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Tripod Pet Insurance

C

cardiffbun

New Kit
Hi,

Think we should get Belle insured, but wondered if anyone has any advice, as she is a Tripod bun.

Would her tripod nature cause us problems in claiming if neccessary, in certain instances. Does anyone have any prior experience?

Thanks
 
Hi,
I always advise PetPlan insurance as working in a vet they were always the quickest to pay and hardly ever refused to pay (unlike some companies that would question every expense). It works out to just under £20 a month for my two with petplan.

You may find that some insurance companies will put an exclusion on that area - e.g. shoulder of the missing limb etc, but this all depends on the company. The best advice is to call a few you like the look of and see what might be excluded. I always recommend a 'covered for life policy' (this is the only on PetPlan offer) but it means anything they get will be paied out year after year up to the maximum amount (petplan is £2000).

Some insurance companies will put a 12 month exclusion on the area of the missing limb - if no issues with is for 12 months they'll then fully cover it.

I hope I've made sense.
 
Well worth insuring - so perhaps give them a ring and see what they say. Having said that, I have cancelled the insurance for mine because as they turned 7 the premium was hiked up and also large percentage of the vet bill had to be settled by me. Rather disappointing, as I had only ever claimed twice for one and never for the other. I've opened a savings account for vet bills - and anything above that would have to go on credit card.
 
Babsie said:
Well worth insuring - so perhaps give them a ring and see what they say. Having said that, I have cancelled the insurance for mine because as they turned 7 the premium was hiked up and also large percentage of the vet bill had to be settled by me. Rather disappointing, as I had only ever claimed twice for one and never for the other. I've opened a savings account for vet bills - and anything above that would have to go on credit card.
Click to expand...

Did you try disputing the rise and excess with with? Often if you dispute it and point out how little you have cost them in claims they'll drop it back down & change the excess.
 
daphnephoebe said:
Did you try disputing the rise and excess with with? Often if you dispute it and point out how little you have cost them in claims they'll drop it back down & change the excess.
Click to expand...

Do you know what, I would have been happy to continue if they had come up with something ... but they didn't even acknowledge my letter. I ended up cancelling the insurance for my cat when it came to renewal - again not even an acknowledgment.
 
Sadly letters don't get far. Always best to call them and speak to them on the phone. We've always done it with all our pets insurance companies and never been refused a discount.
 
daphnephoebe said:
Did you try disputing the rise and excess with with? Often if you dispute it and point out how little you have cost them in claims they'll drop it back down & change the excess.
Click to expand...

I tried (same circumstances as Babsie) and they didn't budge. £100 excess and 20% of the rest of the bill is rather steep. It was a half hour phone call but I got nowhere with the premium or excesses.
 
Bunny Buddy said:
I tried (same circumstances as Babsie) and they didn't budge. £100 excess and 20% of the rest of the bill is rather steep. It was a half hour phone call but I got nowhere with the premium or excesses.
Click to expand...

That's interesting - did you continue with it anyway? I found it a difficult decision to cancel but I just felt I was really being 'done'.
 
cardiffbun said:
Hi,

Think we should get Belle insured, but wondered if anyone has any advice, as she is a Tripod bun.

Would her tripod nature cause us problems in claiming if neccessary, in certain instances. Does anyone have any prior experience?

Thanks
Click to expand...

I've heard of a case where with a parrot with a broken (pinned and repaired) leg they put an exclusion on that leg but not the other but apparently a parrot would be more likely to break the other leg if it happened again (can't remember why), so I've always thought insurance was worth it is you look into all the background of the exclusions and risks etc.

I insured a rabbit who was excluded for bladder sludge issues. He developed kidney stones and I thought there would be no way insurance would pay out as I was convinced it would be seen as a related condition. They paid out - £1000. The insurance cost me about £70.
 
Babsie said:
That's interesting - did you continue with it anyway? I found it a difficult decision to cancel but I just felt I was really being 'done'.
Click to expand...

