Emergency Vets

Unless you’re wealthy then pet insurance is a must. If people can’t afford it then they certainly shouldn’t get a pet. I have done home checks for animal rescues for 34 years and I always urge people to take out a whole of life policy. Sadly all too often people haven’t done it and get slapped with a huge vet’s bill. Then they expect rescues and charities to pick up the pieces either by the old ‘we’ll get him/her put to sleep then’ , asking for money or dumping them.
As far as I knew vets generally don’t ask for a lump sum up front if the client is an established customer with pet insurance. If they do I’d be pretty annoyed with them!

Sadly many people find themselves either having their pet pts or some lucky ones with often the veterinary surgeons help will find a rescue prepared to take on medical costs IF owner signs pet over. Our pets are definitely luxuries nowadays and vet fees cost loads especially out of hours! Insurance is advisable and a lifetime policy - cheapest may not be the best.

My son's cat recently appeared very unwell and he called the emergency vet, also linked to his usual practice.
On describing the situation, the vet advised that he brought the cat in straight away.

The situation was quite serious and immediate treatment was needed. At the time, an estimate was given of around £900 to £1000. My son has insurance for his cats however, the surgery insisted on a payment from him of £350 before they would do anything.

I don't know if that's just specific to his practice but even with insurance, he found himself having to pay quite a large sum upfront.
Thankfully the insurance company paid the claim and the cat is home, safe and well.

I'd never take the risk of not having pet insurance. My friend's cat got hit by a car recently, and as it was late on a Friday night, she had to take it to the emergency vet. Thankfully he is now well on the way to recovery, although it was touch and go for a while, but the bill came to more than £6,000, which was covered by her insurance. Our Lab is having to go to our local vet hospital for some checks and we could also be facing a substantial bill - and ongoing costs - so I'm very glad we have a good lifetime insurance policy for him.