# Pet Insurance



## Culchie

Any other providers of Pet Insurance other than Allianz?

My bill premium has been increased from €153.60 to €192.00 ...so a nice little increase.

Just want to see what (if any) competition is out there.


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## ClubMan

Culchie said:
			
		

> My bill premium has been increased from €153.60 to €192.00


Do you keep ducks?


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## Culchie

ClubMan said:
			
		

> Do you keep ducks?


 
Ducks wouldn't be a good idea ... he's a Springer Spaniel 

No other companies as far as I can see provide pet insurance.


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## Sue Ellen

Did you get your insurance afterwards with Allianz, Culchie or were you able to get something cheaper elsewhere?

I have a springer spaniel with touch of collie and wanted to arrange cover for him. See they are giving €20 on-line discount these days.


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## z107

I remember reading the small print on one of these policies and decided against pet insurance. They didn't seem to cover much.


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## hotlips

It turned out to be well worth while for our dog. We received about 600 euro for surgery, medication etc. and we have only paid an annual premium of 90 euro. It's not really useful for smaller things though as it only kicks in when the costs exceed 50 euro for a particular illness.
Originally we only took out the policy for cover if the dog happened to bite someone or cause an accident. We didn't think we would we claiming for medical benefits. It's the only insurance I've ever claimed anything on!


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## kfpg

Pet insurance !! What is the world coming to !!


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## colli

umop3p!sdn said:
			
		

> I remember reading the small print on one of these policies and decided against pet insurance. They didn't seem to cover much.


 
In my experience, they covered nothing! Complete waste of money. I paid one year's premium & called it a day, the annual premium would cover the vet's bill for the year!


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## Lorrie

After paying out a fortune for investigative surgery on cat a few years ago I decided to insure her afterwards. She never was as healthy the following year. So I cancelled the premium in October. She went missing now a week ago and is gone! Could have claimed if I had kept up insurance but then again - I would prefer to have her back. I don't know of any other company that does pet insurance apart from Allianz.


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## hotlips

"In my experience, they covered nothing! Complete waste of money. I paid one year's premium & called it a day, the annual premium would cover the vet's bill for the year!"

Well, we've done ok out of it. The annual premium is around 100€. There's a €50 excess for any one illness in a year and it doesn't cover vaccinations. There's a limit then of 3 or 4k annually. I'm not sure what it is exactly. So, if you have anything which is over €50, you can claim the rest up to 3 or 4k. We claimed for surgery to remove a benign tumour, shots and antibiotics for a bad bout of gastroenteritis and blood tests for a kidney problem. I haven't checked to see what exclusions there are but everything we've claimed for so far has been covered.

Our dog is a mutt so the premium is lower than for purebreds.

It's the only insurance I've gotten any use out of so I'm pretty happy with it.


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## dangerman

We recently received our Pet Insurance renewal details for our Golden Retriever for €192.

Instead of renewing my existing policy, can I not buy a new policy on line for €172 and save €20?

Thanks for your help


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## ney001

I pay €570 odd per year for two dogs and two cats


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## cagney

This the best thing ever got for my cat, saved alot...buy it...


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## ClubMan

Lorrie said:


> After paying out a fortune for investigative surgery on cat a few years ago I decided to insure her afterwards.


Surely such policies would have exclusions for pre-existing conditions possibly rendering some or all of the cover useless?


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## ClubMan

ney001 said:


> I pay €570 odd per year for two dogs and two cats


That's over twice what I pay to insure our house! What have been your total premiums and total vet bills over the years? Would it have made more sense to "self insure" by not taking the insurance but saving the money instead?


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## ney001

Clubman - it's also twice what _I_ pay for my house insurance.  Never had to use it for the cats but did use it for one of the dogs last year - had early stages of cancer so removal of cysts, stay in vets etc came to over €1000.  I know it's expensive but I do feel better knowing that its there - particularly with purebred dogs who are prone to certain ailments eg - labs are prone to hip problems in later life.  In fact my mam's lab had a hip/back leg problem which was covered by pet insurance - amounted to about 500 euro expenses after x-rays and tests etc so for us it has been worth it.  I'd hate to have to put an animal down because we didn't have the money to pay vets bills.


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## ClubMan

ney001 said:


> removal of cysts, stay in vets etc came to over €1000.


Two years worth of premiums - perhaps "self insuring" would have been more prudent after all?


> In fact my mam's lab had a hip/back leg problem which was covered by pet insurance - amounted to about 500 euro expenses after x-rays and tests etc so for us it has been worth it.


How so if the premium was about the same amount?


