The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: Backinwellies on June 16, 2016, 04:51:12 pm
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Hi
Just got a bit of a shock with my pet insurance renewal .... wondered how much others are paying for dog insurance and who they insure with.
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We don't insure our dogs, we put a sum each month into a separate account for vet fees. Having multiple dogs insurance would be out of our reach. Also the fact that you can't insure an elderly dog, just when they need the vet most put us off.
We have wonderful vets and know that if we had a sudden emergency with the bill beyond us we could pay it off monthly.
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Have to admit am wondering if that is the way to go here too
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We are with petplan, £26 per month lifetime cover with £7k vets fees per year. Already claimed back more than we have paid for Rosie in the last 4 years :roflanim:
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We are with petplan, £26 per month lifetime cover with £7k vets fees per year. Already claimed back more than we have paid for Rosie in the last 4 years :roflanim:
Backinwellies, Twiizzell has just explained why your premium has gone up.
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Milo's insured with Petplan on their cover for life policy. I pay £32 per month for him (he's an 11 year old Staffy X Lab).
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I do not believe in pet insurance. The only time (to date) we had a larg-ish vet bill (I think it was about 700 Pounds for emergency operation followed by 48 hours in intensive care at vets) was a couple of years ago when she was already nearly 7... we would have paid that amount in a couple of years in pet insurance, so still got 5 years "free"
So, putting money into a separate bank account each month is probably a better option...
Also as we have a farm account with our vets we can put the dog onto it as well, alllowing us to pay it of over a few months if that ever became an issue.
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£10.74 a month for a 3-y-o working cocker with More Than. Not the greatest cover (i.e. not a lifetime plan), but our vet has very limited facilities so we're unlikely to ever rack up a gigantic bill (even our old springer's final one was only just over £1,000 and she was in there for a week having a battery of different tests.)
Once she gets to about 6 or 7 I'll start self-insuring, though as for the horses, I'll retain cover for third-party liability, which is something I would recommend to anyone else on the thread self-insuring - it's not expensive and if a dog escapes or gets loose, gets onto the road and causes a car accident it could cost a fortune.
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We are with petplan, £26 per month lifetime cover with £7k vets fees per year. Already claimed back more than we have paid for Rosie in the last 4 years :roflanim:
Backinwellies, Twiizzell has just explained why your premium has gone up.
Why not claim on insurance when you have it? Rosie our eldest spaniel has always been accident prone, broken teeth, falling out the tractor needing her leg stapled, eye problems, put a stick through the roof of her mouth, last claim was for a lump removal on her lip and all the lab fees/aftercare when her lip split open after the stitches came out. If we were faced with a 4 figure bill we would struggle to pay it hence why we have insurance for them. They are covered whilst home on the farm too (some policies won't cover them as technically they are at work with us-home is work/work is home), so if they were hit by a tractor or kicked by a cow they would be covered. The farm is extremely busy so quite possible they could have an accident with a vehicle...
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I used to insure my dogs and had to claim 3k for one of them when he was 5yrs. Premiums went through the roof and just wasn't worth it any more. Then I got 2 more dogs and put money away in a separate account for all of them.
At the time I wouldn't have been able to afford a large bill in one go, but now have other options.
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Twiizzell, absolutely,claim away, the idea of insurance is that everyone pays a little bit into a pot so that the unlucky ones can claim from the pot.
but the more people that are unlucky like yourself the higher the premium will get....sad fact. :raining:
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(quote)Why not claim on insurance when you have it? Rosie our eldest spaniel has always been accident prone, broken teeth, falling out the tractor needing her leg stapled,
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Carrying dogs in tractor cabs is not without risk. See the attached true stories and please encourage tractor drivers on your farm not to carry dogs in the cab- it might not be the dog that cops it, and all the insurance in the world wont bring back your dead partner or employee or child.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/makethepromise/farmersstories/transport/adevonfarmer.htm (http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/makethepromise/farmersstories/transport/adevonfarmer.htm)
It is also not advisable to leave dogs loose in a 'busy' farm yard. Better to fasten them up so they will live to see another day uninjured and only bring them out when they are needed to herd animals and at quiet times.
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I wrote a long reply earlier but think the long a short of this topic is having a little common sense. The dogs go in the tractor but as long as it is switched off before stepping out of it then there should not be an issue with stepping on buttons etc; i.e we don't leave the tractor running with the dog inside. Common sense when taking the dog out i.e. we always leave at home when bailing hay or straw.
It would be irresponsible to leave them home all day especially during the summer months when we don't come in until 8 or 9pm. Likewise if they are out and about on the farm it is during quiet times but the nature of the farm here is there is always someone coming and going and they are pretty savvy with traffic- it is not possible to keep them shut in/tied up all the time. The majority of our dog's insurance claims have been for injuries non related to the farm- stick through roof of mouth, cat scratches to eye, broken teeth due to stones- the falling out the tractor incident was due to her getting a leg stuck in the steps which have since been covered with treadplate. We shut them away or leave in the house when handling cattle and they do not free range 24/7 on the farm like some farms you go to. They are good around livestock and sit quietly in the tractor and have done since 7 weeks old but obviously still make sure that the tractor is turned off before getting out and leaving them in there.
