Glad to hear @Greenhithe that he is showing signs of recovery, and glad you tried the RVC. In our early days of owning GSD's we had one called Chaz, he was a lovely dog (in fact we ended up using his name after he had passed in our kennel name which is Anchaz) anyway he fell very ill when he was about 3 or 4, wouldn't eat, drink, couldn't walk properly and grumbled at us when we went near him! We took him to a vet who didn't have a clue and told us he may have to be put to sleep. We weren't going to do that so went to another vet, he said he wasn't sure what was wrong but had an inkling it may be a virus. He prescribed a short, 1 evening only, dose of steroids, he told us to take him home, it was a Sunday evening and had opened just to see Chaz, but if there was no improvement we were to take him back on Monday and that would mean a very expensive operation, which we were unable to afford, with no guarantee he would pull through, so we were going to have to let him go. When we got him home we were hoping and praying for a reaction, any reaction, but he just lay down on the floor in the front room and didn't move. We resigned ourselves to saying goodbye, and were in 'bits', I then went to the kitchen and got a beer and also noticed a lamb
bone with some meat on it. I took the beer and bone back to the front room and sat down. Amazingly after a few minutes maybe 5 or 6 Chaz got up and came over to me! I went to stroke his head and he, cheeky bastard, sniffed the lamb bone, I tore some meat off it and gave it to him, he scoffed the lot, so I gave him the rest (not the bone). He ate everything, then went outside did toilets came back in and looked and acted his normal self....he lived until he was 9!! Was it a miracle? Who knows, but what I do know is the second vet had an inkling which turned out to be 100% correct. He did have a virus and the strong shot of steroids solved it and he was back to normal! As Ray has said it's always best to get second opinions not all vets are the same. Please keep us updated on progress!
Such inspiring stories and fervently hoping that Greenhithe's outcome will be another positive to add to this list of successes , seemingly against the odds.
Bless you all for your perseverance & unlimited love for your "best friends"
Another reason why Lifers are simply the best !
Loving your latest addition to the family, Joe and SO pleased to hear you have a Rescue. Hope you will enjoy many years of happiness & companionship.
Wow @T_C_E that is fucking unbelievable - so, just to check, you sued and got all your money back ?
I threatened to take my insurance company to court, they paid me after I agreed to give them a statement. I believe they counter claimed against the practice after one partner was struck off after being found negligent and causing unnecessary suffering.
Below is a photo where I noticed his Heath deteriorated at around 15months old taken behind shooters hill nick the second photo he’s back to how he should be on his medication as a four year old after we moved down here to the coast.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Most vets will ask if you have insurance, if yes, they then to deal with it with the insurance company.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Bailey’s insurance was hiked from £40 per month to £90 per month based a claim for Hypothyroidism, yet the policy no longer covered that illness or anything associated with it. To give an example of how people are held to ransom/emotional blackmail with pet insurance, when I moved from London with two dogs our pet insurance was the only insurance to rise and to insure two dogs per year was 3 times the cost of insurance of my house and car combined.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Most vets will ask if you have insurance, if yes, they then to deal with it with the insurance company.
Agree with this, you need to give the insurance details early and they will mostly just invoice them, if you only supply details later you have to pay and claim back.
There are two insurance types, one you pay more up front but the premiums are fixed throughout the life of the animal, this is recommended by virtually everyone. The other is quite a bit cheaper up front when your pet is younger but then increases as your pet gets older and also after any claims. Not recommended.
I did not have insurance for my early dogs (I have had nine dogs in over 50 years), but a few years ago I thought I would take it out on a rescue dog I took on. When I got it at about 6 months, I noticed it had problems with her sight. The diagnose was PRA, a genetic disease, the bill was £149, of which I had to pay the first £70. It took four months and constant phone calls before they paid out. I stopped paying the high monthly payments and kept money by in case. I know I have just paid out a bill for £3500 on my other dog, but as he had pancreatitis before I would hate to imagine what the monthly insurance would have been. For those that can afford it, I would say forget high insurance and put a regular amount away every month, equal to payments, if no treatment needed, you still have the money
Brave, willful, independent Nelson our one eyed Border collie/Beagle cross passed away this morning. I had to make the decision, his back legs had gone, there was no viable future.
