Pet Insurance claim dog 7+

barking1503

My retriever x is currently having an op for a ruptured cruciate. The cost will be 2.5K. When I called the ins co just to check all in order with my policy etc (as was in panic mode over cost) they tell me because my dog is 7 I have to pay 35% - which is 900eur. The worst is that he was a rescue dog so I only ever guessed his age and he could as easily be 5-6 (I have him 3 yrs but no idea what age he was). I took out the Alliance policy 2 yrs ago and just gave a guess to age. GRRRRRR. Has anyone come across this?? I assumed I would be fully covered so agreed to high end surgery rather than a cheaper option - although to be fair he does deserve the best:)
On the same note, any advice on cage rest for a dog who adores his daily beach walks and has a ball fetching obsession. I DREAD a month of cage rest esp with 2 other dogs in the house who will be free. Oh God any clue as to how to make it easier on him??

Roxbb

I added my recent rescue who 7 to my current policy with allianz and they told me that too thought it was crazy! But said that's standard don't know if other ins companies have it too presume they do though....

Inexile

Hi, yes I had my dog covered since she was pup with Allianz and once she went over 7 there was the additional excess of 35%. Dont forget you will also have to pay the excess as per the policy too. So its €100 plus 35% which will be €975.

On the plus side at least you have insurance if you didnt you would to pay the full amount!

andreac

All those terms and conditions are on your policy and would be there to read when you sign up.

Regarding the Cruciate Operation. I can almost guarantee that it will be much longer than 1 month for cage rest. Cruciate operations take months to heal and the recovery process is very gradual and slow so you cant rush it.

These operations are very common in Rottweilers and i know several people whos dogs have had this done and its takes a long time to heal and a lot more than 1 month so please make sure you dont rush this recovery process as you risk undoing all the good work of the procedure if you do.

tk123

My retriever was on crate rest last year for 6 weeks and he'll be on it again next month for 4-6 weeks again. I posted in this thread a few weeks ago : http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=74040685 - sorry I'm half asleep it's too early for me type it all again lol :pac:

It's not as daunting as it seems. You just have to get on with it tbh and they do settle in to it.

TooManyDogs

Yeah those terms of the pet insurance is why I cancelled mine. It just was getting ridiculous, Allianz also told me they wouldn't cover anything that was due to old age, I gave them the example of her getting hit by a car, they said as long as her hearing and sight were perfect they'd pay out but if not they'd put it down to old age and not pay her bills :mad: Seriously what older dog is likely to have perfect vision and hearing? Now all the money I spent on insurance goes into a seperate account and has been fantastic, since June 3 of my dogs needed the vet so that would have been €75 excess each, plus my old girl was too old to insure when insurance came here so her bill is €370 so far that wouldn't have been covered and I was able to bring her to the vet without having to worry about being able to pay.

One of my dogs had a crutiate injury too, she was 12 at the time so the vet suggested crate rest first to see if it would fix itself. The crating is a pain in the rear, I have 5 other dogs too. I crated her during the day with dried pizzle sticks and then in the evening when everyone was calm she could come out and lie beside me on the sofa. It does take time but not as bad as you imagine it will be.

alanatoday

Hi OP, my (nearly) 2 year old springer collie X, had surgery on his cruciate ligament nearly 10 days ago https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/290800/170316.JPG He is very young for such a thing to happen but the vet reckoned because he is a "jumper" so to speak, it ruptured. I had no insurance, and a very reputable vet in limerick carried out the surgery for E480. This included surgery, x-ray, fluids, antibiotics, anesthetic, bandages, painkillers etc. He is due to get his stitches out tomorrow.
I can't understand how the same surgery would cost 5 times what I paid. The only think that should make it that more expensive would be a bigger dog and complications because its an older dog.

tk123

alanatoday wrote: »

I can't understand how the same surgery would cost 5 times what I paid. The only think that should make it that more expensive would be a bigger dog and complications because its an older dog.