Back on the insurance note- it is worth having basic pet insurance which covers 3rd party liability, something which I think if you walk your dogs in public places you should have.
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Many house insurance policies have pet dogs covered 3rd party (public liability).
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Twizell,
Ive edited my post slightly as I think I was a bit over the top last night (after a drink or too !)
The problem with common sense is its uncommon these days !
Tractor steps have evolved over the years until the extremely good design now with open tread to allow the muck to fall through or indeed be pushed through as you put your hefty boot on it so you get grip on the metal edges that protrude. By fastening tread plate to it you have helped your dog but increased the risk of slipping for your OH...so tell him to take extra care when its wet.
oh no ive started again ; ill shut up ! all the best
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I have my sheepdogs on farm insurance I think, but not pet insurance, a bit of a waste in some cases, in others very good but I have never really bothered. Whenever any vehicle is in use on farm I lock the dogs away until after we have finished doing whatever, they're out most of the day anyway, we did have an accident one time with a dog and a tractor, so have to keep on the ball all the time, as with any animal of course. Roughly how ,much do you put into the pet insurance, it does differ with different dogs and stuff, but how much for say a collie per year and how much do you get out of it if anything happens?
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Does your farm insurance cover vet bills if they're ill or hurt, wbf? I couldn't find
sensible veterinary fees cover for working collies; the NFU had nothing to offer.
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Idk I would have to speak to my parents about that one, as they're the ones who pay for the farm insurance and bills and stuff.
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Bryn's insured for "accidental damage" with morethan - it's £100 a year. Meg's 16 and uninsurable and we don't insure the cats. With six pets, it would cost a fortune. Like others we self-insure and put money in a seperate bank account each month.
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I don't insure my five dogs after I was quoted about £35 each for the setters!! I suppose its a gamble either way and its a personal decision whether to insure or not. In the unlikely event of getting a bill for 1000's could you meet it or not? I never managed to claim any of my bills on the insurance when I was covered anyway - always some loophole for them to wriggle out if it!
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unlikely event of getting a bill for 1000's
It gets less unlikely year on year. Thanks to pet insurance, veterinary medicine can rival - and in some cases surpass - human medicine, but it means that, whereas years ago £150 was a hefty vet bill, these days you can be looking at thousands and, if you don't have that sort of money to throw around, having to make really horrible decisions.
Ask me how I know.
So yes, I am in agreement that if one has a multiplicity of animals, the 'bucket' approach to pet insurance (throwing an amount each month per animal into a 'bucket', or, more sensibly, interest-bearing account, for vet bills) is often more cost effective than buying individual policies - but be aware that you, too, can find yourself taking a dog with a hurt elbow to the vet and being told it'll cost £1250-£2500 to fix. :o
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you, too, can find yourself taking a dog with a hurt elbow to the vet and being told it'll cost £1250-£2500 to fix. :o
I had the worst night of my life after getting this news.
In fact, the deciding factor was less the money and more the recovery process and time, and the likelihood of it being fit for work afterwards. Having to keep a working collie on a lead for three months, on the farm where his pen-mate is then doing all the sheep work, and then not being sure the bionic elbow would be up to the workload of doing real work... These dogs live for work. I couldn't imagine Skip being happy in a life of forced retirement, when he felt fit for work in himself.
I'd been told that if I didn't have this bionic procedure, I would be dooming the dog to a lifetime of arthritis, so the decision was a truly horrible one to have to make.
After a sleepless and agonising night, I called the vet to tell them I would come in and say goodbye to my injured pal.
By the time I arrived, one of the older, wiser vets, one on the farm practise side, had an alternative offer for me.
Skip came home with his elbow missing a bone from its innards. Lead walks only for a few weeks, but then gently back to work. That was a good few years ago.
These days, in cold, wet weather he does sometimes limp - and sometimes doesn't want to run about very much. But there are drugs he can have to help with that, and he's continued to work, albeit more steadily now that he's 12 years old. Which is pretty impressive for a collie that's worked on the hill all his life, in my book.
I often wonder what the outcome would have been had I had pet insurance. Would I have unearthed this alternative, much cheaper and much more easily recovered-from operation, or would Skip have had the bionic elbow, had to be on lead walks for months - and would it have withstood the stresses of work, after that? Or would I have reached the same conclusion, and thought it better he didn't have to go through the op and recovery, with uncertain outcome for working afterwards? I really don't know. But I am sure Skip is better off with that little bone missing and having had another 6 years productive working life.
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Membership of the Dogs Trust gives you 3rd party liability for your dogs
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/get-involved/membership/ (https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/get-involved/membership/)
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I also insure my dog for 3rd party liability via the Dogs Trust, and put a bit of money away every month for any emergencies.
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We have 1 dog insured out of 7 and none of the (8) cats, The remaining dog is only still insured because of an expensive skin condition, the premiums are as much as the medication costs each month but at least she's covered if something else happens.
We have spent about £4k in the last two years on 2 of the dogs, we've just had to put it on credit when it happens as starting a farm kinda precludes saving money each month!
I have chosen to insure my raven because my vet partner said she cannot help beyond the basics on a corvid or bird of prey.