He was a special dog partly because of his character flaws. We got him from the Dogs Trust rescue center Canterbury 12 years ago, " no behavior problems "they said
What a load of porkies that was! First time we let him off the lead he immediately attacked a dog. Gradually we realized how damaged he was, he was afraid of people and other dogs.
Improvement was very gradual, I was learning on the way. A massive event occurred 5 years ago, in my ignorance I didn't realize how bad his arthritis was, while stroking his front paws he suddenly bit me on the nose. Queen Mary's hospital had to give me 5 stitches. My "Belgian20" mates still get a laugh out of it, we had a meeting 4 days after.
I decided to send him back to dogs trust as I couldn't trust him. A friend's daughter who is a qualified vet phoned me up and persuaded me to keep him. Glad to say he's given us years of unconditional love since then. As you can imagine I'm so glad of decision to keep him.
Really sorry to hear that news, it's an awful time. Best wishes to you, I'm sure you have done the right thing for the old boy, and can look back proudly on having given him a much better life.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Bailey’s insurance was hiked from £40 per month to £90 per month based a claim for Hypothyroidism, yet the policy no longer covered that illness or anything associated with it. To give an example of how people are held to ransom/emotional blackmail with pet insurance, when I moved from London with two dogs our pet insurance was the only insurance to rise and to insure two dogs per year was 3 times the cost of insurance of my house and car combined.
Costs about £60 a month to insure our two border terriers. Over a year that is double the insurance on our new Volvo XC40. Ridiculous.
Sorry to hear about your loss today @Addictedoldgit, he looks such a happy dog, firstly well done for taking a rescue and secondly well done for persevering . RIP Nelson.
Not a pet owner but interesting and distressing stories.
Have I understood correctly that pet insurance is both expensive and a minefield to successfully claim on.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
Bailey’s insurance was hiked from £40 per month to £90 per month based a claim for Hypothyroidism, yet the policy no longer covered that illness or anything associated with it. To give an example of how people are held to ransom/emotional blackmail with pet insurance, when I moved from London with two dogs our pet insurance was the only insurance to rise and to insure two dogs per year was 3 times the cost of insurance of my house and car combined.
Costs about £60 a month to insure our two border terriers. Over a year that is double the insurance on our new Volvo XC40. Ridiculous.
Just did quick quote on pet plan a basic insurance package which equates to 3rd party in car terms is just under £800 a year for one dog.
Most of the stories you hear about insurers “refusing” to pay out are given by owners who will not give the entire story. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen but in my experience every insurance claim I have processed has been paid out. If the policy has been had and remained in place continuously since the cat/dog was first owned, depending on your cover type there is absolutely no reason the insurer won’t pay. They do. It’s that simple. (Note cover type being lifetime vs 12month policy).
Now, where things get confusing is, particularly with rescues, any pre-existing condition will automatically be excluded and non claimable. What can and unfortunately does happen is that a rescue or rehomed animal with history at vet A may then be seen at vet B with new owners for the same issue. The new owners may not have any clue about previous history and taken insurance in good faith, but that responsibility lies completely between old and new owners. In some cases the truth is bent to ensure the animal is rehomed as people are statistically far less open to taking on an animal with behavioural/medical issues.
The cost of pet insurance is rising and there are multiple factors that could be contributing to this: The cost of purchasing animals increasing by the ridiculous amount it has The increase in thefts of animals (as most insurers contribute towards finder rewards) Veterinary treatment cost increases
The comparisons to car insurance are also a bit much IMO.
Let’s put it this way. You have a brand new car with a value of £12-15k. If you do that amount of damage to the car. It’s written off and the insurer pays that value. Once.
If your puppy is unfortunate enough to be born with a condition such as IBD, they have the relevant tests to confirm it with treatment at the initial visit and this is covered by the insurers and this hits your policy limit. Next year they have a flare up, insurer pays 2-3k again. And again. Over 10 years that’s 20-30grand the insurer has covered. Assuming the policy was kept of course. Taking that into account. Would you rather pay £5-8k over the animals life for insurance cover. Or the vet fees?
Now I get not every animal will be born with IBD. Some will be dysplasia, or allergies, or eye problems etc and unfortunately the British love for dogs prone to these conditions without fully researching them leaves them in a difficult position.
