• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Insurance query - exotic direct

Mudpuppy

Mudpuppy

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
248
Reaction score
149
Points
330
Location
Wales, UK
Hi
Apologies if this is in the wrong section...
I've heard conflicting stories about claiming. Do you have to claim on your insurance every time you go over the excess? Some say you do, others say you don't.
I'm thinking if it's only a small amount, it will just push up the premium massively next year?
Thank you
 
My guineas pigs were all insured. However, although I have no complaints about the insurance company .. And they always paid out when I claimed, my premiums got so high, I decided to set up a savings account (called my vet fund) instead.
 
Ahhhh interesting... I never saw it like that Lady Kelly... good point, so will check.

Thanks Veggies Galore.. I'm thinking mine will go up then next year. Was it a steep jump? 😣
 
Ahhhh just spotted something in the small print about declaring all illnesses regardless of whether you claim or not or visit vet or not .... I'd missed it before .
I'm guessing the premium jumps up depending on how much you've claimed or the seriousness of the illness...? So a small claim in a one off issue may not result in a massive jump?
Otherwise I may as well cancel the renewal next year and just put cash aside 😑
 
I too have a vet fund. I know a lot of members put a bit by every month so that when the big bills come in it is not a case of "get the credit card out and worry about it later" but "I have the money in my vet fund already so I don't need to worry"
 
Mudpuppy said:
Ahhhh interesting... I never saw it like that Lady Kelly... good point, so will check.

Thanks Veggies Galore.. I'm thinking mine will go up then next year. Was it a steep jump? 😣
Click to expand...
No, it wasn't a steep jump. ... They paid out many of my guineas treatments. I don't think I lost out getting my guinea pigs insured... But I think it is just as cost effective to put some money by.
 
Personally I decided after getting quotes from exotic direct and reading the fine print that I would rather save up for vet bills than pay for insurance. They wanted us to pay £20 a month to insure our first two 2 young healthy piggies... with a maximum payout of £2000 per year and a £200 excess!
I compared this to my own life insurance which costs £11 per month and will pay out the whole balance left on my mortgage and decided I'd rather save up.
Some people like pet health insurance a lot (I have a friend who has a diabetic doggy with a heart condition and a liver problem who swears her insurance saved her about £20,000) but unfortunately I dont think piggy insurance will always cover such big bills!
 
PigglePuggle said:
Personally I decided after getting quotes from exotic direct and reading the fine print that I would rather save up for vet bills than pay for insurance. They wanted us to pay £20 a month to insure our first two 2 young healthy piggies... with a maximum payout of £2000 per year and a £200 excess!
I compared this to my own life insurance which costs £11 per month and will pay out the whole balance left on my mortgage and decided I'd rather save up.
Some people like pet health insurance a lot (I have a friend who has a diabetic doggy with a heart condition and a liver problem who swears her insurance saved her about £20,000) but unfortunately I dont think piggy insurance will always cover such big bills!
Click to expand...
It was weird because there was a "is your pet neutered and microchipped" tick box that would probably have made it cheaper... but no they weren't, and still aren't- they are lady house pigs who have no need of spaying as their husboar is neutered, and the furthest they ever roam is travelling by luxury piggy basket from their fancy cage to their fancy indoor playpen!
 
Thank you Veggies Galore... that's helpful to know. X

Wowweee PigglePuggle.. 😱 my premium was a bit higher per month, about 4 quid more, for my 2 babies but the excess was a lot lower. They must be gauging it on all sorts of different factors
 
I think the maximum payout per year is what to check, if its unlimited it may be worth it, it depending how expensive your vet is. My vet is very reasonable on the pricing, our biggest bills so far have been about £350 to £400 for a single piggy, but that has been for new piggies with unexpected ailments or injuries needing surgery who wouldnt have been with us long enough at the time to be insured yet anyway! I usually try to keep £1000 in the vet fund and another £1000 free on my credit card just in case, for 8 healthy piggies aged 9 months to 3 years- but I might increase the budget as they get older and are more likely to get ill!
 
I haven't looked up insurance for Guinea pigs but I know for cats and dogs there's normally a maximum limit per illness and once you get to that limit they won't payout anymore. The unlimited ones are usually a lot more on the premiums.
 
Must admit I put money aside every month for my rainy day fund, this also doubles up as my vet fund, the girls probably cost me more generally than my dog.
Saying that I'm lucky-I don't drink, smoke or have children so my pets get a bigger chunk of my wages than people can give with lots of hobbies.

Years ago I looked into insuring when I had 3guineas & it was at least £15-£20 per pig, per month, with a big excess... One of my Guineas was a senior. So I just put in similar savings per month.

When I insured my first dog the premiums gradually increased until he was 11yrs & then they ramped it up each year afterwards & increased the excess substantially.
I only ever made one claim for 2x teeth extractions (rotten through & through - real whiffy breath!) when he was 14, they replied that due to it being a 'cosmetic' issue they wouldn't normally pay, but to my surprise offered to cover the claim as a 'good will gesture' if I paid the excess!
I can't imagine exotics direct being that generous?
Or any insurance company these days?
I stopped insuring him at 15 & he crossed rainbow Bridge at nearly 17yrs.

I think some vets will do a payment plan/account, that you pay in '£x' each month & the cost of treatment is covered with what you've already paid them. They're more likely to treat over your balance in an emergency if required as they know you pay in regularly. Might be worth checking with your vet.

Insurance is invaluable if you have guineas that have developed illnesses after you've started paying the premiums though, but won't usually cover any form of pre-existing medical issues.