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## ney001

Well the problem is ongoing and her hip will probably get displaced again in the future - it also causes problems with her tail - so we will be covered for all future problems.   Re cancer - again even though she has had a large section of her skin removed on her stomach she will be very prone to cysts from now on which have to be very carefully monitored and removed immediately each time - all of which is very expensive.  Other than this our cavalier has had glands removed.  Overall worth it for us particularly as we know some of these problems will be ongoing - although granted some years nothing will happen and I will be paying 500 plus but still it is there if I need it


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## ClubMan

ney001 said:


> although granted some years nothing will happen and I will be paying 500 plus but still it is there if I need it


Exactly - so saving the premiums might (a) cover your costs anyway and (b) leave you with a lump sum if nothing happens. Insurance should really only be taken out for eventualities that would give rise to costs that you would be very hard pressed to cover yourself (e.g. the house burning down) not for lesser expenses. I would imagine that the chances of having vet bills of €500+ every year for pets would be unlikely so to insure at such a premium seems crazy to me.


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## roxy

Hotlips, was yours with Allianz also?


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## ney001

ClubMan said:


> Exactly - so saving the premiums might (a) cover your costs anyway and (b) leave you with a lump sum if nothing happens. Insurance should really only be taken out for eventualities that would give rise to costs that you would be very hard pressed to cover yourself (e.g. the house burning down) not for lesser expenses. I would imagine that the chances of having vet bills of €500+ every year for pets would be unlikely so to insure at such a premium seems crazy to me.



To be honest clubman in our case with pedigree dogs who already have had problems and problems which will keep coming back I just prefer the safety net of insurance - I just don't want to be caught short - i.e something bad happens to dog and I can't afford lump sum cos I haven't saved it or I saved it but spent it!.  

bit of the topic but well before insurance for pets was invented - approx 10 years ago we had an amazing cat - anyway one day he came home with a small cut in his paw - as the days progressed small cut turned into big cut and so on -so one night cat kept falling around the place - really weak.  Took him to emergency vet in Castleknock at about 2 in the morning - she didn't know what it was but kept him in on a drip - he remained here for about 3 weeks - the charge was about 40 (pounds) per day for drip and various tests.  she then rings and says cat needs to go to Ballsbridge Vet College for more tests.  They kept the cat for 2 months - turns out it had feline leprosy - paw healed cat came home - ran off one month later! Anyway back then this was huge money for my parents .  Over the years we've had a number of incidents (expensive ones) with pets so when we realised you could insure your pet we jumped at it.  €500 with a good vet won't get you that far - tests and operations for animals are hugely expensive so I think we'll keep up the insurance.  Only thing that does really annoy me is that your premium never goes down unlike car insurance - Pet gets older - premium gets higher


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## Brendan Burgess

I know very little about pet insurance, but this seems expensive. Is there community rating on these animals? Do you pay the same premium for a healthy young dog as an old sick dog? If it's risk adjusted, it's probably bad value. If it's not risk adjusted, then you should not insure younger, healthier animals, but you should insure the older sicker ones. 

There was a company selling it door-to-door some years ago and apparently there were very few claims. 

Brendan


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## Nolan

I know this is not the norm but our lab costs well over €500.00 some years in vets bills.  Shes had both crucia ligaments done (one in the college of surgeons, Dublin so a nice big bill), stomach problems, hip problems - she'll need a hip operation next year and she has an eye problem at the moment which might need laser surgery.  A complete accident prone dog and shes only 6!   So we've got great value for monety with Pet insurance.   My other dog only had to use it once but the lab makes up for it.  I wouldn't be without it. 

As far as I know Allianz is the only one.


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## ClubMan

Nolan said:


> I know this is not the norm but our lab costs well over €500.00 some years in vets bills.
> 
> So we've got great value for monety with Pet insurance.


What are your *actual* yearly vet bills and insurance premiums for the last few years?


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## Nolan

My premium for 2 large dogs is €383.88 per year, goes up an average of about €20. per year.   Vets bills average out at about €600 - €1,500 / year.   The labs hip operation will be well over €1,000.


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## ClubMan

Fair enough - in your specific case you seem to be doing well out of having the insurance. Do the claims not affect your renewal premiums or is that accounted for in the €20 p.a. premium increase? Others may not benefit to the same extent from having such insurance and might be better off keeping the money and "self insuring".


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## Nolan

clubman I agee with you, unless you have a dog like mine its not worth it.  As I said my other dog has only used it about twice in 4-5 years.  They've never once queried the vets bills or notified me of any changes to the policy.  I think when they reach a certain age the premium will go up (have to check that).


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## ney001

Just got hit with 180 quid bill for a blood test for dog - paid first 60 of it because of pet plan - vet reckons dog has diabetes - me thinks this is gonna cost a few quid!   - Pet plan definitely worth it!


