Insurance Advice Fact Sheet 

We have produced this fact finding document to help you decide whether pet insurance would be a good idea for you and if so what type of company would be best.

Our aim is to give unbiased advice and to offer you our years of experience in dealing with pet insurance companies. We also have inside knowledge of what can go wrong with pets and what professional fees could be involved in getting your pet back to the best of health. All of which means by reading this leaflet you should have enough knowledge to make and informed decision as to what is best for you.

WHY INSURE?
Pet insurance is designed to cover unexpected veterinary fees and other pet related costs. It is a medical policy and as such a good policy will take away the financial anxiety when your pet needs medical attention.
One in two insured dogs make a claim and one in four insured cats make a claim each year.

TYPES OF INSURANCE AVAILABLE:
There are numerous insurance companies offering pet health care policies, and each has its own way of deciding what they will pay for and more importantly how much they will pay for.

12 MONTH SCHEMES

These are now very common and most companies offer them as a compromise between cost and cover. They will pay out only for the first 12 months of a claim even if the limit is not reached, after which you are on your own. Ongoing costs say for dermatitis or arthritis which can be substantial over many years, are not covered so the policies can be cheaper so they will not have to budget for huge fees.

BE VERY WARY OF SUCH POLICIES we don’t recommend them because we have seen too many clients stuck having to pay substantial costs for years afterwards, and as more problems occur more exclusions apply. They are very attractive for their cheap monthly costs but often turn out to be an expensive mistake in the longer term.

These policies sometimes advertise that they give cover for life, which is true if you consider that your pet can be covered for life, but that is very different from saying that the condition is covered for life: it wont be!
By the time your pet reaches 10 years of age you may well find you can not claim for anymore conditions!

COVER FOR LIFE SCHEMES

True cover for life schemes do just that: they cover a condition for the life of the pet (lifelong) or at least until a substantial limit has been reached (maximum benefit). They are not limited to pay only for the initial diagnosis and treatment, and in long term can save you a lot of money. Conditions such as dermatitis and arthritis don’t go away and treatment costs are ongoing and expensive. With cover for life policies you should get back most of the costs of medication and other treatments, regardless of how often you put in a claim.

Such schemes are naturally more expensive per month because they have to budget for possible payments over many years. However over a longer time period then you are quite likely to get back more than you put in if you have a pet that becomes ill.

Cover for life schemes either offer a maximum figure that can be spent per condition, or a maximum figure that can be spent per year.

Cover for life schemes are by far the best option for most people.

EXCESSES
All companies expect you to pay for the first part of a bill, called the excess, just like with car insurance. The excess may be a one off amount usually £50-£110 per condition.

A few companies take off this excess per year but at least you still get cover for the bulk of the costs year after year after year.

Some companies also expect you to pay a percentage of the total, usually around 15% in addition to the excess.

There are no hard and fast rules about which method is better than the others.

WHAT CONDITIONS ARE NOT COVERED?
Routine preventative treatment is not covered, as it is considered as part of the ownership of a pet. These include:

• Vaccinations
• Flea Products
• Foods and diets
• Neutering operations
• Congenital problems (in some policies)

A note about specific exclusions:
All insurers will impose additional specific exclusions on conditions that existed prior to the policy being taken out. On your application form, you will be required to give details of all previous illnesses or those within a certain time scale. If you do not declare a problem then you may find your policy will not pay out if a similar but unrelated problem occurs. In the event of a claim the insurer will ask us for full medical details and we have to declare them, so that could put us in a awkward position and you may find your claim is rejected. MOST POLICIES EXCLUDE DENTAL WORK UNLESS REQUIRED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. 

PAYING FOR THE POLICY
Payment is made directly to your insurers. This practice does not act as an agent for any company and we have no legal connection with any company. Our experience of insurance companies is that there are sometimes mistakes made and if payment is not maintained then you policy will be void. Therefore we offer the following advice:

• Whenever possible, pay by direct debit from a bank account or building society account. These are least likely to go wrong or stop.
• Do not pay by direct debit from a credit card. The card has a limited life and the new card will have a new number. This will mean that the insurance company will not be able to collect the premium, and may fail to notify you before you make a claim. We are aware of several instances of this.
• Payment by cheque carries the standard risks of this method. Be aware too that renewal information is easily overlooked or ignored, leaving you without cover.

