I stumbled across a website called Top Dog Insurance the other day and it got me thinking about the whole subject of insurance for dogs. The question of whether to take out an insurance policy for the dog is one that only the owner can answer.
There are points in favour and against.
Those in favour of taking out insurance to cover potential accident or injury to the family pet swear they wouldn’t be able to sleep in their bed at night if they didn’t. Even though they may never have to make a claim.
Those against the idea say it is money down the drain and a much better idea is to open a savings account for the dog and draw on that should the need ever arise.
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An absolute necessity?
Dog insurance is a little like house insurance.
Householders who cannot afford what most people would agree to be an absolute necessity are liable to find themselves in real trouble if their home is flooded or struck by lightening.
Likewise, the dog owner who decides against insurance in the hope that nothing goes wrong is tempting fate. It could turn out to be a false economy.
Age and state of health
However, different dogs have different needs and some dogs – like some houses – are high risk and therefore uninsurable.
Insurance companies will not look kindly on houses which are falling apart, any more than they will on animals suffering from long-term medical conditions.
Astronomical insurance claims are not something they like to think about.
Factors to take into account are the animal’s age and state of health when he first becomes part of the family.
It is important at the outset to get three insurance quotes and study them very carefully… particularly the small print.
Don’t lie about his age
Be honest with the insurers. Tell them if your dog has an underlying medical condition, if he has been in an accident, and even if he has been ill-treated in the past. Don’t lie about his age.
Potential insurers will also appreciate being told if the dog has a history of escaping (and therefore likely to cause a road traffic accident), or if he is a chewer with a fondness for destroying expensive objects.
Injuries received in the past are something of which they should be made aware because injuries can result in arthrits in later life. The insurers should also be told if the dog has a history of being ill-treated and of course if he has an aggressive streak.
A history of aggression
If your rescue dog has a history of aggression which is in the process of being dealt with through training, then this really is a factor to consider. One never knows when such a streak might re-emerge with serious results…and astronomical veterinary fees.
Claims insurance is not always available for high-risk dogs and this is when the individual savings account will come into its own.
Gusto’s granuloma
Top dog insurance might be expensive, but it does tend to cover all eventualities
As it did with Gusto’s granuloma.
Gusto was a little black terrier, who had been very badly treated before being taken to a rescue centre in the North West of England. She had, said those who rescued her, been the worst case of cruelty they had ever encountered. All four of her legs had been broken, she had been starved and kicked in the head many times. Yet she was one of the most sweet-natured little animals anyone could meet.
Forgetting past trauma
Over the years, in her new loving home, Gusto learned to forget the past and its trauma. Yes, she did suffer from arthritis on the site of the fractures, and her head continued to be covered in bumps, but she never stopped wagging her tail and greeting everyone as her friend. She had, unfortunately, become an insulin-dependent diabetic. Even that did not affect her sweet nature.
The only clue to her difficult past was a tendency to lick – and continue to lick – her right forepaw.
Eventually, a hard little lump appeared on the spot, which the vet diagnosed as a granuloma.
Never complained
Routine treatment did nothing much to help, so she was given some injections and the site of the wound was covered. Special precautions had to be taken because of her diabetes.
The injections didn’t do anything to resolve the problem with her paw. She simply resorted to symptom-swapping by licking the opposite paw. Curiously, the injections never bothered her. She never once complained when her daily dosages of insulin were administered.
Nor did she complain at the tasteless diabetic food she was prescribed.
Attacked from behind
Eventually, she needed surgery to remove the granuloma.
But Gusto’s troubles didn’t stop there. The very day she came home from hospital, all bandaged up, a stray puppy leaped over the wall of her garden and attacked her from behind with the result that more surgery was called for.
She also, in old age, needed treatment for cataracts, a complication of her diabetes.
The vet’s bills for Gusto’s treatment came to more than a thousand pounds, an amount which her owner could not possibly have afforded without insurance.
Aware of pre-existing conditions
The point to remember in Gusto’s case was that neither the granuloma nor the diabetes and resulting blindness were pre-existing conditions when she arrived at her new home. Had they been, it is doubtful if any insurance company would have considered her.
The company which did take her on had been informed of her previous history. It did mean that her premiums were higher than they might otherwise have been, and they increased dramatically over the years, but at least Gusto was able to receive treatment and her owner did not end up bankrupt! So from mine and Gusto’s point of view, that really was top dog insurance!
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