# Pet repatriation



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We recently lost our beloved Whippet, Willow. She had Addisons disease and, despite spending over £6,000 on vets' fees, was suffering too much for us to continue putting her through more investigations and treatment.

So, we are now considering a new dog. We have seen a lovely mongrel dog in a local rescue. Because of our experience we are keen to insure him. I know, again from experience, that it must be lifetime cover that is renewed each year. I also like to have cover for complementary treatment so that physio and acupuncture etc are covered.
The best I can come up with, that covers European travel too, is PetPlan. I notice that they also cover emergency repatriation which was a major concern of ours. Of course they are also the most expensive!

Has anyone found one that beats PetPlan? John Lewis run them close but are roughly the same price once the introductory discount is taken into account.


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Hi Pat

No concrete advice, but we were with PetPlan. (Past tense)

It all seemed pretty good at first, but when the dog reached about 4 years old the premiums began to rocket upwards - and I don't mean by the fairly moderate amounts one would expect as the dog gets older!!! 

I can only offer a caveat, and suggest that you quiz them in some depth, and demand written confirmation of what sort of premium increases to expect as the dog gets older.

They cannot of course be expected to commit themselves to precise figures, but if they are not prepared to give a reasonable percentage estimate I think I would be a little cautious about going further.

Dave


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## bb46 (Oct 26, 2008)

I looked at John Lewis and discovered that their insurance is provided by MORE TH>N, so went directly to them and got a very good deal. They provide lifetime cover so its worth checking them out. I haven't had to call on them yet, fortunately, but they were one of the cheapest when I researched 9 months ago.


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## bb46 (Oct 26, 2008)

I forgot to say that MORE TH>N dont load their premiums until the dog is 9 years old


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

I put the 'premiums' in a hypothetical biscuit tin that gets raided from time to time

tony


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## thieawin (Jun 7, 2006)

We have used M&S for all our dogs for 15 years . Again its underwritten by MoreThan. With three dogs, 13, 11 and 18 months, I do wonder if we wouldn't be better self insuring. It isn't cheap.


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

I speak as a retired commercial insurance broker - in nearly 50 years of owning cocker spaniels, two together until a couple of years ago, I have never insured the dogs and despite one of them needing an expensive operation at the Royal Veterinary College I am still quids in when comparing the cost of insurance over the years with what I have saved in premiums.

Mike


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

We have the hound from hell

He is insured with Tesco

We choose a level of 4000 pounds a year

The first year we claimed cost nearer to 6000 pounds 

We paid the difference

But then again it's not every year your dogs intestines fall out
Since then we have been well within the limit

We have had no problem with them paying out where needed

But we can fund the difference

Why would we fund the difference ???

For a nightmare hound from hell :lol: :lol: :lol: 

Aldra


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## Sprinta (Sep 15, 2010)

we decided last year not to insure both of our dogs and have decided that if anything happens to them we will simply raid the savings and pay up.


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## HurricaneSmith (Jul 13, 2007)

I have to agree with what has been said.

We were originally with Pet Plan and when the premiums significantly increased we moved to Tesco. They were fine for a number of years but unsurprisingly hiked their premiums when our westie reached 10 years.

So we cancelled that policy, and when she needs treatment (as she undoubtably will) we will also raid our savings.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Thanks for all the replies.

Having just lost our last dog who, with her Addisons disease, ran up bills of over £6,000, in a couple of years, I would not like my new dog to be uninsured. It was such a relief to be able to say "yes" when the vet wanted to do more tests etc.

I had a call from MoreThan last night. On the website they did not seem to offer cover for complementary therapies but he assured me that they do cover such things. 

Willow was with Asda and I have to say they paid up every time. I, however, was disappointed to discover that the "lifetime" policy I thought I had bought was a maximum benefit one that stopped paying out at the limit of £6,000 for her condition (Addisons Disease).

We are hoping to rescue a mutt this time so, hopefully, the risk will be considered smaller than some of the pedigree breeds.

Asda did not load the premiums when Willow got sick but they did introduce a higher excess and a co insurance of 10% on every claim. This is becoming much more common nowadays and is one way to keep the premiums lower. They took on my old dog when she was nine so I stuck with them for Willow but wished, afterwards that I had gone to Pet Plan or JL.

Even paying 50:50 would be a way of affording vets fees. There is so much more that vets can do nowadays and the relief of just saying "yes" is worth the money.

