[waterbuffalofarmer]

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?

[SallyintNorth]

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.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

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.

[Rosemary]

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.

[Old Shep]

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!

[SallyintNorth]

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.   

[SallyintNorth]

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.   

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.

[nutterly_uts]

Membership of the Dogs Trust gives you 3rd party liability for your dogs

https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/get-involved/membership/

[ladyK]

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.

[greenbeast]

We have 1 dog insured out of 7 and none of the ( 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.