• PLEASE NOTE - the TEAS facebook page has been hacked, take extreme care when visiting the page, for further information visit here
  • Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Confused With Pet Insurance... Help!

Status
Not open for further replies.
HenryRalph

HenryRalph

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 29, 2014
Messages
70
Reaction score
52
Points
220
Location
Littlehampton, West Sussex
After all of the scares and issues i've had lately I started to look into insurance.. I know that ExoticDirect is what most people go for (it's the only one that i can find!) but is it really worth it? I have read the terms & conditions and I can't find much that it actually covers!

I know that Henry can't get insured until he is better, but i thought that now Ralph has got the all clear that it would be good to at least insure him.

On the t&cs, it says about how you need to say whether another pet in the household has an illness otherwise they won't pay, but Henry has a UTI and possible (hopefully not!) bladder stones. But there is no where on the website to say whether another pet is ill? Will this effect Ralph's insurance?

Has anyone else been in the same position? I wasn't sure whether to email them and say that Henry is ill, but I don't want this to effect Ralph being insured and having no insurance on either of them!

Also, it says that it will not cover fees from a illness that has occurred in the last 12 months, so when Henry gets insured does that mean if he had UTI again (or bladder stones) that they will never pay out for treatment? I know that bladder stones can be very very pricey!

All a bit confusing!

I wondered how many people have pet insurance and whether it has been worth it and it is worth getting? Or if anyone else has had a poorly piggie with a healthy one and just wants insurance for the one?

Any help would be very much appreciated! Thanks very much! (sorry for rambling!)
x
 
Hi HenryRalph,

Ralph should not be affected as he is not ill, However if he has had previous illnesses in the last year these illnesses will be excluded for the next year. I have all but two pig's insured and I need to get my new 2 insured soon.

At the moment my current piggy is ill and so far for two vet visits I have paid out £400, with this cost likely to increase. I'm very thankful for my insurance as I have in more than one occasional paid over £1000 for a pig to get better.

There is however only one insurance company that will cover them and it is exotic direct.

Hope this helps. x
 
When I first got the pigs I looked at the exotics direct insurance, but decided against it as I didn't think it was worth it. Now, with having 8 pigs, it's not financially viable to have insurance policies on all of them and you can't have more than 3 onl a policy (last time I checked). I am an avid insurance user with my dogs (and when I had my horse) and i would be scrupulous about the fine print etc and going to a reputable company.
I think the main thing to do is to take a long hard look at your finances and think 'if there was a sudden huge vets bill, could I afford it on the spot, OR get the money together quickly for it?'
If not, you need insurance. If so, I think you are pretty safe without.
 
@Flutterby Things might have changed as I have 8 of 9 of my piggies insured with exotic direct (they won't insure Estee as she is 7.5).

The thing to think is are you able to put money aside in case of an emergency? I am a terrible saver so much rather pay insurance. For 8 piggies with highest cover (£2000 per pig per annum) I pay around £100 a month. Its hefty but worth for me as total peace of mind. My Itsy has been struggling with a chin abscess since the summer and also had 2 mammary tumours removed and the bill so far has exceed £1000, which thanks to insurance I have been receiving back :)

Can't help you with the pre conditions though but just give them a call to ask or email. I find them very nice and helpful.
 
Pre-conditions are excluded for the following year. I have 3 pig's insured for 2000 but I'm currently regretting this decision and wish I'd taken the higher cover but still 2000 is a huge help.
 
Thanks @MrsSuzy I haven't checked recently, I know the last time I did it was 3 pigs per policy! I'll have a look now. Thankfully I'm a good saver so I'm not worried if I don't have the insurance. I know if it's pheesable though I will get it, I'm all for insurance! :)
 
Hmm, just had a look on the website and it still only let's you select 3 animals per policy?
 
Perhaps you can add more if you give them a call? Could just be the website set to a standard of 3.
 
Exotic Insurance, doesn't cover all that much, doesn't even include death cover. Also, if they've had history of something, they won't pay out for it whether it's a year or not - also most vet bills probably won't get to the £50 mark - I guess that depends on your vet though. It's a 50/50 really, and your choice at the end of the day. I may end up getting it for Bert though as I have to pay out for Frank all the time and he eats my money up at the vets !
 
I think that could be it. I started with 3 pigs and since then have been adding via phone. Checked the paperwork, definitely 8 under the same policy. Also, it wouldn't make sense to restrict numbers as more pigs more money for them. Might just be a website start up thing as you say :)
 
I got my renewal form through and it says 'the pre existing condition for Fred has been removed at renewal, provided that no further veterinary treatment for pre existing conditions has been administered between 10/10/2013 ane 14. I take from that Fred is fully covered now.
 
The only thing they don't cover fully is Dental but they still pay a percentage, when I first got pig's I would have said it wasn't worth it but 5 years on I wouldn't be without it. I have had more than 1 of my pig's cost over 1000 at the vets with ongoing treatment and then go on to live a happy pain free life.
 
I keep 2 credit cards at home I dont use each with a 1.500 limit on for emergencies. Plus I save 30 a month. This is my animal fund
 
We have savings which I add to every month, though I try not to touch it for vets bills if I can afford them out of my normal wages. I also have an emergency credit card which is only touched for vets bills. It was originally got when I had my pony but it never needed to be used thankfully. I also have another savings account which I put into every month which is a back up account for lifes little drama's lol.
 
Flutterby said:
We have savings which I add to every month, though I try not to touch it for vets bills if I can afford them out of my normal wages. I also have an emergency credit card which is only touched for vets bills. It was originally got when I had my pony but it never needed to be used thankfully. I also have another savings account which I put into every month which is a back up account for lifes little drama's lol.
Click to expand...

You sound like a much better saver than me, I pefer paying up monthly that way I know if anything does happen the monies there. I do have a credit card but you have to pay interest on them so for me that's a no-go, as I like to penny count.

Insurance is something very individual and based on your own situation. It's a gamble at the end of the day.
 
I completely agree that insurance is a gamble, and before taking it out you really have to do your research. Both my dogs are insured with More Than and they have been FANTASTIC over the past few years with the several claims i've had.

I am a good saver, but I work a stupid amount of hours to put money into savings. It's take me a long time to learn to save and some hard lessons as well!
 
Yes it definitely would, but at the same time I don't think there is a huge market for small animal insurance because a lot of people wouldn't even think of getting them insured!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top