilepsy at 2 years old the pills the treatment you have to have you never know just research and compare companies

Definitely get pet insurance, I had a cat who had heart failure, luckily she was insured,she had a year on tablets then sadly had a massive heart attack which killed her,
The tablets would have cost me £30 a month,
I have 3 other cats all insured with Animal friends,less than £6 a month,excess is £60,
Dog would have cost more, but nothing like £40
My dog is covered by the PDSA which was £7-50 a year, they have just stopped that as it was costing them too much ,they now do it for £4-50 a month, still well worth it,
My dog developed a skin condition, which would have cost me £66, it cost me ^, as they ask you to pay a percentage, I paid more than the £6 though as I was very grateful for the reduction
All those paying upwards of £40 I am sure you can get it much cheaper,
I couldn't afford that,but I do recommend getting it for life especially for dogs as they are more likely to get injuried etc
My cats are indoor cats, go in the garden sometimes, but never go away, but could develop illnesses,
To get PDSA cover you need certain conditions like council tax or housing benefit, and I think pension credit counts too,but worth enquiring about

YES yes yes. Insure the pup immediately before it gets any health problems, which would void any insurance claims for related illnesses. Make sure it is Lifetime insurance, which will cover the dog for any life long illnesses.
Its great for peace of mind. Once you get attached to your dog you will do anything to keep them alive.
Do a google search for lifetime pet insurane, and decided what amou t of cover you want.
I'm with Petplan and Lifetime with £4000, which doesn't go far if the dog needs tests, scans and other in depth treatment.

Enjoy your puppy. Very hard work for months, but suddenly they get everything.

*oops! having
on not in

Having read most of the replies, I'm glad I don't have any pets. No hairs all over the place, no hsving to go in long walks at least twice a day no matter the weather or how you feel. No cleaning up after them (dogs AND cats), no vets bills and having to either find kennels while you go on holiday or find a hotel which will take animals (and you still have daily walks and poop scooping to do)
Other than that, you have to have relatives or friends to look after them for the duration.
No thanks.

We had cat insurance with More Than and needed it when he had surgery. They also paid out some money when he was sadly run over and killed. Obviously we weren’t worried about that ? but I’d definitely take out insurance again. We also has a pet plan at the local vets which covered regular stuff like nail clipping, vaccinations etc. None of it big money and less if your pet is young and healthy.

Without a doubt, go for the insurance.

Without a doubt, go for the insurance.

Without a doubt, go for the insurance.

Without a doubt, go for the insurance.