If you do purchase it, please read thoroughly through the small print first!
Xx
 
I think whatever anyone feels is the best course of action for them regarding insurance, this is a good discussion regarding the cost of piggy vet care! A lot of new piggy owners might overlook this vital expense, which is easy to do if you have healthy young piggies- but what about £100 for a simple haypoke to they eye, or the same for a fairly minor urinary tract infection or respiratory infection, or skin infection- and what happens when when your healthy young piggies are older in 4 or 5 years time and get arthritis or ovarian cysts or something... or of they have an accident and need an xray, or get an abscess or need dental surgery... its always good to plan ahead!
Good thread this @Mudpuppy whatever you decide regarding insurance costs, sadly a lot of folks dont think of this in advance then get caught out financially and its heartbreaking to read about nice people with sick pets who can't afford to get them treated by a vet...
 
I had insurance for the boys the first year I had them (paid around £27 per month). I vaguely remember the vet secretary saying that I should claim for treatment over a certain amount. But I never reached it.

With regards declaring any illnesses, that was in there. I let them know when Toffee injures his hind leg. I was asked if I wanted to claim, but said no.

I cancelled it after the renewal meant an increase in monthly payment. I figured I hadn’t used it the first year, so would be better off putting money aside every month into a vet fund.
 
If you put a claim in, is whatever the claim was for then excluded from your renewal? I found this happened with horse insurance and just wondered if it was the same for other animal insurances?
 
Thanks PigglePuggle... you're right ... this exploratory appointment with a few 'in case' treatments cost me almost £75!

KathT - not sure what they could exclude him for with this... we've no idea why he went a bit off kilter! 🙈

Will ask my vet for advice when I take him for a check up later.. He is a lot better luckily :)
 
KathT said:
If you put a claim in, is whatever the claim was for then excluded from your renewal? I found this happened with horse insurance and just wondered if it was the same for other animal insurances?
Click to expand...
No . As long as diagnoses are made after the animal is insured ...the company will pay for claims that meet terms and conditions .
 
We looked into getting an insurance for our guinea pigs in the past. We were quoted £15 per guinea pigs and we had 3 (I only pay £8 monthly for my life insurance!). We didn't get it coz it's too much. Plus one of our guinea pigs eventually had long term dental problems which the insurance don't cover anyway. We are lucky that we don't have to worry about paying vet bills in case we need it. Insurance might be better for cats and dog owners but I think having a vet fund is better for guinea pigs.
 
I just want to add (for balance) that I was very happy with the Insurance company when my pets were insured with them . And ... they sent me a letter of condolence when Max passed over the bridge (which is more than the vet did ).

There are some advantages to having pet insurance ... it can cover unexpected bills if you don’t have that sort of money put by.

Having insurance can work well for some people.... the important thing is to find a way that works for you.
 
Yes - thank you for all your thoughts, stories and advice. I will see how high my premium goes up when I renew - the vet I saw tonight doesn't think it should go up too much, but we 'll see....
I think it really has pros and cons and may suit some better than others depending on personal situations (and the number of pigs owned!) 😆
 
Insurance at the end of the day is gambling. They bet that you need them and you bet on not needing them. I dare say if worst case scenario happened and the bill came to over £1000 it would definitely be worth it but if you didn't need the vet that year it wouldn't
 
I just wanted to add to this, I've had the Exotic Direct for 3 years. Lightning had a lump aspirated which was just fatty fluid no action required. This was just before renewal and renewal excluded treatment for any lumps! So I had to pay £500 when she needed a fatty lump on her spine removed. Next, my dental piggy who had to be put down. Apparently most dental is excluded. So another huge sum to pay for his treatment. Then cremation is excluded even though it would have been £105 at the vet and I don't have a garden so it wasn't really optional.
I've decided to keep the insurance as I'm always worried that the pigs will get something treatable costing thousands, but insurance has so far increased, not eased the financial burden for me.
Yes I received a condolence card for the loss of my piggy just before Christmas but that didn't make up for my son having less presents because of over a grand of vet fees not covered 🤔
 
KathT said:
If you put a claim in, is whatever the claim was for then excluded from your renewal? I found this happened with horse insurance and just wondered if it was the same for other animal insurances?
Click to expand...
Yes that happened to me with Exotic Direct.
 
Interesting thread, we have an interest free credit card for the tortoise and the piggies (though it's running pretty close to limit currently, I always keep around £500 on it for emergencies but we've had to dip into that slightly recently, still have enough for emergencies and nuggets spay though and it's nearly payday so they'll be more on there!) for the cats and dog they are insured with petplan, absolute lifesaver with our rainbow bridge cat who's hospitalisation and lymphoma diagnosis alone cost £2500, we only paid an £85 excess, another excess for his dental and one for his autoimmune condition, we had to cover pts and cremation as petplan don't cover it but I'm still soooooo glad we had the insurance it gave us an extra 2 months with him essentially and the £2500 was just for the diagnosis and hospitalisation for 2 nights.... He also had aa full dental, blood tests, urine tests, xray under sedation, lots of medicines and a whole heap of injections and consults.... Babybelle I pay for insurance but as she's a senior rescue our excess is £115 plus 20% of the final bill plus we pay £22 a month for her premiums, the only bummer is herr long term medications aren't covered because she had ear mites when we adopted her and hher allergies affect her ears, anything affecting her ears is an exclusion which is pretty pants not to mention with the excess being a percentage shes cost us a fair whack since adoption 😕 it's still worth having though because if she god forbid ever gets something like lymphoma we're bloody screwed without the insurance, the pigs on the other hand have all had vet visits etc so it wouldn't be worth it as all their problems would be excluded anyway 😂 daddy pig currently scheduling lots of overtime to increase the amount on the credit card then when it's paid off we will start a vet fund for them 😁 xx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top