cheapest dog insurance

[jack1966]

hello, weve gained a beautiful if not a little mischievous elderly dog from dogs trust, love him to bits, he's 9 years old and a little gem, all quotes we have are approx 15 quid a month , us humans in this household aren't even insured. is there anything cheaper anywhere ?

[pompeyfaith]

Greetings Jack,

 

The cheapest is not necessarily the best you need to check exactly what is what is not covered for instance many policies will not cover for previous medical conditions.

 

As this is an elderly dog previous medical conditions is important to you as far as cover goes.

 

I have my border collie insured though petplan and have found them to be very good in these last 9 months they have paid out just over £5000 in vet bills due to a hit and run.

 

I appreciate that to many the cost is an issue but the level of cover can be a deciding factor in whether the dog lives or dies.

 

Well Done though for taking a rescue dog home this country would be a happier place if everyone had a kind heart for dogs.

 

Good luck and enjoy the time with you new addition to your family.

 

Regards

 

PF

[Mydogsawestie]

Hi, have you also tried going through the cashback sites like quidco & topcashback to also reduce the overall cost. More than pet insurance pay £40 for a policy taken out & as Pompeyfaith has just mentioned about Petplan they pay out £26 to take up a policy with them. ...every little helps...

 

Hope you get it sorted. MDAW

[skonk]

I believe all dogs should be insured, and if you can't afford £15 a month, then shouldn't have got a dog. I'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but too many people buy a dog these days and don't realise how important insurance is. Pompeyfaith gives excellent advice above.

 

Is £15 a month really that expensive? It's 3 packs of cigs, 5-6 pints or a chippy tea for the family. When I got my rottie, insurance was the first thing on my mind. When she was 7 weeks old, she caught kennel cough, which developed into pnuemonia. Her borther died, but she survived and is very healthy today. The vets bill came to £1200, and without insurance, there was no way we could have afforded that.

 

As I say, I don't want to sound bad, or offend, but people need to realise what it takes to buy a dog. I'm not saying you have no experience of keeping a dog, or anything like that. I'm just talking about insurance, and it's also important for the dogs wellbeing.

[hightail]

I should think your choices are limited because of the age of the dog. Not all companies will take on new business with elderly animals. You should also check out exclusions in the policy. Many age-related conditions could be excluded.

 

It's far less likely that a dog of this age will end up with the same problems of a puppy that can cost a lot - broken bones from accidents, chewing and eating all sorts etc. Check the policies and look for the one that concentrates the benefits where you are most likely to need them.

[jack1966]

skonk you may belive that all dogs should be insured and so do i but lets live in the real world, if everyone could afford it there would be no need for thousands to be on the scrap heap. if insurance company's weren't so greedy then maybe more would be insured thus saving in many areas regarding animal health. but lets face facts insurance is a business and is concerned with making money and not the welfare of the animal.

[pompeyfaith]

Jack that depends who you insure with like i said above the cheapest is not always the best option my insurer has been nothing short of fantastic and paid out over £5000 in vets fees without a question promptly too i do understand what you are saying and there is no easy answer its just such a great shamd that so many animals that could be saved are put to sleep

[fluffy_bunny]

Where did you get the dog?

 

We got our cats from the RSPCA and they offer a discount on their insurance if you got the animal from one of their shelters.

 

Sorry should have read better - do Dogs Trust not offer a similar discount to RSPCA? It may be worth asking them or even asking RSPCA if their discount would apply as you still got tyhe dog from a charity.

[skonk]

Jack, I do understand what you're saying, but when you say lets face facts insurance is a business and is concerned with making money and not the welfare of the animal, we, as dog owners unfortunately have to accept that's the way it is, and the welfare of the animal is more important than caring whether or not an insurance company is out there to rip us off.

 

It sounds like your new dog is bringing you a lot of happiness, and that's really good, but how would you feel if it was attacked by an uninsured dog, and you had no insurance either? Do you pay a hell of a lot of money out of your own pocket, and then hope that the owner of the other dog will pay you back? Chances are they won't, and the police probably won't bother either.

 

I really don't mean to sound harsh, and I really do understand what you're saying, but it's £15, not £50. It's £3:75p a week. I'd love to be able to have such a low amount like that.

 

I don't want to be causing an arguement or anything. It's just, as a dog owner, and as I've said, I'm a rottie owner, I have to accept my responsibility, and pay whatever I have to so I know my dog's future is in hand, and it's just something I feel strongly about. Just my opinion, I'm sorry.

 

On a positive note, I think it's really great that you took home a rescue dog. I want to take all of them home when I see them. The dog's trust is where I got my rottie from. They do a brilliant job. They normally recommend pet plan. Have you tried Morethan online? That's pretty good, and they have a policy to treat for the same problem a dog may have, wherehas a lot of other companies don't.

