Author Topic: Pet insurance ? (Read 18923 times)

jameslindsay · « **Reply #15 on:** June 19, 2009, 11:56:26 pm »

Never heard of them but that sounds very good.

clumbaboy · « **Reply #16 on:** August 12, 2009, 07:59:20 pm »

My Clumber is with kennel club £34 a month, but after one broken leg, dislocated shoulder, strange skin complaint, bad ears and a cyst, insurance has definately paid for itself for years to come, I think it works on the old adage you get what you pay for

kazschow · « **Reply #17 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:20:17 pm »

Both of my chows are with M&S, they've been great, pay up very promptly. Both of my dogs have EPI and Hypothyroidism, so the for life policy is a godsend as I claim almost £300 month on drugs etc. In the last 1 months we've on top of this run up £2000 for MRI, xrays etc for a neck problem my bitch had, £1000 entropian surgery on my dog and £3000 for TPLO surgery on my big boys leg, that alongside a few small claims for UTI's etc. Weve never had any queries to the validity of claim, and were happily offered payment for hydro, physio etc

doganjo · « **Reply #18 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:35:14 pm »

Goodness, that's sick dogs you have had? What does their breeder say about it? I would hate to think any of my pups had to use as much of their Insurance quotas as that. I know very little about the Chow. Are these fairly standard conditions for the breed? I hope your dogs are better now.

kazschow · « **Reply #19 on:** August 25, 2009, 09:51:09 pm »

Hypothyroidism is pretty common in any hairy breed, the amount of hair grown puts a strain on the thyroid, EPI, is Exochrine Pancheatic insufficiency, according to the breed club, it's not a common recognised condition, but both my dogs are from completely different lines, breeders etc, and both have it, frankly as far as I'm concerned that speaks volumes. The neck thing is because of the people I got my girl from as a 2 yr old thought it was funny to rest their feet on her when she stood in front of them so she has been left with two slipped discs

The ruptured crutiate ligament in my boy that resulted in the TPLO op was because he's a mad lad, that hares about, and put his foot down a hole over stretched the ligament when he was in the dog park!!

However because I have insurance, both of my dogs live VERY healthy happy lifes, they take daily medication, and their conditions are kept completely under control thankfully. THat and having a vet that works with me, rather than simply for me makes the world of difference too

I can honestly say if you were to meet my dogs you wouldn't know there was anything wrong with them

doganjo · « **Reply #20 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:13:41 pm »

Gosh, just as well they are insured, but they are two lucky dogs having found you. Do you know what other breeds the Hypothyroidism is in. Never heard of it in cockers, springers or the breed I have now Brittanys.

kazschow · « **Reply #21 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:25:05 pm »

It's fairly common in things like rough collies, samoyeds, even gsd's hairy mutts basically

Here's my big bears

Benny's the cream, Sisky the red

kazschow · « **Reply #22 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:29:59 pm »

Brittanies are lovely do you work them?

doganjo · « **Reply #23 on:** August 25, 2009, 11:35:13 pm »

I've just started working training my young lad - he's three but I'm a late starter.

One of my girls was trained by a friend when I was building my house but she got a scare and is gunshy now, she's very good provided you can find someone with a silencer

; the other girl was owned by a falconer before me (long story sort of rescue but I bought her so got papers) and was forcibly trained not to retrieve and was bullied so been a long road with her. I have friends who run a very small shoot near me - only a few beaters/pickers up and half a dozen guns. Hoping to breed another litter soon.

bedrock · « **Reply #24 on:** August 26, 2009, 12:49:20 am »

This is a very interesting tread. I have been thinking about pet insurance for a wile now and I think I'm going to get them insured when I'm back in work. I’ve been very unlucky with the dogs in the last year, every time they need to see a vet it seems to be out of hours and I end up paying out a small fortune. atb bedrock

Rosemary · « **Reply #25 on:** August 26, 2009, 10:20:28 am »

Our Meg has hypothyroidism but her drugs are about £10 a month, with quarterly blood tests. The impact of the drugs was immediate and marvellous - we hadn't realised how down she was until she was better. We put the symptoms - sleeping and weight gain - down to age. It was only when her coat started to drop out that we realised it was something else.

Tess had TPLO on both legs (not at the same time) and the bill would have been £5,000. Like Kaz's, she ran round the side of the house to chase a rabbit and her paw went down a hole. A year later, the other one went too.

kazschow · « **Reply #26 on:** August 26, 2009, 02:19:14 pm »

Sisky's symptoms of Hypothyroidism was just a lack of coat, bi lateral baldness.... Benny actually had no symptoms at all, he had bouts of colitis, and my vet though she might as well test for everything Sisky had, we were both gobsmacked when he came back with the same two conditions, on the plus side, he was treated before his condition degenerated, and has never know the suffering my wee Sisky had before we got her, and had her effectively treated

Lack of treatment long term have left Sisky with a lot of gastric probs, she has Coelics disease (wheat gluten intolerance) and was fed a high grain diet, so now has IBD, in the form of suspected chrones.... Again all of this is effectively controlled with diet and medication. I've a lot of experience with dogs, but Sisky has been a very steep learning curve, however I'm so glad she came into my life, she's my heart dog