Author Topic: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!  (Read 9064 times)

Offline Rosella moggy

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #35 on: March 15, 2009, 23:20:13 PM »
I would get the per annum cover CC.  Have you compared the per annum quote from Axa of £6.38 p/mth with cost of other companies' per condition policies?  Please look carefully at excesses when comparing.

Offline Den

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #34 on: March 15, 2009, 23:13:22 PM »
If you are worrying about a lifelong condition then you need per year. That means you have £7000 for every year compared to just having £7000 to use on the diabetes condition.

Personally speaking I would never touch a per condition policy.

Edit to add - if Macey developed diabetes and for one reason or another used up the full £7000/per condition after a few years it would fall on you to pay for any further diabetes treatments, for her remaining life. As she would then have a pre-existing condition you wouldn't be able to get her reinsured without having the diabetes excluded.

However, if you were with the per annum policy you wouldn't have to worry about funding the treatments, as each year they stock the pot of money back to £7000 [provided you keep renewing the policy on time].

It is highly unlikely that yearly vets bills for Macey will exceed £7,000 but it is possible that a life long condition over a few years could exceed the £7000.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2009, 23:25:08 PM by Den »

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Offline Team Svartalfheims

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #33 on: March 15, 2009, 23:09:00 PM »
Personally I'd go for the 7k per annum.
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Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #32 on: March 15, 2009, 23:01:06 PM »
Right Im getting quite confused with this, but what I need to work out is which would be best for Macey.  The per condition or the per annum? The vet has warned with her weight she could develop diabetes.

So taking into account she would have this condition for the rest of her life I need to choose wisely.

Im working out from the per annum it would only be upto £7000 a year paid in vets fees. This £7000 is to cover all conditions/ injuries / illnesses the cat may get.

And the per condition one, they would pay upto £7000 for every condition/ injury / illness. So if the cat had 2 vet bills ongoing at one time, they would BOTH be paid upto the value of £7000.

Is this right in understanding or am I totally confused  :-:

If so which one would I need?  as its a worry of her getting diabetes which she would have for life.
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Offline Rosella moggy

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #31 on: March 15, 2009, 22:41:27 PM »
As I remember t (we went through a lot as the lecture was "An introduction to applied physics in medicine") the iodine is bonded to a radioactive substance. As iodine will migrate to the thyroid, the radioactive substance is deposited there.

Apologies if I'm drifting off topic and can't recall the science stuff just remember from last year that, whilst it sounds dangerous, this treatment is extremely effective. Apart from cost, huge downside though is pud having to go into quarantine for such a long time. I imagine a large part of the cost is related to care whilst in quarantine. 

In any event I think the per condition vs per annum cover can be very relevant where pud has long term chronic illness when even £7,000 would be exhausted over a few years with a per condition policy esp with cost of regular blood tests if required....Sorry Mark, just realised I misread your post as "I would question the quality of life of any cat that needs more than £7000 per condition on treatment" when I see now you were talking about £7,000 per annum with which I completely agree :-[  Ignore my burbling, it's an age thing  :doh:

I sound like a broken record I know but a £50 excess for an older pud beats any of the others hands down.

Offline Mark

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #30 on: March 15, 2009, 20:52:23 PM »
Indoor cats can be more prone to obesity and bladder problems, obesity can lead to diabetes so you cant say an indoor cat is less likely to get ill so make insurance cheaper, indoor cats may jump out of windows more and break bones  :shy:
Thyroid/dental/crf problems are common claims for all cats living in or out

Totally agree. I don't want to get into the indoor/outdoor debate but it's definately the case that indoor cats are more prone to these illnesses and therefore wouldn't it wouldn't be appropriate to offer cheaper cover. Indoor cats are also more prone to behavioural problems which can cause costly referrals. At the end of teh day, some cats will get poorly whatever environment we provide and you do get what you pay for where insurance is concerned.

To give it the correct technical term - Swings & roundabouts  :-:
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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #29 on: March 15, 2009, 20:24:58 PM »
Indoor cats can be more prone to obesity and bladder problems, obesity can lead to diabetes so you cant say an indoor cat is less likely to get ill so make insurance cheaper, indoor cats may jump out of windows more and break bones  :shy:
Thyroid/dental/crf problems are common claims for all cats living in or out

Totally agree. I don't want to get into the indoor/outdoor debate but it's definately the case that indoor cats are more prone to these illnesses and therefore wouldn't it wouldn't be appropriate to offer cheaper cover. Indoor cats are also more prone to behavioural problems which can cause costly referrals. At the end of teh day, some cats will get poorly whatever environment we provide and you do get what you pay for where insurance is concerned.

