Sore dog paw

[The Poot]

We’ve found rubbing germolene into the sore area, reduces the irritation (it has a numbing effect) and thus the need to chew it, and also can help draw out any infection. Covered with a sock seems to work.
Poor little pooch, looks so unhappy

 

[enrico]

Yes ... we probably have broken even over the years ... but, the downside of not having insurance is when the unthinkable happens and your dog needs major surgery or develops an on-going lifetime condition. If you have the resources to dip in and pay for the treatment then that's problem solved ... if you don't have a few thousand in the bank what is the alternative when your pet needs treatment ?

At least there is an alternative for animals.....wish we had one

 

[Wilco]

@pargyle has summed it up brilliantly. I believe Bought By Many recently rebranded but used to be decent. You get what you pay for with insurance.

 

[Xander]

Thank you all for your advice, ill have to go through it with swmbo. I think Jack Russells are generally a healthy breed with few congenital problems so I'll look at the options.
I wasn't aware of the pre existing conditions clauses so thank you again

 

[North End Bees]

I wasn't aware of the pre existing conditions clauses so thank you again

And you may not be aware if he even has an apparently pre-existing condition!

Some years ago we took our dog, then about 2 years old, to the vet as he was chewing his paws. The vet decided it was a food allergy and convinced us to have him undergo a course of investigations and treatment, all to be covered by our PetPlan policy.

Unfortunately we didn't claim immediately for each episode of treatment but just put in a claim at the end for the total. The final bill was thousands.

PetPlan turned it down. They said that on his first puppy check at about 8 weeks old the vet had mentioned that the skin on his belly was a little dry. This, they said, was indicative of the allergy.

They said that, not only was this treatment not covered but any future condition involving dry skin would also not be covered. We didn't renew.

He's now 10 and has so far kept healthy. We watch what he eats (no grain, no pork or beef). If he gets sick when he gets older I'll pay the bills then. It may or may not be covered by the insurance fees we've not paid out. Who knows, but it'll be what it'll be.

 

[Xander]

Hmm, I think I'll take out a policy covering accidents for sure as someone has mentioned that little dogs can injure / fracture limbs when they jump from something a bit too ambitious. There are policies with major insurers covering accidents and illness for a third of petplan. If I take out one of those and put the difference away then come doggy heaven time in 10-15 whatever years there may be enough for a little plot in the pet cemetery next to my old cat.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We have a dachsund which had an IVDD episode a few years ago so we are members of two facebook groups, one specifically dealing with dogs with IVDD so pet insurance is always a hot topic. To be honest, over the last twelve months I've heard a lot of bad feedback concerning petplan, many I know are switching.

 

[Wilco]

And you may not be aware if he even has an apparently pre-existing condition!

Some years ago we took our dog, then about 2 years old, to the vet as he was chewing his paws. The vet decided it was a food allergy and convinced us to have him undergo a course of investigations and treatment, all to be covered by our PetPlan policy.

Unfortunately we didn't claim immediately for each episode of treatment but just put in a claim at the end for the total. The final bill was thousands.

PetPlan turned it down. They said that on his first puppy check at about 8 weeks old the vet had mentioned that the skin on his belly was a little dry. This, they said, was indicative of the allergy.

They said that, not only was this treatment not covered but any future condition involving dry skin would also not be covered. We didn't renew.

He's now 10 and has so far kept healthy. We watch what he eats (no grain, no pork or beef). If he gets sick when he gets older I'll pay the bills then. It may or may not be covered by the insurance fees we've not paid out. Who knows, but it'll be what it'll be.

Next time ask your vet to write a letter challenging it. Insurers try it on.

Hmm, I think I'll take out a policy covering accidents for sure as someone has mentioned that little dogs can injure / fracture limbs when they jump from something a bit too ambitious. There are policies with major insurers covering accidents and illness for a third of petplan. If I take out one of those and put the difference away then come doggy heaven time in 10-15 whatever years there may be enough for a little plot in the pet cemetery next to my old cat.

Check what the cover is. Many of the cheaper ones only give a few hundred pounds which doesn’t go far and catches a lot of people out.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Next time ask your vet to write a letter challenging it. Insurers try it on.

Yes I used to be extremely careful how I worded insurance claims forms regarding prior conditions. Some insurance companies manage to find needles in haystacks.

