Paul@Ribchester Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Evening all, My new Black Lab is insured with the kennel club until the beginning of January (it came free with the puppy), after that I will probably be changing to a gundog specific insurer. Has anyone got any advice on who to go with or who not to go with? Thanks for your time, Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry b Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 hi paul is basc worth a try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul@Ribchester Posted November 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Terry, I am a member so I might give them a bell in the morning. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 I'm a little lost what you want insurance for? If it's for vets fees then why a gundog specific policy? There's nothing different about them. If you are a BASC member your dog is covered whilst working anyway for liability etc. I dind't know they did specific dog insurance If it's for vet fees a couple of things to note. Make sure the policy is 'for life'. Many cheaper policies only cover a condition and then exclude it at renewal, no good if the dog becomes diabetic or arthritic at a young age. Also look at the level of cover, some give £5000 per condition some give £5000 per year. £5000 is the minimum cover level you need - some nasty orthopaedic injuries can be very expensive to mend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 DONT go with pet insurance.co.uk. They are ****. They are underwritten by equine and livestock. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bazooka Joe Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Wasn't there a long winding thread on this a while ago ? Some insurers won't insure working dogs ? DH, who have you got your GWP Insured with ? BJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmyb79 Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 (edited) I'm with More Than who seem to offer a fairly good package in vet fees insurance. They also cover gundogs for hunting use except for competition. I pay no more than £20 per dog per month, but the cover is pretty good. When I last shopped about, Virgin seemed to offer not a bad deal as did GreenBee.co.uk (I think they're part of John Lewis.) If you find your insurer doesn't cover gundog use, or you want to insure for trials etc, then the Countryside Alliance offer gundog specific insurance for about £6 per month. Edited November 30, 2009 by jimmyb79 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted November 30, 2009 Report Share Posted November 30, 2009 Petplan are probably the best Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 apache I'm liking your first post on this as our local BASC rep touts it about that all vets are out to invalidate peoples policies if they take their dog shooting as some policies exclude working dogs. Working of course being a very loose term if you take your dog shooting with you once a week, however mention it on the phone that its a working gundog and you can almost hear the person having a fit and either wanting to exclude you straight away or tripple the price. I believe they do offer a policy through BASC which is with Petplan who do cover working dogs. My GWP is with them simply due to the level of cover even though I really only want accidental cover as I've vets in the family for any routine surgery just not close enough if one had an accident. My only issue with them is the price going up every year despite not claiming, started at £12 a month then £14 and now £16 so not sure how long I'll be staying with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 As my vet said "The only way the insurance company will know it is a working dog and wont pay out is if it gets shot !" In other words.."if you dont tell them i wont".Think about it..any dog could get injured off anything a working dog could apart from being shot. There is loads of them out there doing it now and even tesco are cheap and pretty hassle free for the vets according (unofficially)to the vet.I had a look for mine and it was £11.50 a month or he did suggest a look at the NFU. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 My only issue with them is the price going up every year despite not claiming, started at £12 a month then £14 and now £16 so not sure how long I'll be staying with them The risk goes up fast as dogs age, time and time again a dog makes it to 8 or ten with no health problems other than it's vaccinations and the odd anal glad to squeeze and then suddenly it's on so many pills you can hear it rattle! I suspect this is the reason. IF you chose to go elsewhere make sure you have the policy started before you cancel your old one as they get to an age when they are un-insurable (depending on breed 5 - 8 years)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 (edited) interesting to me though at 28 months its a little excessive to have had a 25% increase in premium and no claims but guess they have to make money somewhere. It is tempting to shop about as this works out more than my car insurance which is a bit bonkers. I'll probably swallow it this year and swap next year when they put it up yet again. Though the thought of putting it in a savings account is at the back of my mind as so far I'll have paid in about £500 and were I to have a litter of pups and put some of that in as well i should be reasonably covered. Its the fact that once the dog is older then vets attention is more likely and that is when the cost usually goes through the roof or as Apache says its uninsurable that is concerning. oh and Blackbart from my days of living in a vets household the dogs that had been shot weren't usually working ones more ones prone to get out and chase game birds and livestock so guess it would be even harder to proove. It is interesting Tesco would be £12 for me however if I then take off the cover for loss or straying and costs on advertising to find her it then drops to £10.95 and then if I exclude third party liability which I have with my house insurance and when shooting probably with BASC then it comes down to £9.50 ok its 2.5K per condition but in my case its really for accidental injury only as anything more my dad can sort out even if I have to drive a couple of hours for a "consultation" does make you wonder how many times you are insured for the same thing on different policys you hold Edited December 1, 2009 by al4x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul@Ribchester Posted December 1, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Cheers guys, some interesting responses so far. I suppose I agree with Blackbart, If I am only doing the odd bit of rough shooting (usually alone) and pigeon decoying why say she is a working gundog? I have had a quick look on some comparison web sites but need to research more thoroughly. I have browsed through some old posts and can only really find the one slating pet insurance.co.uk so I will keep away from them. I thought this question might have been asked before though........ Paul. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 DH, who have you got your GWP Insured with ? BJ. He is insured with More Than. They seem ok but I have not had a claim yet! I did ask them about gundog cover and they said he would be covered if you only use him shooting every now and then but not every week or every month. Not very clear but I got the impression if you dont shoot the dog you would be ok. I walk my dog daily where I shoot and I cant see the difference really. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted December 1, 2009 Report Share Posted December 1, 2009 Im needing to sort my insurance out as well because its with pet-insurance.co.uk covers for the life of the illness not to a set point then cut off. but i was taking to the vets and they say that whos to know. if the dog is shot on a shoot then the person that shot the dog needs to cover it for being a **** shot.lol if the dog runs out into the road or causes damage while out shooting with me then my SASC insurance covers that. broken leg while out shooting then he fell in a rabbit hole whilst out walking. this was my vets that said this.lol. just dont get caught out like the mother-in-law. the insurance only covered her for 3k per illness. the dog has a heart murmur and a problem bowel, for the last 5 years she has to cover the costs for all the pills and foods that the dog needs. she cant get any more cover for the dog as it was set price per illness. try and get cover per year not per illness. Phil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbart Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 He is insured with More Than. They seem ok but I have not had a claim yet!I did ask them about gundog cover and they said he would be covered if you only use him shooting every now and then but not every week or every month. Not very clear but I got the impression if you dont shoot the dog you would be ok. I walk my dog daily where I shoot and I cant see the difference really. Harry Read the small print harry... With more than you pay your excess AND then pay 10% of the final vets bill on top A right rip off....all hidden in very small letters at the bottom of the terms and conditions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted December 2, 2009 Report Share Posted December 2, 2009 I was aware of that. They told me when I took the policy out. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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