Offline Mark

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #28 on: March 15, 2009, 19:35:38 PM »
I would tend to agree Mark but sometimes there can be state of the art treatments (I know you're not a fan but I would go for Iodine treatment for hyperthyroid in the right circs for example) that cost a great deal of money

I agree there may be very rare exceptions but I think most people can hedge their bets. As I remember t (we went through a lot as the lecture was "An introduction to applied physics in medicine") the idione is bonded to a radioactive subtance. As iodine will migrate to the thyroid, the radioactive substance is deposited there.
« Last Edit: March 15, 2009, 20:54:16 PM by Mark »
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Offline Desley (booktigger)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #27 on: March 15, 2009, 18:53:02 PM »
I agree Mark, and it is why I wasn't bothered by Sainsbury's being £6500 per condition (it has since gone up, but so has the excess), as with the age of my cats, I would be questioning things by that amount - although an MRI is £2k at the specialist my vet uses, so i can easily see how you could spend half of that in a year, as that is without anything done before that stage or any treatment.The only advantage with Sainsbury's method over AXA's is that Sainsbury's is per condition, so if they developed 2 conditions, they would each have their own allowance (but then you pay 2 excesses, and Sainsbury's is a percentage when your claim reaches £350, whereas AXA is a set £50 regardless)
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Offline Rosella moggy

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #26 on: March 15, 2009, 17:56:48 PM »
I would tend to agree Mark but sometimes there can be state of the art treatments (I know you're not a fan but I would go for Iodine treatment for hyperthyroid in the right circs for example) that cost a great deal of money

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #25 on: March 15, 2009, 17:37:54 PM »
I would question the quality of life of any cat that needs more than £7000 per year on treatment. I have Alic insured with them and I should think about changing the others over soon.
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Offline Tiggy's Mum

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #24 on: March 15, 2009, 16:13:43 PM »
Axa is definitely 7k a year, NOT per condition and NOT per condition per year.  You can spend upto 7k each and every year on vet bills spread over various conditions, at the end of the year as long as you renew the policy the pot is topped up and you get another 7k to spend and so on...

Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #23 on: March 15, 2009, 12:37:26 PM »
That says upto £7000 a year to me  :-:
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Offline swampmaxmum

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #22 on: March 15, 2009, 11:08:56 AM »
I'd contact AXA by email or post and get it in writing as to exactly what that means.


Offline Rosella moggy

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #21 on: March 15, 2009, 11:04:33 AM »

Extract from policy summary on Axa website :

"All reasonable costs for Treatment of Your Pet by a Vet up to £7,000 per period of insurance"

as far as I'm concerned that means each year the £7,000 pot is topped up on renewal and covers all conditions.

Offline Desley (booktigger)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #20 on: March 15, 2009, 09:02:24 AM »
i thought AXA was per condition per year, which is better than Sainsbury's which is per condition - so AXA gets topped back up to £7k at renewal, unlike Sainsbury's, which when you get to your £7k, that is it, you have to pay.
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #19 on: March 15, 2009, 00:33:29 AM »
I thouight Axa was £7000 per condition cos when Franta was ill I looked and swear I read £7000 a year......I will now have to look again...and I reported this back to the vets after originally telling her it was per condition.

Actauaally will look now cos have an insurance in the tray on my desk.

ok have policy booklet infront of me and its says

' All reasonable costs for treatment of your pet by a vet for illness, condition or injury up to the maximum benefit of £7000 per period of insurance'............ie that means per year.

It does not say per condition. The only per condition things are complementry, behavioral, cxlinical diet and treatment abroad.

If someone with an AXA insurance has something that says any different please tell me where it says it. my renewal schedule of insurance also says its per period of insurance.

Offline Rosella moggy

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #18 on: March 14, 2009, 20:38:19 PM »
With insurance companies if the cat develops something while you are with them, does that mean you will have to stay with them for the rest of the cats life? I know not many compaines will insure against an existing condition.

I don't know of any companies that will insure against pre existing conditions.  I think Petplan may cover an existing illness after a certain period of time but assume that's only if it doesn't recur within a particular period so would exclude a number of chronic illnesses?  I may be wrong.

