new puppy
Hi. I had previously posted about our elderly mutt getting incontinent and dotty. Unfortunately she went badly downhill and in early December we had to make the right (but very sad) decision. Well having vowed that we were not having another dog: the new puppy will be joining us next week. Our lad needs a project, so I have signed him up to take her to puppy classes and eventually dog agility. She is mostly border collie so willl need something to keep her brain busy.
Anyway, which dog insurance would you recommend? The last dog was on pet plan-not that we saw anything back as she didn't really need medical treatment that took us over the excess, even at the end. Tesco looks favourite at the moment. Any thoughts?
mel
Congratulations Lady Mel !!!
We do agility with our 4 border collies - that's why we got into caravanning - so we could compete further afield with them.
We use More Than to insure our 4 - the reason being that the annual cover is for a £7,000 limit rather than £4,000 which most are for. If you plan to take part in agility, a cruciate ligament operation can be up to £3,000. If the dog needs both doing & then with after care & physiotherapy you can soon end up with heafty bills......Thankfully such injuries are rare, but we just don't take chances.
Jim
Try Animal friends.
Sadly our Border Collie finally succumbed to cancer in May last year after 18 months of treatment. She was insured with Tesco who paid up for the first years treatment with no problem but we had to pay from then on. If I ever get another dog I will definitely go with a policy that treats a condition for life. The cost savings I made on the the premiums was wiped out by the final 6 months vet’s fees. ( Not that I begrudged spending the money to make her final days more comfortable). You get what you pay for.
Sorry to hear about your dog Mel, always a heart wrenching time.
We used to be with Tesco and when we had both retired, to cut costs, we changed to a lower cost policy, still with Tesco. It was after this that Polly started with her pancreatitis so that policy only covered the first 12 months. When renewal came they also put up the price significantly so we shopped around and now both dogs are with the Caravan Club.
Hi Mel
Congratulations on the new puppy, can understand your dilemma, we are waiting to see if we've been successfully been accepted just waiting to see how many pups are born!! We have been looking at insurance so will be interested in the replies you get, if we are lucky the pups can play at Stowford!!
It will be my first dog although HWMBO had one 20 years ago but now he’s semi retired has the time to spend with the puppy.
Will let you know if we hear anything
Speak soon
Di
We are with Pet Plan after going down that root where they only pay out for a certain amount of time, we changed all four over.....
Our Golden lab started being poorly in Oct 2009,
It was then found out that he has got Cushing’s syndrome Boy are we glad we have PetPlan as this will be with him for the rest of his life.....
The tablets that he takes cost more than his monthly premium ...........
Sir Sproket CJ ( BAR)
Thank you all for your kind words and encouragement. I had dismissed pet plan because it was expensive and we never really claimed as our dog was healthy up to the last 4 or 5 months and then there was little in terms of treatment that could be done. However the need for something that provides life time care is now more obvious from your experiences. Thank you Jim for your insight into dog agility. If I can get the lad into it I can perhaps pick your brains. I am more concerned about the lad's joints than the dog's at the moment as he is seriously unfit due to his dedication to computer games and aversion to fresh air! Dog agility can only do him good.
regards
mel
Hi Lady Mel,
The good news is that you've got 6 months or so before you can think about starting any real agility training - plenty of time to lick the lad into shape 
.
As regards the dog (& possibly the lad 
) you need all of the basic stuff upfront which you can work on from day 1 - sit, stand, down, walking to heel, walking to side, wait, recall etc. Just make it fun & keep it light. Most agility clubs & independant trainers run puppy introduction sessions for when they are 6 to 7 months old - just getting them used to running between the jump uprights over a pole laid on the ground & building up from there.
Agility can be very rewarding, very frustrating, but most of all it's great fun. It is also a great way to learn to communicate with your dog. There's as much done with body language & body postions as there is with verbal commands.
Whetever happen, enjoy the new addition to your family !!!
Cheers,
Jim
Looks like it's going to be all dogs at 10 paces at Stowfolot.
Shame LB wont be there with his two
Never mind we'll have our own Crufts , Agility and Retrieve. I'm very good at blowing the whistle
Well done Lady Mel.
We lasted three weeks without our dog before Pinky and Perky arrived. Life without a dog was just so empty.
The problem with pet insurance is the premiums change by the day from one company to another.
We are with Marks and Spencer's scheme underwritten by R&SA. The main reason is that they, like a handful of others offer you a "for life" cover. Say your dog gets diabetes they will pay for the treatment year on year as long as you continue to renew with them each year.Pet Plan also do a similar type cover . I'm afraid it's the same old story. You only get what you pay for. Watch the small print!
Will we see the new addition at Stowfalot? No messing on my plot
Dustydog,
King of The Woosie Round Table .
Properly trained, man can be dogs best friend.