IS INSURANCE FOR YOU?
Ask yourself a few questions:

• Do I have a spare £2000 for unexpected illnesses?
• In the rare event that referral treatment is needed, how would I cope with a large bill?
• I have a large dog over 25kg. Could I manage monthly treatment costs for arthritis when he or she gets this common condition?
• Would I be able to afford ongoing costs for a chronic condition such as dermatitis, joint disease or irritable bowel syndrome?
• What would happen if my pet had an illness that I could not afford to sort out?
• Do I have a savings account I could use?

It is up to you to decide if the insurance policy is suitable for your needs, and it is up to you to read the whole policy document, and the small print in particular. We can not give specific advice regarding a claim, nor can we say if a claim will be successful.

Pet Passport Scheme – Fact Sheet 

The Geriatric Patient 

“I don’t want him to suffer”
“Am I doing the right thing keeping her going?”
“Is he just old?”

All ages can have the misfortune to get ill or injure themselves.  But the Geriatric patient brings a particular problem and managing old and very dear pets needs careful consideration and good communication between owner and vet.

The problem centres around the fact that Old Age also causes its own problems – a gradual decline and loss of physical and mental health. How do you tell one from another? How do you tell “Old Age” from the “Diseases of Old Age”?

Well, you start with a consultation where the patient’s problems are discussed between vet and owner and the patient is examined.  We have the expertise to see between “Old Age” and the diseases that can come with it. Laboratory tests  are often helpful, but these need to be carefully targeted, and costs need to be looked at, since animals are often not insured at this stage of their life.

I often explain to owners that there are two traps you can fall into with Geriatric patients; trying too hard, and not trying  hard enough.
The point of what we are doing is to try and make sure that our pet enjoys all the happy/content days that it can. We are not here as vet and owner to keep animals ‘going’ if the animal is not enjoying the experience of living.

Bare in mind that most of the diseases of old age are chronic- they creep up on you, often unnoticed. Particularly since we often say to ourselves

“Well, I guess she’s just getting old”

It is the gradual changes that you need to look out for.Most of the conditions of old age are not cured, they are managed. And that means that early diagnosis is vital to catch the problem at a manageable stage!  It’s no good later on, sadly. This often means that we would be best to catch the problem WHEN YOU HAVE NOTICED IT, BUT BEFORE THE PET IS SUFFERING WITH IT.

Of particular importance are the following;

• Gradual loss of mobililty -in cats often seen as an inability to jump up onto areas they previously enjoyed . With dogs, often seen that they start to “pay” for their walks. Beware that dogs may be very keen still to go for walks and will charge around, but will be stiff after rest after exercise.
• Polydipsia – fancy medic term for drinking excessively, or perhaps just drinking more than before
• Weight loss or weight change that is attracting attention from people who perhaps don’t see the pet all that often
• Disinterest in food.
• Persistent halitosis (smelly breath) – dental disease is a common issue in geriatric patients and causes a lot of low level pain but particularly chronic infection which is damaging to the othyer organs of the body.
• Periuria (inappropriate toiletting – often in their basket or in the house) Quite often, wetting or messing in the house is a sign of disease, rather than a sign of “old age”.

If you are worried, then do call the surgery. We can give good advice as to whether a problem needs attention. And remember that we treat your pets as we would treat our own.

Why should I vaccinate?
Vaccination is a way to stimulate the immune system to produce a protective response. By showing the body a disease in an inactivated form, the immune system has a head start which should allow your pet to fight off infection from the diseases in the vaccine. No vaccine can be considered a 100% guarantee against the infection but should at the very least reduce the severity of the disease should your pet succumb. Most of the diseases that we vaccinate against have no known cure.

The Great Vaccine Debate
Vaccines have been blamed for many things both in the human and animal field. There have been great concerns about over vaccination which has led some owners to stop vaccinating their pets. However a valuable lesson should be taken from the human field with the MMR vaccine where scaremongering led to children not being vaccinated leading to the recent Measles epidemics. The concerns about vaccination have to be weighed against the very real severity of diseases that vaccinations are aiming to protect the animal against. We are very happy to discuss any concerns that you may have before embarking on a vaccination program.

When should I vaccinate my pet?
Firstly we like to allow approximately seven days for any new addition to settle in before starting vaccinations. Leaving mum and their siblings plus moving to a new environment can be very stressful and we know that animals which are stressed have a reduced immune response so may not get the best protection from their vaccine. It also allows time for any infections that may be incubating to show themselves. Of course we welcome the opportunity to meet your new addition as soon as possible so we are pleased to offer a free check over soon after they arrive to discuss any concerns you may have.

