carlosdesilva Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 (edited) Probably been asked before,but with Tesco at the moment and it seems to have increased a lot 88 quid a month for 3 dogs,so who else should i take a look at ?sorry didn't think to put this in dog section doh! Edited July 25, 2010 by carlosdesilva Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Look at whether the policy is 'for life' or just a year. If your dog develops a chronic condition (arthritis/diabetes) some stop paying after a year. Also look at cover level, some have a payment limit per year, some per condition. You need £5000 for a nasty orthopaedic problem. Just beware that some companies won't cover older dogs so make sure you have a new policy in place before cancelling the old one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silpig5 Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 i got a good deal from argos.com beleive it or not . not a bad policy either .no restiction on working dogs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosdesilva Posted July 25, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Is there any policys that settle with the vet minus the excess rather than have to pay the vet and then claim off insurance ?Had a couple of big bills in the past and never at the right time finacialy and had to struggle to scrape the money together,which i know you get back eventualy but still a stress.These have always been refferals so not my regular vet that i might feel like asking for a bit of time to get the money together.Wouldn't mind paying extra a month to have that peace of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silpig5 Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 my vets says that the argos one is a pay the excess then they do the rest . they make it word perfect so no slip ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 Is there any policys that settle with the vet minus the excess rather than have to pay the vet and then claim off insurance ? Most insurance claim forms ask whether to pay the policyholder or the vet. Many vets don't do direct claims, and the owner is responsible for paying the bill and claiming the money back. The contract is between the vet and the client. We don't allow direct claims as a rule, but will do after discussion with known clients and pre-approval of the claim by the insurance company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirty Harry Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 My GWP is insured with More Than. He has recently had a Myosis and the bill was about £1300. There were 4 claims in total and they paid the vets directly and I settled up the excess after the treatment was finished. Good vets combined with good insurance company = no stress for worried dog owner. Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shade695 Posted July 25, 2010 Report Share Posted July 25, 2010 just went with virgin money, 2 dogue de bordeauxs fully insured for accident and illness £36 per month for the two, was paying that with Tesco's for one last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosdesilva Posted July 26, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2010 The Mrs sorted it in the end went with direct line halved our monthly installment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 i got a good deal from argos.com beleive it or not .not a bad policy either .no restiction on working dogs how much was Argos insurance , looking for a quote for my 2nd springer but the web page was playing up or only half working . did,nt see anything about working dogs though thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stokie Posted July 27, 2010 Report Share Posted July 27, 2010 Another vote for Morethan . We have had a few claims and never a problem in claiming . Our vets used to claim the money back for you after paying them for treatment. The cheque came straight to us minus the excess. But now they do direct claims from the insurance company . Its the vets policy not the insurance company as they dont care whos name is one the cheque Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sussexboy Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 We use Healthy Pets for our two dogs. Only had to claim once and they were as good as gold. They paid the vets directly, we had to cover the £45 excess. This was for a £800 bill to remove bladder stones and the subsequent special diet. No exclusion for gun dogs either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster123 Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 just got our policy through argos yesterday for our cocker pup 8 weeks old. its the silver policy 65 excess works out 10 pound per month and its done yearly,upto 8 years of age,no problem for working either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 got one with more than and looking to insure the second re morethan -- i,m a bit worried now after ready that you have to pay the vet before he will claim the money back are you sure ?? theres no way i could find the money up front , thats why i pay for the insurance in the first place can anyone confirm this thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ziplex Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Look at whether the policy is 'for life' or just a year. If your dog develops a chronic condition (arthritis/diabetes) some stop paying after a year. Also look at cover level, some have a payment limit per year, some per