Just as an aside, you are perfectly entitled to ask for the dog's medical history providing it has one and the vet is legally obliged to provide it either to yourself (redacted if there is sensitive information about the previous owners) or directly to your vet. We did this with Skip to see the extent of his hip injury and we got all the medical notes and procedures handed to us by our own vet, so we know exactly what he went through. As for medical insurance, I doubt they would touch him with a barge pole so we haven't gone there.
Sorry for your loss @Addictedoldgit. Always a horrid time when you lose a member of your family.
Bit worried about the pet insurance costs some seem to be paying. My monthly insurance with Animal Friends for our 4 year old Border Collie is £6.52. We only renewed it last month and had gone up by under £3 PA.
We've had one claim paid in full direct to the vet for a cut ear that bled a lot (house covered in red every time he shook his head) and that's no longer covered. They paid out immediately for treatment which has so far meant we've spent less on four years insurance that the cost of the treatment.
Sorry for your loss @Addictedoldgit. Always a horrid time when you lose a member of your family.
Bit worried about the pet insurance costs some seem to be paying. My monthly insurance with Animal Friends for our 4 year old Border Collie is £6.52. We only renewed it last month and had gone up by under £3 PA.
We've had one claim paid in full direct to the vet for a cut ear that bled a lot (house covered in red every time he shook his head) and that's no longer covered. They paid out immediately for treatment which has so far meant we've spent less on four years insurance that the cost of the treatment.
Depends on the breed and policy type though.
I have a whole life policy with Animal friends for our 2 yo French Bulldog - and it costs more than my home insurance.
I know that annual policies are a lot cheaper than whole life - but my understanding is that these leave you open to non coverage due to pre-existing conditions…..ie if you claim for a condition this year, you would not be covered next year if the condition returned.
Most of the stories you hear about insurers “refusing” to pay out are given by owners who will not give the entire story. That’s not to say it doesn’t happen but in my experience every insurance claim I have processed has been paid out. If the policy has been had and remained in place continuously since the cat/dog was first owned, depending on your cover type there is absolutely no reason the insurer won’t pay. They do. It’s that simple. (Note cover type being lifetime vs 12month policy).
Now, where things get confusing is, particularly with rescues, any pre-existing condition will automatically be excluded and non claimable. What can and unfortunately does happen is that a rescue or rehomed animal with history at vet A may then be seen at vet B with new owners for the same issue. The new owners may not have any clue about previous history and taken insurance in good faith, but that responsibility lies completely between old and new owners. In some cases the truth is bent to ensure the animal is rehomed as people are statistically far less open to taking on an animal with behavioural/medical issues.
The cost of pet insurance is rising and there are multiple factors that could be contributing to this: The cost of purchasing animals increasing by the ridiculous amount it has The increase in thefts of animals (as most insurers contribute towards finder rewards) Veterinary treatment cost increases
The comparisons to car insurance are also a bit much IMO.
Let’s put it this way. You have a brand new car with a value of £12-15k. If you do that amount of damage to the car. It’s written off and the insurer pays that value. Once.
If your puppy is unfortunate enough to be born with a condition such as IBD, they have the relevant tests to confirm it with treatment at the initial visit and this is covered by the insurers and this hits your policy limit. Next year they have a flare up, insurer pays 2-3k again. And again. Over 10 years that’s 20-30grand the insurer has covered. Assuming the policy was kept of course. Taking that into account. Would you rather pay £5-8k over the animals life for insurance cover. Or the vet fees?
Now I get not every animal will be born with IBD. Some will be dysplasia, or allergies, or eye problems etc and unfortunately the British love for dogs prone to these conditions without fully researching them leaves them in a difficult position.
You say “the cost of animals has risen so much” which I believe you to mean over the past few years etc. Unscrupulous people breeding dogs and knocking them out for 2/3k upwards how is that a concern of an insurance company?
If I went to to dodgy Dan the car dealer and paid 3k over book price for a motor are you saying the insurance company would pay out when it went bang?
I paid the same price for Bowyer as I did for Bailey 11years earlier I understand there might have been “mates rates” applied to my dogs but the breeders price only rose £100 in those 10 + years.
