Neighbour making formal noise complaint.

[pips_pekins]

Hello.

 

Considering getting lifetime cover for puppy but OH not convinced. Our older dog is 7 and we have only ever had annual insurance for her. We have only made one claim in those 7 years when she had to have some tests and after the excess we didn't actually get that much back anyway (although better than nothing obviously ). Every year I shop around for best quote and continue with the annual policy and save a bit of money and am concerned that we would not really benefit from a lifetime policy as the costs of renewal could really jump up.

 

I would be interested to hear your views on this before I decide.

[The Dogmother]

This often pops up for debate on the lurcher forum, it seems that some people go for insurance, while others put the same amount aside each month in case it's needed.

 

I go for insurance mainly because it will cover a long-term illness or condition and also offers 3rd party insurance in case a dog should cause any injury or damage. You do need to shop around though to get a good deal, and check out the small print. Pet Plan and M&S are both good.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I'm no expert on insurance, because I put money aside each month rather than purchasing insurance. But I believe the difference between lifetime cover and annual cover is that you can claim year on year for a long term condition with lifetime cover which you can't with annual cover.

 

Say your pet were to need long term medication for a condition such as Cushing's Disease (just as an example). With lifetime cover you could continue to claim for the meds and any ongoing tests each year. With an annual policy, you could claim for the first year, but then when it came to renewal time, in all likelihood it would be classed as a pre-existing condition and therefore excluded from your policy.

 

I hope that both makes sense and is also correct.

 

ETA - I purchase 3rd party insurance separately by purchasing Dogs' Trust membership annually at £25 per year.

[sparkysmum]

Hi, both Sparky and Daisy are insured. Old Sparx is almost 17yrs old and we pay out over £50/month on him. I am pretty sure I have lifetime cover for him but they have only had to pay out once to have some ingrowing eyelashes removed. I reckon I have paid out more than £5000 in insurance premiums and received £150 in return. Having said that he is now on vivitonin (an anti dementia drug) and they have agreed to pay £30 a month for this. Sparky is insured with Direct Line.

 

Daisy on the other hand is a different story. Since she appeared to be fit and healthy and didnt show any signs of nasty illnesses I decided not to purchase costly lifetime insurance policies but to go for a middle of the road package instead. So I opted for a policy which pays out up to a maximum of £4000 per condition. Not per year, but until the £4000 is used up. Sounded sensible esp when I paid out so much for Sparx. Well Daisy developed epilepsy, a really nasty type of epilepsy where her life was in danger on a couple of occassions. She requires blood tests every 3 mths, and medication 2x daily.I reckon the first years treatment must have been close to £1000. Daisy is not yet 5yrs old. she will need treatment all her life. I reckon the £4000 will only last a couple more years. Then we will have to pay for everything ourselves and still have to pay for insurance in case anything else should happen. Daisy is insured thro Tesco.

 

I have to say, neither Direct Line nor Tesco have quibbled about paying outfor treatment and I do feel that as "middle of the road" insurance providers they are ok. I think Petplan is probably better but much more expensive. Dont know if this helps. I think if I had the means I would probably buy lifetime cover for all the pets but atm its just a tad expensive when there are competing demands for wages. Axx

[pips_pekins]

Thanks for the quick replies.

 

I'm no expert on insurance, because I put money aside each month rather than purchasing insurance. But I believe the difference between lifetime cover and annual cover is that you can claim year on year for a long term condition with lifetime cover which you can't with annual cover.

 

I hope that both makes sense and is also correct.

 

ETA - I purchase 3rd party insurance separately by purchasing Dogs' Trust membership annually at £25 per year.

 

That is how I understand it LB but I wondered what people thought about purchasing this over just an annual policy which then excludes the pre-existing - have people found that the price has really jumped up and have they used it? I quite like the idea of putting some away each month but am not that good at saving and we have paid out for some very expensive tests in the past which were covered by the insurance. As Smelly is only 6 months, it is not that much each month but for Stinky. as she is now 7, it works out quite a bit more.