Puppies require a course of three injections which are given 2 weeks apart from eachother, but the second injection must be give at 10 weeks of age or more. We recommend the first injection at 8 weeks, the second injection at 10 weeks and the third at 12 weeks of age. You should wait 1 week after the 2nd vaccination before taking your puppy out. They are allowed on paths only and not near water or anywhere rats could be. A week after the third vaccination they are allowed to go anywhere. This initial vaccination course should be followed by annual boosters.

Kittens also require a course of two injections but these must be three to four weeks apart with the second injection at 12 weeks of age or more. We recommend having the first injection at 9 weeks and the second at 12 weeks followed by annual boosters.

Rabbits can be vaccinated from 7 weeks of age to ensure a full 12 month duration of immunity. They should have one vaccination of Nobivac Myxo RHD Plus. They then need booster vaccination each year after this. 

Are there any side effects?
In theory, animals can have any of the side effects suffered by humans, but in practise we see very few. The most common thing that you may see is that your pet may be sleepy after their vaccine, this may be in part due to the stress of the whole experience as much as the effect of the vaccine itself. You may feel a small lump or notice some soreness around the site of injection. This usually resolves quite quickly.
If your pet seems really out of sorts, starts to run a fever or anything unusual then please phone the practise as soon as possible.

Which diseases do vaccines cover?

Dogs

Distemper (D) is an ‘old’ disease, known as hard pad and is not a disease we want to see back. There has not been a significant outbreak in the UK for several years but is a severe potentially fatal disease. It has various presentations initially showing respiratory signs, then gastro-intestinal signs and eventually neurological changes leading to seizures. Dogs can be infected for life and unvaccinated animals are at highest risk.

Parvo virus (P) is a very infectious disease that can often be fatal and requires intense hospitalisation and treatment such as fluids, blood transfusions and anti-viral drugs. The virus attacks rapidly dividing cells of the guts and causes so much damage that the lining comes away and animals start producing profuse bloody diarrhoea. They rapidly become dehydrated and depressed, with vomiting also not being uncommon. Although thought of as a puppy disease, dogs of any age can get it, it can be walked in off the streets on your shoes. Vaccination is the way to protect them against it.

Infectious Hepatitis (H) is thankfully uncommon these days but still exists and is potentially fatal too. Signs are very variable and do not just affect the liver, it can damage the kidneys and cause eye and vascular problems too.

Leptospirosis (L) is contracted from the urine of rats or dogs, your pet can be infected if their gums or other mucous membranes come into contact with the bacteria. This is why swimming in canal or rivers could be a risk if they have been contaminated. People can also catch it. Forms of the disease are widespread in the UK and it can cause irreversible kidney damage.

Parainfluenza (Pi) is the main virus associated with infectious bronchitis. It is widespread just as for people and is included in the vaccine to try and prevent severe illness developing.

Kennel Cough (KC) – you can chose to vaccinate your dog against the bacterial element of infectious bronchitis which we would certainly recommend if going into kennels when the risk of infection is higher as it is spread by droplets in the air. This vaccine is not an injection, unlike the others; it is a liquid that must go up the nose. It is a live vaccine so if your dog is going to kennels, they often require a minimum interval between their vaccine and their stay. This can vary so please check with your kennel.

Rabies (R) – if you are planning to travel abroad with your pet, then you also need to get a pet passport and vaccinate against rabies.

Cats

Viral Cat Flu (Calicivirus and Herpes – RC) is a widespread problem and possibly fatal to young kittens, with many infected cats becoming carriers and suffering with recurrent symptoms for the rest of their lives. It is spread by coughing, sneezing and direct contact.

Feline Leukaemia (Felv) is a major cause of death in young adult cats. The virus is spread by close contact for example mutual grooming or fighting which puts entire males at greater risk. Kittens can also be infected by their mothers while still in the womb and the disease may not show signs for years after infection. It is a very serious disease which lowers your pet’s immune system leading to secondary infections, tumours and death.

Panleukopenia (P) is thankfully uncommon in the UK but that it thanks to people keeping up their vaccination. It is very similar to parvovirus in dogs and is often fatal.

Rabies (R) – if you are planning to travel abroad with your pet, then you also need to get a pet passport and vaccinate against rabies.

Rabbits

Myxomatosis is a viral disease introduced to the wild rabbit population by man with a view to controlling numbers. It causes swelling around the eyes, the base of the ears and genitalia. It is usually fatal in spite of intensive treatment. Initially it was spread by the rabbit flea but now it is thought to be spread by other biting insects since cases are seen in the middle of towns.