[buzby]

An observation. My Old English Sheepdog reached 8yo and became uninsurable. IF I had an ongoing policy the firm would have continued cover, but not permitted a switch in providers. I then decided to simply take £10pm and put it in my own 'Dog's Bank' there was no interest to speak of, but it was inconvenient to get at (and spend) so the pot continued to increase.

 

As luck would have it, my dear dog continued in happy old age until 14, with nothing but annual boosters and vet checks (all not claimable). When it was his time to go, the Vets call out and cremation costs were met in full from the fund, AND we had money left over for a little momento of our departed friend.

 

I'd suggest you insure your own risk, not pass it on to a firm that will take an excess and do what it can to limit its exposure. By the time a dog reaches 10, it is usually past the time of heroic measures to rectify issues.

 

After a year we got a replacement (rescue) pet, and have continued self-insuring, consideing the fund is now topping £700 and ready to meet most eventualities.

Edited September 6, 2010 by buzby

[callumsgran]

Buzby thats an excellent idea, one ive done myself actually, not many pet insurance policies are worth the paper they're written on anyway with exclusions and excesses etc

[geoffthechef]

we had marks and spencer insurance and soon as the dog reached 10 the premiums went up from £15pm to £55pm....words fail me what i think of that....

[buzby]

M&S would be the brand, but who were the actual insurer/underwriters.... PetPlan?

[terry d]

We pay just over £20 a month for our dog,which i though morethan and they have been great as he need constant medication he is only 3 years old and so far had over 3k in vet bills

[hightail]

After a year we got a replacement (rescue) pet, and have continued self-insuring, consideing the fund is now topping £700 and ready to meet most eventualities.

 

Taking this a step further, I also self-insure and whenever my insurance fund reaches a reasonable amount I buy premium bonds. They can be cashed in if necessary but the money isn't so easily accessible that I'd dip into it for the wrong reason and every now and again I get a nice little bonus to add to the pot.

[janmal2000]

i come across this site: http://www.dogowner.co.uk/old-dog-insurance.htm

and these are some insurance companies they suggested:

 

E and L Dog Insurance - We offer Older Pet Insurance for pets aged 8 years and upwards (no maximum age limit).

Halifax Dog Insurance - Provides continual cover for vets fees with no maximum age limit (minimum age 8 weeks), so you get real peace of mind.

Marks And Spencer Dog Insurance - Our policy doesn't have an upper age limit for veterinary fee claims, we can look after grown-up pets and oldies too.

More Than Dog Insurance - Insurance covers older dogs

RSPCA Dog Insurance - No coverage for Death From Illness if your pet is aged over 8 years at the time of the loss.

Tesco Dog Insurance - There's no maximum age limit for pets. Your policy conditions won't change as your pet gets older.

Virgin Dog Insurance - Your pet needs to be between eight weeks and nine years old when cover starts. Once you’ve taken out Virgin Pet Insurance, you can keep insuring your pet with us to any age.

 

defo try going through a cashback site but these dont always work out cheaper than going direct as some companies increase their premium to cover the cashback

[Minkiesmum]

I personally did insure both mine as puppies but it got too expensive. Plus it's the ONLY insurance I ever came across that demands you pay the bill upfront and claim it back which to me cancels out the purpose of forking out for it in the first place-so I cancelled and saved myself over £3000 in their lifetimes thus far.

However, we were lucky and never needed it-one car accident and that changes everything or one broken leg or whatever..........

The best suggestion I heard was to open a savings account for your pet and deposit what you can afford into it each month so the money is there should you need it plus you'd gain a little interest as opposed to lining the pockets of insurance companies who we all know will wriggle out of any claim they can !!

 

Lynda ~

[pistachio]

£15 a month sounds like a good deal to me! Mine's £50 but then the dog is nearly 15. Despite the cost I can't complain, Direct Line have literally paid thousands which means I still have my little friend with me - I don't begrudge a penny.

[pistachio]

Forgot to add that a neighbour's cat was insured with a well-known supermarket - I don't know the background but in one case they were only going to pay half the costs - I haven't had any difficulties like that so I do wonder if 'get what you pay for' does apply, as someone else has said.

[letsgetitsorted]

we had our last dog insured with more than, sadly over night he developed an illness that he couldnt recover from. and we had to say goodbye....he was 131/2, more that charged £23 per month, more than have an excess of £70 + 20% of vet bill.

we paid the vet bill and we are still waiting a month on to have the claim looked at.

so my point is dont always go for the cheapest....go with one where the vet can be paid direct...our vet will only except pet plan policies....pet dr has excess at 65 unless you use other vets apart from theirs when the excess goes up to £99.

hope that little bit helps.....

and enjoy your new dog...