 

[Xander]

Co-op gives 5k annual cover with cover for ongoing conditions year on year (she doesn't have any pre existing conditions now as she's only 16weeks old) for £7/mo. It's more the accident cover I'm looking for, I've had plenty of pets in my time and never had or needed insurance. It's all a con to get people worried about what might happen in a very few cases and fleece the pet owners. Just like all insurance really or they wouldn't be in business.
Swmbo wants it though 'just in case'
My old cat for instance, he's 18yr old had a good innings and if he gets something serious that ruins his QOL then that's that.
He's well loved and is sleeping beside the bed right now but I won't let him suffer from me trying to keep him going past his natural lifespan.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I never had much wrong with any of my pets while I was working. I retire and our dog needed a cruciate repair and is on long term meloxicam!

 

[Newbeeneil]

Co-op gives 5k annual cover with cover for ongoing conditions year on year (she doesn't have any pre existing conditions now as she's only 16weeks old) for £7/mo. It's more the accident cover I'm looking for, I've had plenty of pets in my time and never had or needed insurance. It's all a con to get people worried about what might happen in a very few cases and fleece the pet owners. Just like all insurance really or they wouldn't be in business.
Swmbo wants it though 'just in case'
My old cat for instance, he's 18yr old had a good innings and if he gets something serious that ruins his QOL then that's that.
He's well loved and is sleeping beside the bed right now but I won't let him suffer from me trying to keep him going past his natural lifespan.

About 30yrs ago we bought a new kitten for my young daughter, he was a lovely little guy and she was besotted with him. One Saturday evening when we got back from meal with friends we found him lying on the floor just inside the cat flap obviously in pain so we rushed him off to our vet who said he would sedate him and keep him until the Sunday morning and review the situation.
When we returned the next day the vet said it looked like he had been glanced by a car and had a broken rear leg and broken pelvis and although he couldnt do any thing for him, he knew a man who could!
We took him to this young vet in an adjacent village practice who fixed him up by pinning his leg and put external scaffolding of stainless steel pins to temporarily hold his pelvis in place until it fused back together.
When we went to pick him up we were dreading the bill as we were not insured but glad that my daughter still had her kitten. The bill if I remember rightly was about £1600 and when he asked if we were insured we replied in the negative.
He then picked up the invoice and a pen and said "surely he's not been with us for that length of time" and scrubbed some figures out, "we can't have given him that much anaesthetic " and repeated his scribbling.
After about 4 alterations we were given the rejigged invoice for about £1100 that was our one and only personal encounter with Noel Fitzpatrick!
When we chatted to him after about the operation I asked what was the smallest animal he had operated on only to be told he had used a syringe needle to repair a hamster's leg the previous week.
When you see him on telly he alsways seems too good to be true but in my experience the concern for his patients and their owners is very genuine.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

And you may not be aware if he even has an apparently pre-existing condition!

Some years ago we took our dog, then about 2 years old, to the vet as he was chewing his paws. The vet decided it was a food allergy and convinced us to have him undergo a course of investigations and treatment, all to be covered by our PetPlan policy.

Unfortunately we didn't claim immediately for each episode of treatment but just put in a claim at the end for the total. The final bill was thousands.

PetPlan turned it down. They said that on his first puppy check at about 8 weeks old the vet had mentioned that the skin on his belly was a little dry. This, they said, was indicative of the allergy.

They said that, not only was this treatment not covered but any future condition involving dry skin would also not be covered. We didn't renew.

He's now 10 and has so far kept healthy. We watch what he eats (no grain, no pork or beef). If he gets sick when he gets older I'll pay the bills then. It may or may not be covered by the insurance fees we've not paid out. Who knows, but it'll be what it'll be.

Some years ago we had a horse which developed a sarcoid on his sheath. Getting the insurance company to pay for treatment was a nightmare and even then they carved the amount down with a hitherto unnoticed excess. At that time the only truly effective treatment was experimental using a cream developed by Liverpool University. (As far as I know it still is). This stuff could only be administered/applied by a vet and not left with the horse owner, thus it required a number of visits.
Following the problems in getting the treatment paid for I decided continued insurance was throwing money down the drain and don't insure any of our animals apart from the public liability benefit of being a member of the British Horse Society. Over the years the money we have saved will cover a lot of vet fees if required.
Some of the insurance companies have terrible reputations and the vet practice we used to use at the time banned their salesman from the premises when they caught him leaving leaflets in the waiting room.