Insurance question- who's the best to go with? and views on what age to spay?

[MHG]

Hi everyone,
I wonder if i could ask for your views on a few questions please?!

Millie  is coming to the end of the first lot of free insurance and I was going to continue with the Kennel Club as my previous cocker was with them and they were absolutely great when we had to claim in the last two years, having never claimed for the first 11!! However the vet said they are not good if you claim they double your premium the next year and suggest Petplan whiltst more expensive to start is better in the long run with life cover and no jumps if you claim
However I was shocked that they quoted me £50 a month for her as a puppy with no issues/ problems to date when I was paying less than that for  13 year old cocker with kennel club.
Does anyone else have insurance with either and would recommend it? I guess the problem is you never know how good it is until you need it and I hope not to need it for many many years but best have the right cover nevertheless. This quote was for the top cover level so might be overboard...

Also the other thing we discussed at the vet was spaying. Reason being they had to do an emergency spay on my last cocker age 12 so I think they are on the case straight away this time and advising you now don't even have to let them have a season before spaying.
The breeder advised that I was unlucky and wouldn't advise spaying until later on- I am keen to keep her coat as managed this with my solid cocker and infact even after the spay was lucky they could still do her without clipping although no hand stripping.
So any views on this too?

On another note are there any meets planned or fellow COL's in hertfordshire as we are now socialising at puppy classes in addition to the daily meet with dogs in the park, but I have to say the class is chaos and not much socialisation goes on more just everyone trying to get their dog round the village hall in the 30 min session without it being distracted by all the other unruley dogs!! I am very glad Millie is small as some poor soles don't seem to be able to control some very large dogs!!!

Finally must update on the separation anxiety I posted on earlier, unfortunately we haven't cracked it yet whilst we leave her alone in the day but like everyone on here all the trainers say keep doing it in short bursts and she will overcome it. However the funny side is she now does her poo in the pen and rather than sit on the vet bed and blanket, she carefully folds it over so she can sit on a clean piece!!! My other half came in and could smell it but no sign and then he found the present all wrapped up in the middle of the blanket!! Does anyone else's pup do this?! I am hoping she will learn the better option is not to do it at all rather than practice her folding techniques!!
We have  made great progress at night though and now moved to the landing with the door ajar , and she will run up the stairs and jump in her crate at bedtime which is very cute!!  Will post some new photos soon as I can't believe how much she has changed and grown!

[vixen]

There have been lots of threads recently on insurance and spaying.
My vet will not spay before bitches have had at least one season and my girls were done at 20 months.
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=71252.0
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=61246.0
I insure my two girls with Sainsburys.  They are on the top cover for life and it costs me just under £25 a month for both of them.
I haven't had to claim yet but my friend who has a GSD has and finds them excellent and they pay up promptly.
http://www.cockersonline.co.uk/discuss/index.php?topic=75988.0
Hope these included threads help at little but there are many more to explore. 

[MHG]

Thanks very much, I found some of the spaying threads after I posted- guess I am new to site and didn't look the right place for it in the first place!
It's the incontinence possibility that is most worrying as I gather they are like that for life if it happens....The vet did highlight that and said it does happen more in cockers.

 Will take a look at insurance advice on the threads as well, seemed such a lot more than I was expecting for a healthy pup with the vet recommended pet plan so would like to know what the other options are!

[Poppsie]

I have Pebbles insured with petplan and have found them to be very good. But be carefull with some of the other cheaper ones, as there is a clause in the small print (as usual) that when they get to 8 yrs/9yrs old then they will not insure them as they are classed as an old dog. hope this helps? x x x

[mooching]

MHG, I'm actually quite surprised by the PetPlan quote and wondered if it might be worth your trying again and getting another quote. My PetPlan premium for my Cavi, who died last March, was only £40 per month, and that was with two years of claims behind him regarding his Mitral Valve Disease.

[MHG]

Thanks for the advice! I did wonder about getting another quote as was really suprised it was quite so high. Mind you tesco was £29 for £4000 level cover, so maybe Hertfordshire is particularly high!! Can I ask what level of cover you went for- my quote with Petplan that was for the £12000 cover level and maybe that's me being overcautious (It was £42 for the net one down)! I too worry about the cheaper ones that stop covering you once they get to 8/9 as thats how I went with Kennel club for my last dog.

[maggieann]

I'm with PetPlan and have the £12000 cover and I pay £35 per month.
Maybe it is location - I'm in the Highlands.

[MHG]

Thanks looks like I might have to move!!

[Jeanette]

I'm in Cambridgeshire and took out PetPlan for Quinn who is now 5 months old, your quote seems rather excessive      I was quoted £25.26 for the £4,000 and  £35.24 for the £12,000.   

[Jan/Billy]

I'm with Petplan and can't recomend them enough. I'm currently claiming quite a bit due to Billy's persistant allergies and they pay out every single time without question. My vets think they are far the best out of them all when it comes to paying out for claims.
I pay approx £25 per month ( that's for bronze cover, you can get other higher levels of cover but they are more expensive, bronze was sufficient for us   )

[MrsG]

I've just signed up with Sainsburys for Jasper, not the cheapest but the best cover. My friend also has them for her 6 month old Goldendoodle and has no problems with them having recently claimed for a swallowed glove that required surgery and a 2 night stay at the vets (i know, a WHOLE glove with no chewing, made him very poorly)!!

[drummer dog]

Hi there

I have my 14 months boy insured with John Lewis (Greenbee).  I did loads of research into this, as you always hear the horror stories!

I've just had the renewal through and it is £18.50 each month, the cover levels are great (£7000 vets bills) which automatically renew every 12 months, and they don't penalise you if you claim.

I have just received a claims form, so hoping everything will go through smoothly!

It's worth taking a look at them

Good luck

Catherine

[Sally and Mark]

We are with Pet plan for Finn and we have the bronze cover at £24.00 per month.

We did get a bit of discount as i  have my cat insured with them as well.

[fizzyntiffy]

We're with AXA and it's around £16 pm for each dog for life cover, £7000 per year and £75 excess - I claimed last year for what will be an ongoing condition (dry eye) and the renewal only went up by a few p.  From personal experience I would never have a 'per condition' insurance.

Can't really say about the spaying as one of mine was spayed at 5yrs and the other before I got her at 7 months (she's 14 months now and no sign of any damp patches, fingers crossed!) I have heard that tho about letting them have one season 'so their organs have matured' as one vet put it.

Sounds like you're getting there with Millie's anxiety, keep going, it'll all click into place one day 

[aljeana]

Hi

I am with Sainsbury's I have my 3 girls with them and have been with them for 2 years after we found out that they were very good with my daughters Springer who was very accident prone.  They pay up no problem and quite quickly.

Rosie who is 10 years  her premium is £104 for £3K per condition for 12 months, Amy who is 6 years old for the same cover as Rosie is £63, I am looking at raising Amy to the £7.5k per condition for life on my next renewal.

My puppy Jodie I started her on the option 2 £7.5k per condition for life at 10 weeks old for £118
and within a couple of months tested out the claim system with Sainsbury's myself as Jodie turned out to have a serious problem that required specialist surgery totalling £3k.

They worked direct with the specialist clinic by paying all but my excess of £75 so I did not pay any money upfront.

I know my premium may be effected next year but I believe that I have really been very lucky to have had an insurance company that came through for me at a stressful time.