Get your dogs insured.

[JDog]

Five weeks ago our Sprocker pup Barney broke his elbow in a freak accident in the kitchen. He spent two days over the weekend under heavy sedation and was operated on the following Monday. After three weeks he broke one of the three metal pins holding his elbow together. He is on cage rest for another month but limps badly when taken out.

Between the operation, returning to the surgeon vet and x-rays it has cost over £5,000 so far with more to come as he needs more x-rays and one long pin removing. We were not insured.

It is easy to see the folly of this in hind sight. Jasper, who was not insured either is now covered for up to £3,000 per event.

[walshie]

Sorry to hear that. Hope he makes a full recovery. Pet insurance often seems like an unnecessary extra expense, right up until you need it. 

[bruno22rf]

Did they charge you for returning after he had broken one of the pins? Surely they didn't use a strong enough pin? So many cons now with pet insurance - latest one seems to be that each insurer has a list of approved vets that they will pay as they follow a particular pricing structure - if you take your pet to a vet they do not list then the insurance company then refuses to honour your claim - best bit of all is that no insurer will provide you with the list so let's say your dog is hit by a car and there's a vet just across the road - do you ring and check with your insurer or just get him treated?

[Lloyd90]

7 hours ago, JDog said:

Five weeks ago our Sprocker pup Barney broke his elbow in a freak accident in the kitchen. He spent two days over the weekend under heavy sedation and was operated on the following Monday. After three weeks he broke one of the three metal pins holding his elbow together. He is on cage rest for another month but limps badly when taken out.

Between the operation, returning to the surgeon vet and x-rays it has cost over £5,000 so far with more to come as he needs more x-rays and one long pin removing. We were not insured.

It is easy to see the folly of this in hind sight. Jasper, who was not insured either is now covered for up to £3,000 per event.

Hope he makes a full recovery mate. 

How did it happen? 😞 

Our previous pup having a rare condition that needed an operation, it was an absolute nightmare. Had him a week and needed a big surgery, lots of arguments ensued about what to do. 

When the top surgeon phoned us and told us that he was very likely to have lots of other problems the Mrs finally accepted we couldn’t keep him. 

 

He went back to the breeder in the end, who thankfully paid out for the op he needed and the vet who did the op kept him as a pet. 

We got another springer a few months later. Still miss that first one though, only had him a week but feel the guilt sometimes 😞 

 

[hod]

I feel your pain. Our Beagle broke her kneecap in the summer (no idea how). A few thousand later she’s pretty much back to normal, but summer wasn’t much fun for her and very expensive for us. 

[JDog]

19 hours ago, bruno22rf said:

Did they charge you for returning after he had broken one of the pins? Surely they didn't use a strong enough pin? So many cons now with pet insurance - latest one seems to be that each insurer has a list of approved vets that they will pay as they follow a particular pricing structure - if you take your pet to a vet they do not list then the insurance company then refuses to honour your claim - best bit of all is that no insurer will provide you with the list so let's say your dog is hit by a car and there's a vet just across the road - do you ring and check with your insurer or just get him treated?

I had it out with the vet about the pin and he bamboozled me with science so I backed off. I am pretty sore about it though.

12 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

Hope he makes a full recovery mate. 

How did it happen? 😞 

Our previous pup having a rare condition that needed an operation, it was an absolute nightmare. Had him a week and needed a big surgery, lots of arguments ensued about what to do. 

When the top surgeon phoned us and told us that he was very likely to have lots of other problems the Mrs finally accepted we couldn’t keep him. 

 

He went back to the breeder in the end, who thankfully paid out for the op he needed and the vet who did the op kept him as a pet. 

We got another springer a few months later. Still miss that first one though, only had him a week but feel the guilt sometimes 😞 

 

 

12 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

Hope he makes a full recovery mate. 

How did it happen? 😞 

Our previous pup having a rare condition that needed an operation, it was an absolute nightmare. Had him a week and needed a big surgery, lots of arguments ensued about what to do. 

When the top surgeon phoned us and told us that he was very likely to have lots of other problems the Mrs finally accepted we couldn’t keep him. 

 

He went back to the breeder in the end, who thankfully paid out for the op he needed and the vet who did the op kept him as a pet. 

We got another springer a few months later. Still miss that first one though, only had him a week but feel the guilt sometimes 😞 

 

Thanks.

I followed your thread about your pup and I did post. 

You may feel guilty at times but you did the right thing. 

[Paul1440]

Sat with a retired vet (a few years ago having a coffee. With we were talking in the background the TV as on and a factual programme about Vets was on.  A dog which had been hit by a car and suffered a broken had and leg plus other damage was brought in.  The owners were talking about cost of treatment and weighing up it depended on the cost implications. 

The VET I was sat with said  £500- 600 max.

The TV vet. Came up with around £3000.  Well we nearly fell off out chairs. 

He did say that it was becoming easier to get away with charging much higher prices due to insurance companies willing to pay them.  

Sad. 

 

 

[telf]

When we had our old lab meg we had her insured from when she was a pup, when she reached 10 i forgot to renew the insurance for whatever reason , shortly afterwards she needed an operation , total cost £1400  that was several years ago now she is no longer with us but our current little teckel is fully insured with automatic renewal

 

 

[pbutd]

These distal humeral fractures in juvenile dogs can happen all too easily when they land on their foreleg when it's fully extended ( straight leg).They can be simple where only one articulating condyle is detatched & are repaired with a simple lag screw through the detached condyle.They heal quite quickly & rarely cause any long term lameness. However one in six of these fractures are what they call Y fractures & involve both the lateral & the medial condyles;These both need re-attatching to each other & then both to the shaft of the humerus.To 'get at ' these fracture sites has to be done by removing the end of the ulna(Funny bone) & its attached triceps tendons.In other words creating a forth fracture.Of course these all have to be replaced as tight as possible to get a good outcome & replacing the end of the ulna has to be done with a tension band  wire to counteract the pull of the triceps;This is often the weak point where the pin holding the tension wire gets bent.

