cavNrott Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 This is the same reason I have for taking out insurance. HD treatments ain't cheap and I never want to be in the position where I have to consider putting my boy to sleep because I can't afford to treat him if he were to develop it. Same with the cats. None of the pet insurance companies will cover HD or ED to my knowledge. I haven't seen any company that doesn't list these problems as exclusions. My Rottweiler had a bilateral arthroscopy for arthritis in the elbows. As it turned out it was unecessary surgery anyway (thanks to the vet) but the insurance company refused to pay out because they stated the problem was considered to be Elbow Dysplasia even though the vets sent them a fax stating there was no dysplasia present. The insurance company categorised this as ED and nothing would alter their decision so I cancelled the policy. They stated that elbow 'incongruity' is considered to be ED. This was with AFS PetMed. Jaybeece, if you are insuring you dog in the event that Hip Dysplasia will be covered, have a thorough read of your policy. I think you'll find it is excluded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neos4life Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Just found the following at Pet Secure: NEW IMPROVED POLICY CHANGES! EFFECTIVE 1 OCTOBER 2006 As part of our ongoing product improvement program, we are pleased to announce some of the following changes to Petsecure: Petsecure now provides cover for veterinary expenses resulting from the following: Hereditary Defects Hip /Elbow Dysplasia Entropion and Ectropion Congenital Defects Cryptorchidism PLUS! Breed Specific Excluded Conditions now covered NEW !- Discount for cats - in line with our experience of lower healthcare costs associated with cat ownership, we are pleased to offer a discounted premium for insured cats - see Cover and Fees tab for more details. NEW ! - Choose your BENEFIT LEVEL - you can now choose how much of you vet bill you would like us to refund, you have a choice of either a 70% or 80% refund of eligible claims subject to the policy terms and conditions VERY interesting!!!!!! here is the link: http://www.petsecure.com.au/NewChanges0ct06.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagsalot Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Whats the catch? Sorry to be a bit of a damper, but it sounds a bit too generous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neos4life Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 I have just finished reading the policy disclosure - seems to be above board. Maybe they are finally listening to the customer????!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I researched and looked into pet insurance, but in the end gave up on it as there were to many exclusions, and thought i could only imagine the drama if i had to ever use it and would hate to be stuck in a situation were you really need to and get refused. We decided to start a bank account up and put a bit in there each month and use that if it was ever need. Unfortunatley we did need it. Our pup's ED reared its ugly head at 4months of age and HD at 6 months of age. At least we had something saved but not nearly enough to cover all expenses which ended up reaching $15K mark, which of course is an amount that one would never expect to have to pay for their dogs. We would have been stuffed if we were going to use pet insurance as it does not cover genetic problems. I always advise friends that have pets or are getting a new puppy to start an account for vet expenses. I reckon thats the way to go rather than the insurance. I would be very very wary. But thats JMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neos4life Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 I have just got off the phone from them an I asked them heaps of questions. They have genuinally changed their policy due to a high volume of complaints from potential customers. HD is covered providing the dog has no signs of the condition prior to joining. In my personal case my puppies would be covered as there are no clinical signs of HD. If (god forbid) they started to display symptoms in say 12 months they would def be covered. There is also no extra fee for breed specific. My quote for 2 neapolitans is $75.91 per month full coverage for accident and illness. They are currently the only agency offering this policy. I'm sure the others will follow!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Shepherd mom Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 My quote for 2 neapolitans is $75.91 per month full coveragefor accident and illness. Does that include the extra premium for them being large dogs (or a "Special Breed" as they call it?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neos4life Posted October 20, 2006 Author Share Posted October 20, 2006 Does that include the extra premium for them being large dogs (or a "Special Breed" as they call it?) They have abolished the "special breed" inclusion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I have to agree with others i would sooner put money away than waste it on insurance because no matter what there will always be an interpreation issue. We have 18 dogs & the only vet bills we have are vaccs .On the odd occasion we have had a larger bill it was still nothing compared to paying insurance & having to prove your claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaybeece Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Jaybeece, if you are insuring you dog in the event that Hip Dysplasia will be covered, have a thorough read of your policy. I think you'll find it is excluded. I've gone over this policy pretty thoroughly and there's no exclusions for breed related/genetic issues at all. I did check