Dog Insurance

Whiskey, our eldest Lab at 19 months, had an awful habit of picking up stones from the garden and running around with it in his mouth.

As you will know Labradors will chew anything but I thought trying to eat a brick was taking things a little too far!

Unfortunately one day the inevitable happened and, unbeknown to us, Whiskey swallowed a large stone. It soon became apparent that there was a problem; he was listless and inactive.

An x-ray at the vets revealed the problem, one that would have had very serious consequences if we hadn’t taken him to the surgery immediately.

The operation that followed was successful and Whiskey is as right as rain now. But, what did become a problem was claiming on the insurance for the costs of the treatment.

Like most pet owners I imagine we insure our dogs because of the very high cost of vet care. What I didn’t realise was that the vet doesn’t deal directly with the insurance company.

I don’t know if it is different in other parts of the world but in the UK it is apparently the norm that the owner pays the vet and then reclaims the money from the insurance company.

Now, that isn’t too big a problem (unless you don’t have the money to start with) but it does become a problem when, like ours, the insurance company drags its feet for no good reason and doesn’t reimburse the cash.

It has now been ten weeks since Whiskey had his operation and the insurance claim is still being processed. We have since learned that our insurance company is well known for hanging on to clients money for as long as possible.

We will of course be moving insurers when (if) we ever get paid but I guess the lesson we have learned here is to ask your vet which insurance company they recommend.

Different companies work to different time frames and your vet is more than likely to know which are the quickest payers. It may be worth paying slightly higher premiums for better customer service.

Recent Updates To The Website

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Chewing Bones - Which Are Best For Your Dog

Labrador Behaviour Problems

Keeping Your Labs Outdoors

Excessive Barking

Have You Got Your Free Ebook?

Readers Labradors

And Finally

Bespoke Pet Gifts

If you are looking for unusual gifts for this Christmas you may like to visit Bespoke Pets Gifts for some great ideas. Put your own Labrador photos on all sorts of merchandise or use our designs. Items can be posted all around the world.

Many thanks for reading

Craig and Lynn Ellyard

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