Off to check out MoreThan now  I hope he was right and they do offer complementary treatments. My old girl was helped a treat by acupuncture and physiotherapy


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## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

Until last year I had two boxers. Two sisters from the same litter.
One insured by PetPlan and one by Direct Line.
My experience was that PP were by far the better to deal with and in terms of costs both increased the premiums over the years but the one insured by PP had many operations and various medical conditions. In 2012 we claimed around £3,000. In the year we lost her (2013) when she was eleven we were paying £62 per month. 
The one insured by Direct Line had little treatment over the years and very small claims. In 2013 DL increased the premium to £106 per month!!! We cancelled and now self insure.

IMHO PetPlan are the best.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

The trouble is private insurance has pushed up what vets charge

People are insured because without it it's too much

People are insured so vets charge more

A balance is prob set the return 

And be prepared to fund the difference

Aldra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

I can reassure everyone, as I work in a vet's, that they do not charge more because a dog is insured.
What happens is, an insured pet gets the gold standard treatment whereas an uninsured pet will have its treatment tailored to its owners pocket. They will be offered the gold standard treatment but also be offered a cheaper alternative. If you have limited insurance cover, or pay an excess, it is always worth asking if there is a cheaper alternative to the treatment being proposed so that the insurance lasts longer.

Vets love insured pets because they can treat them with the best that is available without doing mental calculations about the cost while they are sifting through all the various medications etc that might be best for a particular condition.

I have checked MoreThan and they do offer complementary treatment cover but not, so far, repatriation of a pet in the event of an accident/illness. They are considerably cheaper than both PetPlan and JL, for very similar cover, so may be going with them.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Patp

I am afraid I can't agree 

Medication through vets is often exorbitant 

Far in excess of cost

I don't say they charge more because a pet is insured

But insurance is so common that prices are raised in general

And the gold standard treatment is not needed in every case

I take the hound from hell for his yearly injection

I pay the consultation fee, the check up fee, and then the cost of the injection

And hey
He needs his Rabies booster

Best not given together 8O 

So I pay the consultation fee, the check up 8O , one week later and the rabies booster

We travel abroad

Mostly £50 for one worming tablet

And a view from afar

Tempted to make the vet administer the tablet whilst I watch :lol: 

Instead of them watching and charging me for the privalidge

Then again I may be cynical   

Aldra


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## Jamsieboy (Jan 14, 2011)

Pet insurance is on the whole a very good thing.

My vet charges are all well below the maximum allowed by the insurer (consultation fee etc).

Because of insurance vets can carry out many procedures and treatments that many clients could not afford otherwise. This is good for the pet and the owner. Having said that these treatments cost more and vets can afford to improve surgery equipment and diagnostic tools etc. This in turn pushes up costs that fall on the insurer. This leads to increased premiums etc.

So whilst pet insurance is a great thing it can and to some extent does create a cycle of demand for improved treatment, increased treatment cost (because of the nature of the treatment NOT overcharging) and that leads to higher premiums etc.


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## 113016 (Jun 5, 2008)

Pat and Sandra, I see both sides, but going by our recent experience, all we wanted was the dog to get better.
The money was paid, irrespective of if we get it back, and we haven't up to now!
But the fee's do seem to be so very expensive, and after reading this thread, it does seem to me that the fees are loaded as the vets seem to think every pet is insured!
OK, we could have gone to lower priced Vets, but we had trust in the Vet we use, which is very important!
Daughter is so impressed, she is now starting volunteer work at the Vets!


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

You are PROB right

Maybe :lol:  

Meanwhile the hound from hell

Will be paid for through every eventuality

Continue to make our holidays a nightmare

But he may have met his match in a 3/1/2 month Rhodesian ridgeback

That we babysit each day :lol: 

total Choas  :lol: 

Aldra


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## javea (Jun 8, 2007)

I use a vet in the UK and one in Spain as and when necessary. Have found the charges to be less in Spain, mainly I think, because in many cases you are given a prescription to take to the pharmacist where the drugs cost a lot less than from a vet in the UK.

Mike


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

I will pay whatever it takes

He is my gigantic baby

Holidays a nightmare

Van bought to suit him

Rhodesian ridge back pup

Sorting him   
Aldra


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

It looks like we will go with MoreThan. They offer all the same benefits as PetPlan but are much cheaper. Although they don't specifically state that there is cover for repatriation, they do have, in addition to the vet fees etc cover, a £1,000 emergency expenses clause in their European cover. They are £10 per month cheaper than PetPlan for virtually the same cover.


There is always the option to have a co-insurance amount to help with premiums. You can, for instance, have a 10% co-insurance so that you pay the excess (once) and then 10%, or more if you wish, of the vet bill.


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## greygit (Apr 15, 2007)

In all the years we have both had pets, we have never had "health plans" for our pets, so if we have to pay now we are quids in.:smile2:

We had a whippet called Willow as well, died a year ago.:crying:


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