Do you know what method they used? There's a few different approaches to cruciate repair which could explain the differences in cost. My guy's surgery is similar to a TPLO so the bone is cut, leg repositioned and then held together with plates and pins - his was around €1500.

alanatoday

tk123 wrote: »

Do you know what method they used? There's a few different approaches to cruciate repair which could explain the differences in cost. My guy's surgery is similar to a TPLO so the bone is cut, leg repositioned and then held together with plates and pins - his was around €1500.

I'm taking him to the vet in the morning, so i'll find out for definite and let you know.

barking1503

tk123 wrote: »

Do you know what method they used? There's a few different approaches to cruciate repair which could explain the differences in cost. My guy's surgery is similar to a TPLO so the bone is cut, leg repositioned and then held together with plates and pins - his was around €1500.

Yes it was that TPLO surgery which would apparantly give a better recovery in the long term. At the time I thought was fully covered so didn't hesitate to go with that option. The op was done in Shane Guerin's vet hosp in Cork which I know has a fabulous reputation but may not be the cheapest. To be fair when I gave them my woes on ins matter they did shave a bit off the bill and also gave me large free bag of food so can't complain on that score. The bill was 2.3K in the end which included a large cage at €150. It also included an hour today of physio which I was part of as must do fair bit of this at home too. Poor guy, feeling very sorry for himself. Not helped by my other 2 dogs driving him crazy running around like loonies! Thanks for all the suggestions and TK the info on the cage rest really welcomed. I ended up sitting in the cage with him most of the evening. Got good feeling of what jail must be like.........don't fancy any time soon!

tk123

Don't worry it does get easier. Shane did my guys op too and is doing it again next month. Before the op last year I had a pup that was in pain, could only manage short walks and a few mins off the lead before he'd just stop and sit down or come and lean into me to take the weight off him. His pads were always sore and split from the uneven wear and he was in and out of the vets every few weeks. 13 weeks after the op he was brand new - he can have long walks, run off lead, swim, play and basically be a dog again. It wasn't easy but really it's a short space of time and the dog will benefit so much from it. He's getting the second leg done since the op last year was so sucessful and as a preventative measure. I know it'll be hard but having gone thru it I know how well he'll be afterwards so it's not as scary this time.

alanatoday

tk123 wrote: »

Do you know what method they used? There's a few different approaches to cruciate repair which could explain the differences in cost. My guy's surgery is similar to a TPLO so the bone is cut, leg repositioned and then held together with plates and pins - his was around €1500.

The vet said he used a nylon loop and crimping method to repair the cruciate ligament. He said it can be very successful surgery, with about 1 in 50 dogs having a reaction.

JustAThought

Oooh your poor dogs : (
Fair dues to you all : 0
Mine was caged for a month with a cut tendon and it was like A prison sentence for me; I ended up inviting someone different around every other day to say hi and sit with her to play for a half an hour or so every day; they got a kick out of if and I got my mental health back : ). And the dog hadnew company and a different playmate! I also got my vet to give her sedatives as there was no way it was going to work otherwise and plan B was loosing the leg: disaster. Happy ending thou.
I have NO experience I'd this op but have you considered asking if the dog will be allowed to swim/ float after surgery. There are a few places that offer proper hydrotherapy for dogs at about e15 an hour ; they have cranes and ramps to lift or walk them in, floats and you get in too with a wetsuite to hang out with fido. Might be worth asking your vet about? One is out near the dog trust in Coldwinter: there is a great one in the Canine Zcountry club that I can vouch for.you might be able to get your vet to prescribe it so the insurance will cover it.

On a totally mad separate note I met TWO old ladies with DOGS IN pRAMS in the park one day!!! They were totally hilarious and we got talking. One had a dog that could no longer walk but was still full of zest, and the other one (dog!) had had a leg amputated and was blind. Both were having the time of their lives sniffing and " looking" about! The prams were adoptitations of baby prams; one had a big box on top with a duvet and the dog tied in& the other was a wheely shopping yoke with a basket on top! I laughed my head off with them but then thought about it; if my dog was ever immobilised for that long again id be seriously looking at making one for her; complete with safety lock to stop her jumping out! I have a photo somewhere; brilliant! Real Del-Boy stuff!!!