condition. You need £5000 for a nasty orthopaedic problem. Just beware that some companies won't cover older dogs so make sure you have a new policy in place before cancelling the old one! Very valid point about 'cover for life'........one of my Spaniels had huge claims going through over long periods of her life, Petplan never failed once in settling the bill. Expensive for cover but, unless things have changed in recent years, it sometimes pays not to get the cheapest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosdesilva Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 got one with more than and looking to insure the second re morethan -- i,m a bit worried now after ready that you have to pay the vet before he will claim the money back are you sure ?? theres no way i could find the money up front , thats why i pay for the insurance in the first place :unsure: can anyone confirm this thanks Tell me about it!My last biggie was £1500 spine injury that involved an MRI scan,it was a refferal so not my regular vet and had signs up in reception that bills must be paid in full, stuck it on a credit card and insurance paid out pretty quick luckily.When i asked about them claiming direct or could i pay in two hits was told couldnt i ask a friend or relative for a loan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren m Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 well thats crazy , who can afford to pay such amounts , theres no way i could lay my hands on that sort of money, obvisously i know you have to pay the eccess but the whole lot :unsure: whats the point of paying for insurance ARE THERE ANY INSURANCE COMPANIES WHERE THE VET CLAIMS DIRECT FROM THEM ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hamster123 Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 anyone claimed off an argos policy then,its just that ive got a week to cancel if i want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Tell me about it!My last biggie was £1500 spine injury that involved an MRI scan,it was a refferal so not my regular vet and had signs up in reception that bills must be paid in full, stuck it on a credit card and insurance paid out pretty quick luckily.When i asked about them claiming direct or could i pay in two hits was told couldnt i ask a friend or relative for a loan. you'd often be surprised what happens if you say the dog isn't insured you'll have to put it down, suddenly you loose the really expensive diagnostics and get a suggestion of what is wrong and get it treated. Its fairly disgusting what vets do these days as got shown in the panorama about medivet. A friend had a puppy that broke its leg and the quote was £1500, came down to £500 after saying it'll have to be PTS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 you'd often be surprised what happens if you say the dog isn't insured you'll have to put it down, suddenly you loose the really expensive diagnostics and get a suggestion of what is wrong and get it treated. Its fairly disgusting what vets do these days as got shown in the panorama about medivet. A friend had a puppy that broke its leg and the quote was £1500, came down to £500 after saying it'll have to be PTS I'm not going to get into a heated discussion on this, but you have to remember that Vet medicine is privately funded. If you look at vets fees in England compared to America the fees are much less. If in America it costs $100 to see a doctor and $75 to see the vet, they think it's good value. Many people's pets are insured, making money less of an issue. Because of this people are wanting more advanced things done to their pets, and vets are offering that. It doesn't make vets evil money grabbing people if the market wants MRI scans for pets, but equally there are some more traditional practices with less bells and whistles costing much less money. You can have whatever level of care you want or can afford. As an example a dog with a cruciate injury - we could rest the dog, give painkillers and leave it with a weak arthritic knee for <£100. We could operate here for a few hundred pounds, or we can refer it for a fancy operation coating ~£1000. The more you spend the better the chances of a good outcome. But you need the money behind you or insurance. This is the benefit of pet insurance, if something goes wrong you can provide the best care for your pet. If you want it jabbing with antibiotic and putting down when anything serious happens, we can do that too. But that's your decision. Wherever you sit on the continuum is fine. So long as the dog doesn't suffer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al4x Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Did you see the panorama programme? I'm actually from a vets family so have seen it change, I've a relative spent 13K on an 18 year old cat with cancer having it given chemo now thats not in its best interests. Vets probably more so down our way have started charging the earth and probably on a par with the costs for human treatment and its just accepted insurance will pay or people will find the money somewhere. Thats fine with dogs with a good chance of living a decent life but many are being kept going and its a combination of people not wanting to let go and the vet not saying what is best which not so long ago would have happened. You have to accept vets are going to be pricy but its turned into big business which is why you even get venture capital involved buying up vets practices and creating the likes of