The association between pharmaceutical companies, veterinary practitioners, animal food manufacturers and insurance companies needs to more transparent, for example Colgate-Palmolive who own Hills Scientific have been “Supporting” the Vets industry for years so when someone asks what’s the best grub I can feed my dog it comes as no surprise the vets recommend hills and while I believe it’s the top end of the complete dog food market people believe it’s marvellous because the vet recommended it.
The practice of giving our dogs boosters on a yearly basis, when titre testing is available to check our dogs immunity levels is not ? Why is it recommended we fill our dogs with chemicals in relation to flea and worm treatments when they don’t have fleas and worms?
Why are the risks of side affects not explained and animals dying when given these treatment?
One of the charities my Therapy dogs used to represent told its members, it would no longer welcome Raw fed animals and existing members would have to change the animals diet to a complete, this despite several members feeding raw for medical reasons. No surprises the board of said charity is made up of several people from the dog food industry.
When I go to a vet, I expect their concerns to be about the animal not about if it’s insured or not.
Sorry for your loss @Addictedoldgit. Always a horrid time when you lose a member of your family.
Bit worried about the pet insurance costs some seem to be paying. My monthly insurance with Animal Friends for our 4 year old Border Collie is £6.52. We only renewed it last month and had gone up by under £3 PA.
We've had one claim paid in full direct to the vet for a cut ear that bled a lot (house covered in red every time he shook his head) and that's no longer covered. They paid out immediately for treatment which has so far meant we've spent less on four years insurance that the cost of the treatment.
Glad it’s not just me, but as in we may not be getting the right cover though. Ours is a lifetime policy and pay £12 a month. Also with Animal Friends. Will have a butchers at the policy I think.
The cost of dogs, esp puppies, has rocketed during the pandemic. We paid £600 for our pedigree border about five years ago, a friend has just paid over 2.5k for a puppy. I'm sure that cost must affect insurance premiums especially with so many dogs being stolen at the moment.
The cost of dogs, esp puppies, has rocketed during the pandemic. We paid £600 for our pedigree border about five years ago, a friend has just paid over 2.5k for a puppy. I'm sure that cost must affect insurance premiums especially with so many dogs being stolen at the moment.
This is what I don't understand, people during lockdown were paying ridiculous prices for puppies purely because the of demand. Forgetting for one second the poor dogs, if people want to pay over the odds for that's an issue for them. If one of my dogs is stolen can I expect an open cheque from an insurer because I value it as priceless? If my car is stolen or my house destroyed there is a book price and while guidelines are flexible due to breeds and breeding Id stand the pedigree of any of my dogs alongside any dog valued in the 1000s.
The cost of puppies as @TCE had pointed out has tripled in some breeds since the lockdown started. It's unscrupulous breeders, in the main, who have increased their prices to ridiculously high amounts. We breed GSD'S (none during the pandemic) for nearly 20 years, back in the day we were charging £650 for a puppy with all its papers, 1st inoculation done, identifying tattoo inside the ear, 2 months insurance and a lifetime of assistance! Our last litter (Dec 2019), we sold our pups for £1000, so we have increased by £350 in 20 years, that's what £17.50 for each year!! We have been told and seen GSD pups being sold without papers etc for in excess of £2500 during the last year. Many of these puppies will have health problems, or in some cases mental issues due to non-socialisation! They end up being put to sleep or in the GSD rescue centre. The insurance companies won't pay out for dogs the amount these people have paid for a dog if they are stolen, but all the time people continue to pay these ridiculous prices, these breeders will continue to trade! I beg everyone please please please do your research before buying any breed of dog, not just on the breed but the breeders as well!! The rescue centres are rammed to the hilt with pups and young dogs because owners didn't do their research! It's not fair on the poor animals and it makes my blood boil! Edit - Just to add if you're thinking of getting a dog why not look at a young rescue dog? Especially if it's your first dog!
Comments
When we got him home we were hoping and praying for a reaction, any reaction, but he just lay down on the floor in the front room and didn't move.
We resigned ourselves to saying goodbye, and were in 'bits', I then went to the kitchen and got a beer and also noticed a lamb
I took the beer and bone back to the front room and sat down.
Amazingly after a few minutes maybe 5 or 6 Chaz got up and came over to me! I went to stroke his head and he, cheeky bastard, sniffed the lamb bone, I tore some meat off it and gave it to him, he scoffed the lot, so I gave him the rest (not the bone).
