I have been insured with Animal Friends with my two dogs for some time. Went to put a claim in and found because 2yrs ago when one of my dogs had a suspected problem with his back knee on one side which was proved after x-rays which we looked at by an orthopaedic surgeon was proved to be unfounded. But the vet had put a Tear on his notes now the Insurance Co. will not cover neither of the back leg in the future. Vets need to be careful what they write and Insurance Co. need to change their policy and treat each leg individually.

it seems common for some insurance to treat things like that as one condition, so a problem with both back legs are treated as one thing. so I your on one with a limit you can run out quite quickly.

They also don't cover breeding bitches or stud dogs and they will cancel your policy on this too as I found out after mating my girl, no litter as she didn't take but that meant nothing to them and they voided my whole policy...

Insurance companies are not there to provide back up and support when needed.  They are in business to take as much money as possible whilst paying out as little as they can, so good companies to buy shares in!
The only company who seems to be more supportive is Petplan, but their premiums are now out of the reach of most. :(
I haven't used insurance since 1972 but I had a healthy line that has needed minimum veterinary intervention over the years.

I have two with animal friends so far ok but spend a lot if time checking with them.it's too late now to change. My other dog had an eye unhyry caused by a cat scrsth and to take her one the would exclude both eyes. Ridiculous as it was an accident so she stayed with more than. Luke petplan but now mine are too old for me to afford their premium and to rusk exclusions.

Chris what's happening with your keypad? All your posts have random jumbled letters and words of late. I've been trying to decipher some of your posts on here

Not sure will check out.

I am with them too but didn't realise about the breeding. Guess I thought it only applied to breeding related issues. I claimed on an old girl but she was spayed several years before. I guess  better cancel policies on my two younger girls

Yeah, that's why I switched as I was hoping to breed and didn't have any claims that would cause a problem if I switched now. All the ones I looked at mentioned breeding in the exclusions, but some would say the don't insure dogs used for breeding (like animal friends, so no breeding at all) and some said the don't insure dogs used for commercial breeding which they classed as having more than 2 litters from the girl as commercial breeding.
I'm now with more than who allow up to 2 litters, but still won't cover any problem related to maiting,whelping,raising pups.

You can fight it if you can get the ortho who said that there wasn't a problem to write a letter to them stating as much, no guarantees though.  They are absolute a-holes for this problem - I've had numerous battles with them for exactly the same issue.  Either pre-existing conditions being blamed for totally unconnected new ones (current battle ongoing for that for Saffi's IMHA), or claiming that there is pre-existing when there isn't (and again for Paige's thyroid).  Saffi's battle is because they are saying that colitis can be a symptom of IMHA, and she had it two years ago - it was known to be caused by antibiotics, is not an issue any more but because colitis *can* be a symptom, they won't cover the IMHA.  So I'm at the letter stage for that one.

Stick to your guns - I fought for months to get them to cover Remy's slipped disc, which they wouldn't because he had a lot of leg trouble and they said his acupuncture was treating that as well - well yes, it was, but not intentionally and he was referred only for his disc.  In the end they did cough up but only to shut me up because I'd started down the ombudsman route - they still refused to back down about it being pre-existing and the treatment being for other stuff too, but they paid as a "goodwill gesture".  My arse it was, but at least they paid!

Sue, how did they know about your "breeding bitch"?

When you make a claim you have to send all the animal's previous medical history to the insurance company. If there's a mention in the past of the bitch having had a litter then they have all the proof they need.

I always thought they only checked the current claim but obviously as jean Genie says they have all the history faxed through these days.

I use various different vets for various things.

Anything important or illness I go to my main vet.

Vaccinations and neutering I will often go with special offers in some of the chains.

I also use a different vets for weekends as the vet my own vet uses for out of hours are not local and very expensive, but I can use the Pets at home based ones evenings and weekends at a normal price.

My vet didn't realise my 15 year old was spayed, I had it down at a vaccination and neutering clinic (now gone and taken over by a local group practice), some 7 years ago.

So I don't think if my dogs were insured they'd have much history on any of my dogs other than what I told them, and certainly would not have details of breeding unless they checked with the kennel club or my own website.

> So I don't think if my dogs were insured they'd have much history on any of my dogs other than what I told them

It depends whether you are asked the questions - for a new insurance- or your policy says that you must notify them of any illness etc. Could be fraud otherwise :) Always pays to read the small print :)

They knew from notes as it had Idexx testing and herpes vacs and the reasons why, the fact that she failed to take didn't matter, so even without a litter because I've tried that was it and they cancelled it
They also checked Champdogs too and saw my page with my girl on it. So they do check these things out even when I explained for them to check mykc and that no litter registered they said it makes no matter, it's the fact I had tried was the deciding factor!

Another reason to self insure

Was that Animal Friends Sue?

I've had such bad luck with my animals self insurance would not have covered me unless I had put away 100's unfortunately

Yes it was with AF's and that was last summer

> I've had such bad luck with my animals self insurance would not have covered me unless I had put away 100's unfortunately

Snap.  Insurance has been and continues to be absolutely indespensible for me, despite the cost of it.

Alright to take a gamble if you have a generally healthy breed I suppose but even then, things can happen - a broken leg, freak accident, or even small things can escalate: Linc got a small nick on his ear from one of my girls before christmas, it still won't heal for various reasons so he's probably headed for surgery on it.  Cauterisation at this point, who knows what if that doesn't work (and the chances are fairly small in this case).

Yep I have flat coat who apart from cancer is a generally healthy breed about £10k through her life and yes that was cancers. My second fcr Brooke we are heading towards 1k this policy year and she is only 4 and whisp gsd again not a breed that is unhealthy probably £1000  in the last two years and odd few hundred before that. then there is crossbreed and guess what £400 for an inguinal hernia
Both my purebreds come from good health tested lines and the problems I have arnt to do with breeding anyway
As for my kamakzi cats  one who managed to break and dislocate a leg and ankle and the other who had two serious wounds in a year. more GA's in both cases  and referral vets for the  leg that wouldn't heal .
Self insurance isnt an option inspite of the money I spend every month.
When I mentioned recently that I had met and fallen in love with the most georgeous bulldog the reply was "oh no you don't , not more vets bills "