New Puppy Advice Please

Like others, I just put money aside every month.

Have you tried the PDSA? Your benefits may qualify you. MadeinYorkshire

MadeInYorkshire

PetPlan will pay out directly to the vet, but are horrendously expensive!

When it got to nearly £200 a month for my 2 healthy dogs, no claims, I moved to Many Pets as they did cover anything pre-existing, but I would NOT recommend them!
Your experience is horrific! Even worse when others say they have authorised in advance. Can you take it further up the chain of management? Start a fundraiser in case they don't pay out on Facebook/meta? Have you researched the company and looked on the pet topics here, including the Litter Tray to ask if anyone has been in the same position? Fingers crossed for your beloved girl. Xxx

Vets' bills have risen massively in the last year or so (due to many independent vets being taken over by chains?). If it's been a while since you've had a dog - doubled or trebled is not an exaggeration.

I saved a great deal of money by grooming my Cocker Spaniels myself .
I include shaving the leather of the ear to prevent endless expensive to treat ear infections and expressing their anal glands .
I trained them from puppyhood to accept being thoroughly groomed regularly.

Grandmotherto8, I could have written your post myself, every single word! 🌷🌷

, yes my lab keeps me on my toes.

I’m on my 2nd show type cocker spaniel and go to training classes where there are other spaniels. I don’t see them as a demanding breed at all. Working cockers, like other working breeds need a job but that can be met by games and mental stimulation
My lab has been ‘more demanding’ than any other breed I’ve shared my life with

Sounds exciting but you have picked a very demanding breed! good luck.

I wouldn’t use anything other than Pet Plan. I have never had a problem with them over the decades. What I would advise though is that you get insured as soon as possible. Always have a ‘whole of life policy’ so that there will be ongoing cover should the dog develop a condition. Ask your vet for advice on how much cover you need. I’d say that for dogs you would need a minimum of £7k pa cover. Nothing less. More is better. Good luck!

Years ago I was walking my spaniel on a flood bank and she met one of her friends. They ran around a bit and then both took off towards the lane which then led to the village primary school and it was dropping off time and rush hour ( it was on a very busy road). My whole life flashed before me. Thankfully I was able to catch her. I didn’t insure my dogs at the time but I did after that and made sure I was insured for a lot of money if they caused an accident. Not sure about if they attack another dog, though. I’ll have a look at my insurance.

Thank you all so much for your advice and good wishes. It has helped a lot and now all I have to do is wait for 6 weeks for to be able to pick her up.

Asking this for a friend (really) - her dog escaped from the lead when she fell over and attacked another dog, causing £4000 worth of injuries to the dog. Would public liability insurance have covered this?

I asked my daughter about the question she is a veterinary nurse and she recommended PetPlan. You’re getting the dog that I always wanted but because I traveled so much I was never able to have a dog -enjoy sounds wonderful!

MadeInYorkshire

ViceVersa

I'm with Many Pets and I have to say they've been very good with us so far. Claims were paid directly to the vet within a few days, and they were also extremely helpful over the phone too.

Wow!! As you can see, they would NOT budge for me! Even told the vets they wouldn't pre-authorise.

I pay the insurance as I cannot rely on myself to put the money away every month, so at least I know what is going out. I know that should something go wrong in the house etc, I would dip in to that money pot, so can't risk that either ... the vet has said that the needle aspirates on hard lumps, don't work. My poor little girl.

‘A needle aspirate, also known as a fine needle aspirate (FNA), can often be used to sample cells from a hard lump in a dog, but its effectiveness can vary depending on the type and size of the lump. FNA is a relatively simple procedure where a thin needle is used to collect a sample of cells from the lump, which can then be examined under a microscope’.
This is what I googled. When my spaniel had mammary tumours I had her spayed on vets advice ( back then I didn’t spay my dogs) but I don’t remember having the lumps removed. It was a long time ago, though.

Coincidentally I have been looking to renew insurance for my 13 year old dog. Tesco wouldn’t insure a dog over 8 and other companies were too much.
I then saw the post about joining the Dogs Trust and that fits the bill exactly for me and so I am very grateful. I shall save the insurance money in case of illness/injury but have the reassurance of public liability insurance. Many thanks. Have joined.

ViceVersa

I'm with Many Pets and I have to say they've been very good with us so far. Claims were paid directly to the vet within a few days, and they were also extremely helpful over the phone too.