Offline Kay and Penny

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #17 on: March 14, 2009, 20:07:25 PM »
well it bugs me - I paid more than £2000 to have a cat-proof fence built around my back garden, so I reckon it ought to be taken into account >:(
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Offline Susanne (urbantigers)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #16 on: March 14, 2009, 19:50:46 PM »
I think some policies in the US do offer indoor cat cover, but pet insurance is very different over there (generally less good).  I guess that while indoor cats are less likely to be involved in a rta, they may have an increased risk of some other things, eg behavioural problems, cystitis etc

Offline Millys Mum

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #15 on: March 14, 2009, 19:49:57 PM »
Indoor cats can be more prone to obesity and bladder problems, obesity can lead to diabetes so you cant say an indoor cat is less likely to get ill so make insurance cheaper, indoor cats may jump out of windows more and break bones  :shy:
Thyroid/dental/crf problems are common claims for all cats living in or out


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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #14 on: March 14, 2009, 19:37:15 PM »
I can't understand why the premiums are the same for indoor cats, and those confined to an enclosure, and those who can roam freely

the veterinary costs of an RTA can be huge, so it doesn't make sense to me - at least someone should offer a reduced premium with RTAs not covered
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Offline tigerbaby

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2009, 19:29:46 PM »
I wish insurance would be cheaper for indoor cats - If it's true what they say about indoor cats live longer & healthier lives. If I went with AXA it would cost me £11 per month, which I can't afford.
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Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2009, 09:56:11 AM »
Thanks Des  :)

Thats what Im trying to understand as I dont really understand any type of insurance at all  :-[ lol

Had a look at the AXA and its only £6.09 a month. With insurance companies if the cat develops something while you are with them, does that mean you will have to stay with them for the rest of the cats life? I know not many compaines will insure against an existing condition.

I really didnt want to bother with insurance before but with the vet warning me about Maceys weight, I would rather pay out a little a month just incase rather than paying out a lot over the long run. I have learned my lesson with Ollie!
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Offline Desley (booktigger)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2009, 08:04:09 AM »
CC, I had a quick look at more than, it is £7000 per condition, not per year - not too bad for older cats, but wouldnt recommend it in a young cat, as if they are unlucky enough to develop something at a youngish age, you could end up reaching your limit.
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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2009, 11:06:48 AM »
I would be wary with More than. I have Mogs insured with them and a couple of years ago I claimed somethinglike a total of 50 pounds after the excess and age percentage. At renewal it went up £5 a month. I complained and was told ti was because of her age. The next year I didnt claim and it only went up £2 a month. I currently pay £21.99 a month for a 17 yr old cat who has had no claims in the last 2 years but who does have high blood pressure meaning I cant change companies
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Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2009, 10:50:47 AM »
Gill if you dont like a topic just dont post! Personaily I feel what you said was rude and out of order!

Thanks gals I will have a look at AXA  :)
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Offline MrsR

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2009, 10:07:17 AM »
Axa hun without a doubt - staff have been brilliant ever time I have called, cover elderly cats, excess is reasonable, cover yearly even if same illness.

I have been with E&L - useless and just could rant abou tthem for ages.
I have been with Tescos - cheap and yes will pay most of the time but only will cover an illness once and thats it.
I have been with Sainsburys - put excess and prices up and are same companies as Axa but don't cover annually like Axa.

Offline Desley (booktigger)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2009, 07:59:47 AM »
I would be a bit wary with that CC, it might mean £7000 per year for all conditions, whereas policies like AXA are £7000 per year per condition, which is what you want, just in case there are multiple health issues (which can happen, i had that problem with Tiger).
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2009, 01:24:08 AM »
They would pay 7000 every year

Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #5 on: March 13, 2009, 00:06:53 AM »
*feels around* is my head still on  :shocked:

The last time I asked was last November Gill, things do change.

I was looking at more than and it says cover is £7000 a year, but that plan covers for the term of the condition. It was only £6.38 a month too.

So does that mean in total they would pay upto £7000 a year and no more? Its only £50 excess too.
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Offline Gill (sneakiefeline)

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2009, 17:20:43 PM »
We alreadyy told you the current best is AXA, when you last asked and nothing has changed!

Offline Millys Mum

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2009, 15:58:46 PM »
I use petplan, they are pricer but they are good and do cover things that have happened before once a set time period is up which was good for me. Take a look at AXA, dont be sucked in elsewhere by cheap premiums, you dont get the cover you need when the crunch comes


Offline Dawn F

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Re: Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2009, 15:39:36 PM »
tbh its a really hard one, I think whoever you go with the premiums creep up quickly enough, I'm with sainsburys but the excess is £75 and my vet charges £15 to fill in the form so I've never claimed in three years but the premiums (about £6 each cat the first year) are now about £12 per cat


Offline CC & The Pussycat Guys & Dolls

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Pet insurance, again..... sorry!
« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2009, 15:16:16 PM »
Just a quick one, I need suggestions for a good pet insurance for Macey. She has already been warned (well I have  :-[ ) that her weight may cause diabeties.

So names of a pet insurance that would be good for her. Also a good one for multi pets as I may need to get some of the others insured in the future.

Thanks and sorry to bore ya's, again  :evillaugh:
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