Medivet. My dog is insured at the moment probably won't remain so as so far in 3 years I've paid in approx £500 for nothing and it keeps going up at a considerable rate, ok I've peace of mind but having that in a savings account would start to do the same especially as a dog gets older they start to get harder / more expensive to insure which seems to be when you most need it funnily enough Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b682 Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 I have £3000 of cover for a spinger with Lloyds. Sound a lot but a couple of years back it had a lot of lumps all over it - to cut a long story short it cost £1000 at a local vet and £2000 at a referal vets all in 5 days !!! it was £2800 at the referal vets but I signed the concent form and put on it not to exceed £2000 without authority - they missed that when they first gave me the bill. After a few words like you can keep the dog it droped to the £2000. They invoiced for every little item like scalpel blades, plastic gloves, paper aprons etc. renamed the dog K3 I still think it got better without the "treatment" as all we got for £3000 was fluid drips at the local vet and lots of tests including skin/tissue samples sent to a lab by the referal vets and some steroid tablets. The lab samples all came back "inconclusive" I wrote to sporting gun mag after the incident and they published my letter. But Lloyds did pay out without any problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Did you see the panorama programme? Yes I did. I've a relative spent 13K on an 18 year old cat with cancer having it given chemo now thats not in its best interests. Chemotherapy is an option that there is evidence it prolongs life. In animals we use lower doses of the drugs so we don't get such profound reactions as we do in humans. There are vets that have an interest or even specialise in cancer treatment. The treatment is available if you want it. Euthanasia is there if you want it. Without being involved in the case I couldn't possibly comment on what was in the cats best interests. Vets probably more so down our way have started charging the earth and probably on a par with the costs for human treatment and its just accepted insurance will pay or people will find the money somewhere. Thats fine with dogs with a good chance of living a decent life but many are being kept going and its a combination of people not wanting to let go and the vet not saying what is best which not so long ago would have happened. You have to accept vets are going to be pricy but its turned into big business which is why you even get venture capital involved buying up vets practices and creating the likes of Medivet. I can promise you no vet fees are anywhere near the cost of human treatment. People have no idea how much their healthcare costs and often underestimate. Recently my boss took his son to see an orthopaedic specialist and a 20 minute consultation was £350. You could have me for a whole day at our hourly rates! Not sure what you mean by 'kept going'? Many pets (like people) get various problems as they age. We can treat them, keep the dog comfortable, in good health and so it lives longer. But it's at a cost. What is worse are the arthritic dogs in agony limping around with no pain relief - treat it or put it down. I'm not sure Medivet and other coperates are good for the profession, but they are here to stay. Many vets would agree. My dog is insured at the moment probably won't remain so as so far in 3 years I've paid in approx £500 for nothing and it keeps going up at a considerable rate, ok I've peace of mind but having that in a savings account would start to do the same especially as a dog gets older they start to get harder / more expensive to insure which seems to be when you most need it funnily enough If people saved up it would work, but few have the dedication! Owning a pet is a privilege, not a right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosdesilva Posted July 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 al4x i dont know if you know of this vets Davis Group it was out the back of Hitchin towards luton it was a referral (spellings not good)there bill 1500 quid was only for the scan no treatment as such just physio done by myself .The service was second to none and you got the imediate impression that this was the place to help your pet much more so than royal vet college who ive had numerous dealings .At the end of the day the diagnosis was spot on and im not knocking the practice but dropped dog of at 12pm collected her at 10am next day knocked out scanned and given back no drugs no further treatment it was a sort of partial stroke which she has made a 80%recovery and in no pain,and in my opinion given no better treatment than a human in the nhs which is dire and another topic of conversation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b682 Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Yep I agree referral vets "the expert with lots of letters after his name" 20minutes consultation before you agree to proceed with treatment and sign the concent form £350 so pet or human cost can be the same. Venue Bluebell hill kent refferal vets - you can only visit if you are reffered on by your local vet after they have given up. Nice place, nice leather chairs just as I would expect from private human medical care etc - very nice prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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