Yes. I went through a long phase of being really resentful, the 20% being the bit where I feel 'done over'. Initially I kept the insurance because I was too scared to give it up, not because I felt I wanted to keep it. I then had a long chat with FHB about my five 7-8 year old rabbits and the sort of health issues that could crop up, balance of probabilities etc, the likelihood of them needing treatment and the sort of things I potentially would be putting in big claim in for, eg they are all lops so *may* need ear surgery at some point, how much a blockage or broken leg would cost ... I'm happy I've kept the insurance but dread the renewals and going through all the decisions again!
 
Bunny Buddy said:
... I'm happy I've kept the insurance but dread the renewals and going through all the decisions again!
Click to expand...

Next time ask your vets for details of claims they're submitted (dates & costs) and make yourself a little case. Do you mind if I ask which company you are with? Some are easier than others to convince.
 
Bunny Buddy said:
Yes. I went through a long phase of being really resentful, the 20% being the bit where I feel 'done over'. Initially I kept the insurance because I was too scared to give it up, not because I felt I wanted to keep it. I then had a long chat with FHB about my five 7-8 year old rabbits and the sort of health issues that could crop up, balance of probabilities etc, the likelihood of them needing treatment and the sort of things I potentially would be putting in big claim in for, eg they are all lops so *may* need ear surgery at some point, how much a blockage or broken leg would cost ... I'm happy I've kept the insurance but dread the renewals and going through all the decisions again!
Click to expand...

You did absolutely the right thing in weighing it all up and then reaching your decision.
 
daphnephoebe said:
Next time ask your vets for details of claims they're submitted (dates & costs) and make yourself a little case. Do you mind if I ask which company you are with? Some are easier than others to convince.
Click to expand...

Petplan. I've got a full log of my claims here as I often have several running at once. I did tell them that I'd barely claimed for 2 of them and the exclusions were ridiculous for another ... I did get one exclusions removed but even that was a mammoth task.

Edit to add: Sorry I said "excesses" when I meant "exclusions" so edited.
 
Last edited:
Bunny Buddy said:
Petplan. I've got a full log of my claims here as I often have several running at once. I did tell them that I'd barely claimed for 2 of them and the excesses were ridiculous for another ... I did get one excess removed but even that was a mammoth task.
Click to expand...

Petplan are normally pretty good for 'discounting'. Definitely don't give up if it happens on your next renewal as insurance I find to be invaluable.

(I couldn't afford to insure my ferrets when I had them - I had 6 in total and to insure just three was over £1000 a month. So instead I put money aside each month and hoped it would be enough. In 6 years of ferret owning they cost me over £7000 in vet fees. At this point I was working at the vets and was only on £4 something an hour. My vet company didn't offer discounts to it staff either - I found a way but it wasn't easy and insurance would have been such a help if it was affordable)
 
daphnephoebe said:
Petplan are normally pretty good for 'discounting'. Definitely don't give up if it happens on your next renewal as insurance I find to be invaluable.

(I couldn't afford to insure my ferrets when I had them - I had 6 in total and to insure just three was over £1000 a month. So instead I put money aside each month and hoped it would be enough. In 6 years of ferret owning they cost me over £7000 in vet fees. At this point I was working at the vets and was only on £4 something an hour. My vet company didn't offer discounts to it staff either - I found a way but it wasn't easy and insurance would have been such a help if it was affordable)
Click to expand...

Goodness - I didn't realise ferrets were so expensive to insure (suppose I'd never thought about it) - that really is prohibitive.
 
Babsie said:
Goodness - I didn't realise ferrets were so expensive to insure (suppose I'd never thought about it) - that really is prohibitive.
Click to expand...

Yes. There is only one company that will insure them because they are classed as an exotic (uncommon) so don't always bring in the money an insurance company would like. Also the health issues they can get add up quickly and treatment is always awkward.
 
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