  It sounds like your Barney may have had one of these Y fractures.Unfortunately they are difficult to get right & often lead to long term lameness as they heal slowly due to inherent instability.

  Don't get me started on referral centres ,pricing & insurance or I'll get through a packet of fags in 30. minutes! But I am of the old school & will never be rich.I only work part time now but still enjoy my orthopaedics.A smiple ,unilateral condylar fracture would be around £250;They are straightforward if you have the right equipment. Y fractures I would price on time & involve pins,plates & tension band wires &  could cost up to £500 with a guarded outcome;How do you keep a young sprocker quiet for 6-8 weeks?

  Of course insurance is a good idea if your dog/puppy  is unlucky enough to get such  an injury.I worked through an era where most Vets were 'Jacks of all Trades' although I always did my CPD on orthopaedic conditions & surgery, but because I chose not to become a specialist my skills are no longer recognised as Gold Standard; This means I'm regarded as fine if everything goes OK , but you can find yourself in trouble with the RCVS authorities & the insurance companies when things go wrong.Y fractures are a good example ..they can go wrong for people like me as well as the specialists.It's a difficult proceedure.Unfortunately this system allows the specialists to charge what they wish, hence your huge bill. I feel sorry for both Barney & you JDog.Hope it works out in the end.I have had dogs which made a full recovery after re-operating!

 

[snow white]

Quote

 

Our springer broke her front leg in april it cost we 2000 then we taker her back every month for check up that ranges from 30 to 65 pound depending if she needs pain killers.

We could not belive how she do it she is a working dog out about 4/5 times a week beating picking up.we went to brenig fishing missis said i will take the dogs a walk she came back with the dogs came running down to me the one put her leg in a hole in the grass and the rest is history.

[Blackpowder]

On 12/11/2018 at 16:02, JDog said:

Five weeks ago our Sprocker pup Barney broke his elbow in a freak accident in the kitchen. He spent two days over the weekend under heavy sedation and was operated on the following Monday. After three weeks he broke one of the three metal pins holding his elbow together. He is on cage rest for another month but limps badly when taken out.

Between the operation, returning to the surgeon vet and x-rays it has cost over £5,000 so far with more to come as he needs more x-rays and one long pin removing. We were not insured.

It is easy to see the folly of this in hind sight. Jasper, who was not insured either is now covered for up to £3,000 per event.

Hi JDog is Jasper insured as a gundog and if so with whom and how much?

 

Blackpowder

[JDog]

20 minutes ago, Blackpowder said:

Hi JDog is Jasper insured as a gundog and if so with whom and how much?

 

Blackpowder

Not especially as a gun dog. £100 per annum with Tesco.

[JJsDad]

I work two Springers twice, sometimes 3 times a week. The older one, now 7 years has been insured with Pet Plan since I bought her at 8 weeks. Last year we ended up with a £900 vets bill as a result of an accident. This year the premium crept up to £50/month. The younger one, now 2.5 years, I have never got round to insuring; just kept me fingers crossed that she kept healthy.

Having read an earlier post on this subject I got an on-line quote from `Bought By Many` as recommended by somebody on this forum. This turned out to be £33 / month. Having read peoples sad posts on here and knowing the escalating price of vets work I have gone with their quote & both dogs now insured.

[Penelope]

16 hours ago, JJsDad said:

I work two Springers twice, sometimes 3 times a week. The older one, now 7 years has been insured with Pet Plan since I bought her at 8 weeks. Last year we ended up with a £900 vets bill as a result of an accident. This year the premium crept up to £50/month. The younger one, now 2.5 years, I have never got round to insuring; just kept me fingers crossed that she kept healthy.

Having read an earlier post on this subject I got an on-line quote from `Bought By Many` as recommended by somebody on this forum. This turned out to be £33 / month. Having read peoples sad posts on here and knowing the escalating price of vets work I have gone with their quote & both dogs now insured.

Have a look at Petguard, insuring a lab and two cockers for c. £27 each a month.

[JJsDad]

1 hour ago, Penelope said:

Have a look at Petguard, insuring a lab and two cockers for c. £27 each a month.

Thank you. When the Pet Plan policy on my older of the two is about to run out, I may well change. £27 - £30 a month is a marked saving over what I am currently shelling out.

[scobydog]

Sorry to read about your dog's injuries Jdog, my vet said he has seen a large rise in dogs injuring themselves in modern houses due to laminate flooring and highly polished hardwood floors being popular at the moment, just a thought for anyone with these type of floors.

 

Regards scobydog

[Lloyd90]

On 13/11/2018 at 12:20, JDog said:

I had it out with the vet about the pin and he bamboozled me with science so I backed off. I am pretty sore about it though.

 

Thanks.

I followed your thread about your pup and I did post. 

You may feel guilty at times but you did the right thing. 

How is the wee one healing up mate? Hope all is going well  

[JDog]

5 hours ago, Lloyd90 said:

How is the wee one healing up mate? Hope all is going well  

Thank you for your message.

Fingers crossed he is doing as well as can be expected. He is walking just fine and actually wants to run but he remains on a short lead. He is not lame at the moment. Another month of good progress and I will be happier.

[twenty]

Just caught up with this Topic JDog, and it is exactly the same scenario as my sons experience with his sprocker.

Like your dog he broke his elbow after a collision with another dog, the initial operation cost £2500, and approximately three weeks later the screws/pins moved (after being confined as requested), as you say the vet came out with technical jargon and the result was another £2500 operation, which took about an hour.

So total now £5000 plus the follow up Physio costs.