Haemorrhagic Viral Disease (HVD) is another unpleasant viral disease which causes bleeding from all orifices and often will present as sudden death. It is though to have been spread by birds.

How long will the vaccination last?
For dogs, leptospirosis, parainfluenza and kennel cough vaccines only last for one year so annual boosters against these diseases are necessary. Other components now last for three years so we give the most appropriate vaccine each year, but if in any doubt we give everything to be safe.

For cats and rabbits, the components only last for a year so everything is given in an annual booster.

What happens if I miss the yearly booster?
This really depends on how late you are but the vet may well recommend starting again with a primary course of injections.

What if my pets never have a vaccination or I do not know if it has been vaccinated?
It is never too late to start and elderly animals tend to be more susceptible to infection. If in doubt or you have no paperwork as proof that your pet has been vaccinated, be safe and start all over again.

CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN THE CAT

Chronic Kidney disease is a condition commonly seen in cats and there is an increasing prevalence with increasing age. Initially symptoms can be very nonspecific, decreased or picky appetite, reduced activity plus some weight loss. Owners may observe that their cats are drinking more or wanting water from strange places like taps and toilets but often cats drink outside from puddles so this can be missed.

Kidneys have a number of important functions, the obvious one is the removal of waste and water from the body. Millions of tiny filters called glomeruli, separate toxins, excess salts and urea, a nitrogen based waste created by cell metabolism
from the blood. Urea is synthesized in the liver and transported to the kidneys via the blood for removal. Kidneys are key in the production of urine and they react to changes in the body’s water level. When water intake is high then in order to
maintain a constant level of water in the body, a large volume of urine is created to remove the excess and vice versa.
Kidneys also have a number of less obvious functions. They are involved in blood pressure regulation, the kidneys need constant blood pressure to filter the blood so when blood pressure drops they release hormones called angiotensin and renin.
These increase the blood pressure stimulating blood vessel constriction and signalling the body to retain sodium and water. If kidneys do not receive enough oxygen they send another hormone, erythropoietin, to the bone marrow to produce more oxygen carrying red blood cells. Finally the kidneys help keep a healthy acid/base balance and help produce Vitamin D to keep bones strong and healthy.

Hence when kidney function deteriorates, a number of things start to go wrong and gradually the cat will deteriorate. Initially the cat will start to produce larger quantities of urine and drinks more to compensate for this. Ultimately it is not possible for the cat to drink sufficient so it will become dehydrated and secondarily to this it is likely to become constipated. A build up of waste products
in the blood will lead to nausea so a reduced appetite and eventually inappetance and vomiting. A high level of phosphorus in the blood can contribute to ongoing kidney damage and low levels of blood potassium can further complicate issues leading to weakness. In failing kidneys, production of renin is increased, leading to increased blood pressure necessitating the heart to work harder, increased risk of stroke like symptoms and retinal problems leading to blindness. The mini filters (glomeruli) which are still functioning are also affected by the increased blood pressure and causes them to lose protein into the urine. Persistent loss of protein in the urine will lead to loss of muscle mass hence loss of weight but more importantly is associated with more rapidly progressive kidney disease and decreased survival time.

Although it is not possible to’ mend’ kidneys, it is possible to address and improve a lot of the things that go wrong e.g. blood pressure, high phosphorus levels, loss of protein in the urine and secondary urinary tract infections. The earlier that the condition is found, the sooner management and treatment can be initiated to improve wellbeing, appetite and activity and so lead to a prolonged good quality lifespan.

If you think that your cat might be showing symptoms suggestive of chronic kidney failure, then please do make an appointment for a check up. Below is the gold standard protocol for checking cats for Chronic Kidney Failure suggested by experts. Tests and timing can be adjusted to suit individuals and financial constraints so do not be put off. Please come and talk to a Veterinary Surgeon about your concerns as soon as possible.

Suggested Health Check Protocol for Cats

<7yrs
Annual Health Check including weight
( Health Check included at vaccination time)

7-11yrs
Annual Health Check
Blood Pressure Check
Urine Test

11-15yrs
Health Check every 6-12mths
Blood Pressure Check every 6-12mths
Urine Test every 12mths
Blood Tests including Thyroid Level every 12mths

15yrs+
Health Check every 3-6mths
Blood Pressure every 6mths
Urine Test every 6mths
Blood Tests every 12mths