He ate everything, then went outside did toilets came back in and looked and acted his normal self....he lived until he was 9!!
Was it a miracle? Who knows, but what I do know is the second vet had an inkling which turned out to be 100% correct. He did have a virus and the strong shot of steroids solved it and he was back to normal!
As Ray has said it's always best to get second opinions not all vets are the same.
Please keep us updated on progress!
Bless you all for your perseverance & unlimited love for your "best friends"
Another reason why Lifers are simply the best !
Loving your latest addition to the family, Joe and SO pleased to hear you have a Rescue. Hope you will enjoy many years of happiness & companionship.
Do you generally have to settle the vets bill yourself which is potentially thousands and then try and claim it back. And then your premium is presumably hiked going forward based on increased risk of future claims.
There are two insurance types, one you pay more up front but the premiums are fixed throughout the life of the animal, this is recommended by virtually everyone. The other is quite a bit cheaper up front when your pet is younger but then increases as your pet gets older and also after any claims. Not recommended.
Brave, willful, independent Nelson our one eyed Border collie/Beagle cross passed away this morning.
I had to make the decision, his back legs had gone, there was no viable future.
He was a special dog partly because of his character flaws. We got him from the Dogs Trust rescue center Canterbury 12 years ago, " no behavior problems "they said
What a load of porkies that was!
First time we let him off the lead he immediately attacked a dog.
Gradually we realized how damaged he was, he was afraid of people and other dogs.
Improvement was very gradual, I was learning on the way.
A massive event occurred 5 years ago, in my ignorance I didn't realize how bad his arthritis was, while stroking his front paws he suddenly bit me on the nose.
Queen Mary's hospital had to give me 5 stitches.
My "Belgian20" mates still get a laugh out of it, we had a meeting 4 days after.
I decided to send him back to dogs trust as I couldn't trust him. A friend's daughter who is a qualified vet phoned me up and persuaded me to keep him.
Glad to say he's given us years of unconditional love since then.
As you can imagine I'm so glad of decision to keep him.
Best wishes to you, I'm sure you have done the right thing for the old boy, and can look back proudly on having given him a much better life.
Never an easy decision but one most of us have had to make at some point.
You'll have some great memories & the knowledge that he was a much loved, faithful lad.
Thinking of you tonight.
. RIP Nelson.
C.L comes up trump's again.
The cost of purchasing animals increasing by the ridiculous amount it has
The increase in thefts of animals (as most insurers contribute towards finder rewards)
Veterinary treatment cost increases
Bit worried about the pet insurance costs some seem to be paying. My monthly insurance with Animal Friends for our 4 year old Border Collie is £6.52. We only renewed it last month and had gone up by under £3 PA.
We've had one claim paid in full direct to the vet for a cut ear that bled a lot (house covered in red every time he shook his head) and that's no longer covered. They paid out immediately for treatment which has so far meant we've spent less on four years insurance that the cost of the treatment.
Why is it recommended we fill our dogs with chemicals in relation to flea and worm treatments when they don’t have fleas and worms?
If my car is stolen or my house destroyed there is a book price and while guidelines are flexible due to breeds and breeding Id stand the pedigree of any of my dogs alongside any dog valued in the 1000s.
We breed GSD'S (none during the pandemic) for nearly 20 years, back in the day we were charging £650 for a puppy with all its papers, 1st inoculation done, identifying tattoo inside the ear, 2 months insurance and a lifetime of assistance!
Our last litter (Dec 2019), we sold our pups for £1000, so we have increased by £350 in 20 years, that's what £17.50 for each year!!
We have been told and seen GSD pups being sold without papers etc for in excess of £2500 during the last year.
Many of these puppies will have health problems, or in some cases mental issues due to non-socialisation! They end up being put to sleep or in the GSD rescue centre.
The insurance companies won't pay out for dogs the amount these people have paid for a dog if they are stolen, but all the time people continue to pay these ridiculous prices, these breeders will continue to trade!
I beg everyone please please please do your research before buying any breed of dog, not just on the breed but the breeders as well!! The rescue centres are rammed to the hilt with pups and young dogs because owners didn't do their research! It's not fair on the poor animals and it makes my blood boil!
Edit - Just to add if you're thinking of getting a dog why not look at a young rescue dog? Especially if it's your first dog!