Best Pet Dog Insurance?

[Koenig]

After months of negotiating Mrs K has finally settled on and bought a Golden Retriever puppy. Whilst it will primarily be a family pet, I am hoping to get it trained to a reasonable standard for use on our small informal shoot. Given the chance of injury to a dog that’s worked (albeit lightly) is higher that a pure family pet I was wondering if anybody could recommend a particular insurer. I understand the BASC policy is good, but don’t really know if there’s anything better out there. Any steer grateful recurved.

 

[Stalker62]

Koenig,

We had three (now two ESS) and the insurance we had on them grew to cost more that our lives, the house and cars. So we sacked them off.
We now put a lump sum away each month and use that to take most of the hit when the need arises.
Interesting to note that when Vets learn we are not insured we have noticed that we get a more nuanced diagnosis and treatment - no offence to any Vets,

 

[OJL1991]

Wouldn’t bother. Find a good vet who doesn’t rip you off and you’ll be fine.

 

[Millerich]

You’re probably best with the BASC policy if you intend to work the dog, even if it’s infrequent. You don’t want to risk not being covered.

 

[Buchan]

Be careful. The cheap ones are cheap for a reason.
Ensure the "For LIfe" policy is for the life of the animal, not the life of the policy
utting the money to one side is reasonable, but it's a gamble, a risk, that's what you pay for with a company. So be prepared to shell out your own cash until a pot has built up.
Ask a vet friend which are the crap ones. I can't tell you here as I'm not qualified in selling insurance (seriously) but a mate over a beer will be more forthcoming

 

[Warren79]

Waste of money we keep an empty credit card for such occasions

 

[OJL1991]

Like I said, find an old school independent vet who doesn’t try and ‘scare’ you into spending lots of money. A bit of reading up on common issues can soon get them on the back foot when trying to fob you off. Remember they are a business not a services.

 

[fallow me]

Ive got my lab insured with Agria dog insurance, glad i did ,as last year he broke a K9 tooth, had the pulp showing and had to use a specialist vet ,recommended by my own vet, £1500 later with most of it paid by insurance, my next door neighbours boxer broke a back leg whist chasing a ball, snapped in 2 places £3200 and no insurance.

 

[deerstalker.308]

Well, all of ours (3, 2 cockers and a lab) are with petplan, we’ve had more than our money’s worth out of the policies, and payment/claims are so simple to deal with. Tried elsewhere but they have been the best.

 

[kimh]

put £15 a month in a jar (oh and don't make any false removals?)

 

[dartmoordog]

Don’t fall for the “put £30 a month in a jam jar” it won’t work unless you have multiple dogs, £15 a month certainly ain’t going to cut it. With what my insurer has just paid out, it would have taken the best part of 5 years to save, 10 years if you are only putting £15 a month away. It is nothing to fork out £1500 to £2000 on vets bills.

OK, I now only have the one dog now, but I would simply not go without insurance.

I have Petplan, and cannot fault them.

 

[deerstalker.308]

A few years ago I had the misfortune of running over one of ours, her bill was in excess of £5k, I worked out what I’d paid in over the 5 years she’d been insured and it was £1500, no way that amount in a jam jar would have cut it.
More recently our lab had a nasty reaction to something unknown, rushed to the vets out of hours, 36hrs on a drip, £1500 bill, paid bar the £100 excess by the insurers. Can’t rate them highly enough.

 

[OJL1991]

More recently our lab had a nasty reaction to something unknown, rushed to the vets out of hours, 36hrs on a drip, £1500 bill, paid bar the £100 excess by the insurers. Can’t rate them highly enough.

I’d be finding another vet if I had a bill that big for 3 nights on a drip. It seems that can get away with charging what they want for ‘pets’. You have a vet out for a c-section on a cow, a bigger volume of drugs and they come out sometimes with two vets, your bill will be no more than £300. Take a dog in for a c-section And I’ve heard Of people having bills £1000+. Little tip if your dogs ever eat rat poison, just get them a good dose of vitamin B and it counteracts it.

 

[deerstalker.308]

I’d be finding another vet if I had a bill that big for 3 nights on a drip. It seems that can get away with charging what they want for ‘pets’. You have a vet out for a c-section on a cow, a bigger volume of drugs and they come out sometimes with two vets, your bill will be no more than £300. Take a dog in for a c-section And I’ve heard Of people having bills £1000+. Little tip if your dogs ever eat rat poison, just get them a good dose of vitamin B and it counteracts it.

It wasn’t “our” vets it was the out of hours emergency vets and she absolutely needed the treatment. I’d have been happy with double, it’s what the insurance is for and the dog lived to see another day. She had round the clock supervision and numerous tests done. Worth every penny in my book. I have a very good relationship with my actual vet and always get looked after anyway, he’s a stalker and I’ve gladly taken him out stalking and he always reflects that in my invoices....

 

[delta wolf]

Also have a look at Sainsbury's, I insured all 4 of ours with them and they have always paid up, also paid the vet direct when required.
Like it or not, modern vets can do so much more now but it costs. You win some you lose some but at least if your dog needs major treatment you aren't worrying about money.

 

[John Gryphon]

. Little tip if your dogs ever eat rat poison, just get them a good dose of vitamin B and it counteracts it.

I think you may have to adjust your alphabet mate...... I believe that it is Vitamin K1

 

[OJL1991]

I think you may have to adjust your alphabet mate...... I believe that it is Vitamin K1

That’s the one, try them all until you get the right one . Pig corn is quite high in vitamin K hence why rats are sometimes are hard too poison on pig farms.

 

[John Gryphon]

Its got to be the K ONE variant I believe not the standard K. Best is preventive deployment of rat poison of course. Mine is in tubes nailed to purlins up high.