Wow!! As you can see, they would NOT budge for me! Even told the vets they wouldn't pre-authorise.

I pay the insurance as I cannot rely on myself to put the money away every month, so at least I know what is going out. I know that should something go wrong in the house etc, I would dip in to that money pot, so can't risk that either ... the vet has said that the needle aspirates on hard lumps, don't work. My poor little girl.

How exciting, wishing you lots of fun with your new puppy, something to really look forward to.

PetPlan paid out for an operation that they shouldn’t have paid for as my dog had year cover not life and we’d gone over the year. Not sure how or why they paid but they did.

My experience with two dogs suddenly very sick confirms if the unexpected happens, Petplan more than covers what if paid over ten years

Could you ask them to do a needle aspiration on the lumps which doesn’t cost too much and should be able to ascertain if the tumours are benign ( although they can throw up false negatives). I find that vets don’t always offer to do them so I have to ask first them and then they’ll say ‘oh of course we could try that’.

I'm with Many Pets and I have to say they've been very good with us so far. Claims were paid directly to the vet within a few days, and they were also extremely helpful over the phone too.

PetPlan will pay out directly to the vet, but are horrendously expensive!

When it got to nearly £200 a month for my 2 healthy dogs, no claims, I moved to Many Pets as they did cover anything pre-existing, but I would NOT recommend them! My 10 yr old Romanian rescue, Dora has some mammary lumps that we've been keeping an eye on. 50/50 benign or cancerous. The vet suggested they come off, and quoted me £2,000. As I'm on benefits as am disabled, the surgery offered to arrange with Many Pets so that they could pre-authorise it, BUT Many Pets wouldn't do it! I cannot afford to pay the vet upfront, I have no savings, I can't even afford heating, so IF they decided after the surgery that they wouldn't cover it, I'd be completely stuffed! The surgery said I could pay in 3 instalments, but I couldn't afford that either! They only give us enough to cover our 'basic needs' and you really cannot save much at all.

I challenged Many Pets on X - "I thought I was doing the right thing by insuring my dogs, but due to your policy of not pre-authorising required surgery, I can't take the risk of you NOT paying out for a £2k surgery to remove lumps that may or may not be malignant. Disabled, unable to work after 24 surgeries of my own; no heating & existing hand to mouth, it's impossible to 'save'.

As a result, my dog, my constant companion will not be able to have the surgery as I cannot pay the bill, so YOU have put her at risk. Wouldn't mind but I pay almost £200 a month to you!"

Their response -
"Hi there, we're so sorry to hear your dog isn't well. We're sorry we don't offer pre-authorisation at the moment, as we assess each claim on an individual basis. If you have any questions about what we can't cover, please feel free to get in touch."

"That's exactly what I'm asking of you, assess this claim on an individual basis, but before the surgery?? I'm unable to get her this surgery UNLESS you are going to pay out on it; I can't risk you not paying out as I don't have the money!

It's YOU that is putting the health of my dog at risk!"

So, that's the end of that; It's just not good enough really, I am far from happy and just hope that these lumps are benign!

Galaxy

We use petplan, they have been really good. Our dog had a major operation when he was under a year old, there have never been any problems with them paying out.

Several years ago my 6 year old had numerous expensive investigations including mri scans. He had an aggressive tumour pressing on vital organs. Petplan worked directly with my vet so I never had to stand paying invoices while weeping. The total cost exceeded £6500 and these days would be higher. Rip Charlie x
Prior to this our ten year old doodle was investigated after mini seizures, including mri brain and other scans. Treatment in tablet form till she died. Then I found a small lump on her shoulder, in view of Charlie I was keen it be removed - it was cancer. She lived well for almost 3 years. Cost of these two separate investigations over 13,000. All covered so my years of monthly payments were exceeded by the cost of these three serious investigations and in the doodles case, treatment.

My current two are with Petplan. One has thyroid problems, life long meds and 3 or 6 monthly bloods to ensure meds remain effective. Petplan paid for initial investigations and ongoing bloods/exams/meds. Her insurance hasn’t increased but she’s 8 this year so it might
My labs hip scores etc all good, 5 generation pedigree same. But labs can develop cruciate problems. A friends dog needed surgery £6,500

Sarahr

Don't forget to enrol on dog training classes even if you have previously owned dogs. My friend attends classes every time she has a new dog. She has had dogs for over 60 years,

We went to three different ones. The first one didn’t suit us but the second two were really helpful.