 

Useful to know about the 3rd party insurance through Dogs' Trust as it is another option for when Stinky's needs renewing and it jumps again .

 

SM - your post has crossed with mine. Really helpful especially the payment for meds each month. Stinky has to have regular meds as she is incontinent. Claimed initially but now a pre-existing condition which is part of what prompted me to ask this question really.

[Bramble]

I've had three dogs over the years all have been insured and (touch wood, fingers crossed) I have ALWAYS shelled out far more on insurance premiums than I've ever come close to claiming. I think I am now up to £45 per month for Willow's cover, it shot up quite dramatically just as she reached the age where we couldn't move to another company and she is now 11. I will keep her insured as I wouldn't want to tempt fate by cancelling it now - but if I had another dog, I'm not sure what I'd do.

I've also noticed that now Willow is over 10, her excess has increased (I think it's now £125) and I can only claim 80% of the balance of any treatment so I don't think it's all it's cracked up to be.

What makes me VERY CROSS with Petplan is that they send me my renewal, I then phone them up, say I'm not happy with the premium and they then give me a (small) discount - why not just give me the discount in the first place?

My first dog was diabetic, but that was long before the days of lifetime cover, so we had to fund her care after the first year.

What I'd REALLY like, is insurance that means we don't ever need to see a vet - guaranteed healthy dog - now that I would pay a LOT of money for ...

[Chucky Mama]

Lifetime cover means that if your dog has an condtion that will stay with it for life, they will pay for it for life. Others will have a limit as to how much you can claim. Always read the small print whichever comapany you choose. Pet Plan are universally good. Little Friends and Equine & Livestock are universally bad! Direct Line are OK too. Companies that allow direct claims to your vets are good too.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I quite like the idea of putting some away each month but am not that good at saving and we have paid out for some very expensive tests in the past which were covered by the insurance.

 

The way we have done it is to set up a separate savings account which is just for potential vet money and nothing else, then we have set up a standing order to go into it each month so we don't forget. It builds up quite quickly as we put quite a bit more aside than we'd pay out each month in insurance. I don't mind this, as we're keeping the money, albeit in a separate account. I do realise there is an element of risk should the unexpected happen before there's enough saved, but we do also have some personal savings and I'd just have to beg, steal or borrow the rest if I needed it. Touch wood I won't though!

[bluekarin]

I have Neela insured through John Lewis. They do lifetime cover. I was thinking about putting money aside for any treatments, but have gone the insurance route just in case she runs out into the road and we get sued. I can't say of they are any good if I ever need to claim, but as I trust John Lewis, I thought they'd be a safe bet. It is done via Sun Alliance though, so I anyone knows what they are like, please do let me know so I can hange I necessary when her renewal is due next year.

[Ziggy]

We have 7 pets insured, and for most of them we never seem to spend more at the vet than we do on insurance premiums.

 

One of our cats, though, has a lifelong illness, and has already been covered for ultrasound and medication for the last five years. Not sure we win much, because the cost of the premium is not that much below the cost of the treatments, but then treatment might become more expensive as he gets older and needs more regular checks and maybe more expensive interventions. I don't regret taking the cover as it gives me peace of mind.

 

Our second dog was unfortunate enough to develop a condition four days after beginning of cover... so it won't be covered because in the first 14 days of cover, the insurers will only cover accident/third party damage and so on, not illness...

 

Personally I think it's a gamble. If you are financially very comfortable, you can take a chance, as you can afford to look after your pet if things go wrong. If you're financially less 'free', it's harder to pay the premiums, but if your pet is diagnosed with a lifetime illness, the lifetime insurance, that will cover year after year, becomes a blessing...

 

Not much help I know, but my recommendation would be if you can afford the lifetime premiums, and think you might not be able to afford vet fees for lifetime conditions, go for the premiums.