Read The Smallprint

Although I told you last month about Tufter's barbed wire induced visit to the vet, I didn't mention the fact that only a few days previously I'd had to have Bracken spayed.

She had been having some really weird seasons. She'd come into season earlier than expected and had simply stayed in season.At first the vets weren't too concerned, but after nine continuous weeks with no sign of a let up they decided something was amiss.

She was put onto a course of antibiotics as they felt she probably had a womb infection. Ten days later and everything seemed to have cleared up. But then just over two weeks later she came back into season again.

This time it was obvious that something more serious was wrong. It transpired she had an enormous cyst on one of her ovaries. Hence the fact that she was spayed.

I collected her from the vets along with a big fat bill for £450 (that's probably about U.S.$825). She's insured, so although I knew there'd be an excess to pay I still went home with a feeling of smug satisfaction that I was only going to have to cough up a fraction of the actual cost myself.

Last week the bombshell dropped.

I received a letter from her insurers telling me they do not cover any uterine or ovarian complications in bitches over the age of 8. Bracken is now nearly 10. Bottom line - I've got to foot the entire bill myself.

Ouch :-(

Guess who hadn't bothered to read the smallprint? Got it in one.

It's entirely my own fault but I'd just assumed that she'd be covered.

But where my real fault lies is not so much in the fact that I didn't read the smallprint, but rather that I've got her insured with a cheapskate company.

You see here in the UK pet insurance is big business and there are lots of different insurers all competing for your custom. I always used to insure my dogs with the 'Rolls Royce' of pet insurers, and I have to say they were always absolutely superb about paying up. I never had any problem with them.

Well, that's not quite true.

Price became an issue. Because, like everything else in life, you get what you pay for, the premiums with this particular company were not exactly cheap.

A few years back I was going through a rather lean time financially and made the decision to switch insurers. I went for the absolute down and out cheapest outfit I could find. But by skimping on the premiums it's inevitably meant the level of service and cover they provide falls some way short of what I'd been used to with my previous 'Rolls Royce' insurer. And now I'm paying the price.

I've spoken about the benefits of pet insurance before and I still stand by every word of what I've said - I think all dogs should be insured. But when choosing an insurer take the time to read the smallprint and weigh up the pros and cons.

I've been using pet insurance for twenty years now and have come across all sorts of companies in that time. And because I've had to make countless claims in that time I've now discovered enough potential loopholes and wrinkles to fill a book. If you're looking into the idea of pet insurance yourself and would like some pointers on what to look out for then drop me a line (andrew@dogtrainingblueprint.com). If enough people are interested I'll put a special report together for you.

Recommended reading "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".

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