with them before signing up that they definitely cover HD and they confirmed that they do, however after this thread I'm going to have them put it in writing *just in case*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 29, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birgulparis Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Im back this is what I found 11. My pet's breed is known to suffer certain illnesses and conditions. Are these covered? Certain breeds of cats and dogs suffer from a high incidence of particular illnesses, and most pet insurers find that they cannot offer cover for them. Petcover does not include cover if your pet's breed is commonly known to suffer from Cardiovascular diseases, Ocular Diseases or Neurological Diseases, or the conditions of Hemophilia, Spina Bifida, Wobblers or Swimmer Puppies. You should research your breed's history to discover which of these illnesses and conditions may not be covered. Before I became a member I asked if the pallete(however its spelt) was covered and they said YES- Just what is mentioned isnt covered if its known through your breed. Petcover is good- but if unsure just ask as many questions as you can. Again good luck. You need to read what is written in the policy rather than what someone said to you. They will not be held liable for what someone told you. Go to their website and have a look at clause 7 under the 'What we will not pay for' and you will see that congnital/hereditary problems are not covered and they won't pay out if there is a claim. That quote is from thier website. I cant find what you are talking about. Can you attach a link? Regardles- $345 a year isnt that much if i suddenley needed an emergency op. I pay more for car insurance. But if you can help me get onto what you have been reading I then can follow it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 29, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwo2 Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 After I read the policy booklet, I won't take any insurance. They don't cover illness e.g. parvo, even with highest cover. Anyone know of a pet insurance that may cover parvo, or ticks, etc? Insurance companies always make money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birgulparis Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Go to their website and just keep scrolling down. It's a few pages down. I don't have the link atm...sorry. Sorry- still cant find it. There are two pet cover insurances. Mine is www.petcover.com (green screen) the other www.petcover.co.uk (brown screen) But i think il get it in writing to be safe :cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 (edited) . Edited May 29, 2009 by cavNrott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snarferama Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 Has anyone heard anything about the RSPCA insurance? I'm going to be getting an English Mastiff in March and am considering getting pet insurance because obviously a dog of that size is going to have huge vet bills. RSPCA has seemed pretty good to me but I'm not sure. Thanks everyone. -Elise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 A large breed should never mean large vet bills. If the breeder is breeding from sound stock,is health tested then your vet bills shouldnt be anything but the basics. Personnally i wouldnt support the RSPCA in anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skwo2 Posted October 25, 2006 Share Posted October 25, 2006 I have a look at the RSPCA insurance before, basically it is the same insurance policy, same contact details for making claim as PETCOVER. RSPCA said it will donate 5-20% of insurance fee to the rescue of dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossie Posted December 13, 2006 Share Posted December 13, 2006 HI I am a Vet Nurse and have my own dogs insured with RSPCA. I also know lots of clients who are insured with various companies so I know a fair bit about the insurance overall. The insurance company that do RSPCA, also do insurance for AFS PetMed, Petsecure, Vets Own, and a couple of others. They all pretty much cover the same things. Some have a condition excess but RSPCA do NOT, which I love. I have just renewed my policy and found that they have recently got rid of all breed specific exclusions, and other general exclusions like hereditary and congenital problems, hip & elbow dysplasia, entropion & ectropion. As long as your pet doesn't have these conditions BEFORE you take out the insurance, they will now cover them. :D The only things they don't cover now are things like breeding, behavioural problems, anything elective, grooming, food and of course the conditions your pet has already had before you join. Some of them provide benefits towards routine care (like vaccinations etc) but not all. So it is now HEAPS better. I know a client who had insurance with Pet Plan but cancelled after their policy renewed as Pet Plan said they were no longer going to cover anything that the dog had in their first year of insurance!! They also have an excess every time you send in a claim. (important to look for that when you are shopping around). With RSPCA you are covered for the condition up to a certain maximum no matter how many policy years it takes to reach it. No matter who you go with, make sure you write down a lot of questions and call them up and ask!! But I can assure you that RSPCA (& the other products with the same policy) are most definitely worthwhile now that the exclusions have been lifted. I have no problem in recommending Pet Insurance to anyone. It has already helped me out a lot and I know a lot of our clients are very grateful for it also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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