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## CharlieC

Insurance last year 110 euro for dog.
Dog diagnosed with heart problem mid-way through policy, and will be on medication for rest of life
Claimed 400 euro back thus far

This years premium is 139, so no they don't really hit you at renewal time


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## Perplexed

I thank my lucky stars I got my Labrador insured.  

6 months after I took it out the policy I discovered she had arthiritis in one hip.
She was put on medication which costs €42 per month - my premium is €16 per month.

Then the silly dog did in the cruciate ligaments in both knees in an effort to take the pressure off her hip. Cost of operations in excess of €2k. she's recovering nicely now so all the trouble was worth it.

Yes, there are normal vets bills on top of this. I think non animal lovers don't understand how much our pets mean to us. I pay VHI for my kids......the dog is part of the family too & means so much to us all.

I don't begrudge a cent spent on my Pet insurance. 

In answer to someones comment. You cannot insure a sick animal. They will only be accepted when given a clean bill of health by the vet.  I presume it's the luck of the draw. The premiums they get for pets that don't need to claim subsidise the ones that do.


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## maswala

Does anybody know about pet insurance for rabbits? I only know about Allianz and they don't insure rabbits...


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## Z100

maswala said:


> Does anybody know about pet insurance for rabbits? I only know about Allianz and they don't insure rabbits...


 
Hibunnyian?


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## maswala




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## Z100

maswala said:


>


 
Maswala, it looks to me like there's a load of insurance discrimination going on against Irish rabbits. If the rabbit was English (s)he would have no trouble getting cover, eg www.phapet.com cover not only rabbits, but rats and gerbils too!

My favourite UK company, though, is www.petprotect.co.uk whose insurance is "only available to the owners of dogs, rabbits, chinchillas and guinea pigs living in the United Kingdom"!!

Chinchillas?  

Any way Maswala, if you can't get insurance for your Irish rabbit start a campaign - don't take this lying Watership Down.


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## Sue Ellen

Bushfire said:


> don't take this lying Watership Down.


 
[broken link removed]


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## ClubMan

Bushfire said:


> Chinchillas?


Bit of respect! Chinchillas are animals too you know...


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## titchmurph

Could anyone who has pet insurance advise me please? I think my 5 year old dog might have cateracts, I know that the operation wouldn't happen until much later, if it is. I don't have insurance, but if I bring her to the vet now to check it out, would it count as a pre-existing condition? 

Thanks,
Titch


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## tinkerbell

I don't like that fact they only insure dogs up to their 8th birthday - for new dogs anyway.   I took two rescue dogs, one 9 and the other 10 and I can't get them insured at a stage in their lives when health problems are likely.   Maybe we need a VHI for pets?


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## dmos87

I just got a letter from Allianz to renew my pet insurance (2 maltese dogs, both microchipped and vaccinated to their eyeballs). My premium is up by over 40 euros. Decided I'd try and shop around, have found 123.ie are doing pet insurance, premium looks good - I can insure both of them for Accident Only for €140 p/annum, Or I can get the Premium Pet Plan that covers everything with a low excess for €314.84. Divide that down by 2 (per dog) and thats €157.42.

Personally I prefer the security with my babies so I'll be going for the Premium Plan. Its the same as Allianz however its cheaper. Its about time Allianz got a little competition


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## gipimann

There's also petinsure.ie (based in Cork) - I'm a customer for my non-pedigree cat and found the premium cheaper than Allianz.


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## Vacuum Box

get a robot dog from smiths... if it dies buy a new one..lol..if it get ssick all you have to do is buy batteries...Woof !!...

use petinsure, my mother is with them... they seem ok, no idea what she is paying though... she has 3 chickens insured with them.. joking, 2 dogs..


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## gipimann

As I mentioned above, I insured my newly acquired cat last year.  Insurance cost me 94 euro.

Between November and January, vet bills to diagnose an illness came to over 1100 euro - all I had to pay was 60 euro, insurance covered the rest.

If the cat lives for 10 years, and I insure him each year, I reckon I'll break even on the deal, even if the premium increases!


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## Sue Ellen

dmos87 said:


> I just got a letter from Allianz to renew my pet insurance (2 maltese dogs, both microchipped and vaccinated to their eyeballs). My premium is up by over 40 euros. Decided I'd try and shop around, have found 123.ie are doing pet insurance, premium looks good - I can insure both of them for Accident Only for €140 p/annum, Or I can get the Premium Pet Plan that covers everything with a low excess for €314.84. Divide that down by 2 (per dog) and thats €157.42.
> 
> Personally I prefer the security with my babies so I'll be going for the Premium Plan. Its the same as Allianz however its cheaper. Its about time Allianz got a little competition



Have you gone back to Allianz to let them know about the cheaper quote.  They may be able to match it.


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