Pet Insurance - No Medical History At All - How Does It Work?

[MattB]

After reading a thread about insurance on this forum I wanted to reassess. I've been saving the equivalent of my first quoted premium since we got the hounds. I've got two gh's had one for 12 months and the other for 6. I have absolutely no info re: medical history and when I got a quote last time, if I couldn't provide info (e.g. dental history) then that was excluded.

 

I'm wondering how this works - there must be lots of people with adopted retired greys who don't know anything about their history?

[Guest Steve123]

When we got our ex racer we had some of her records but not all, we did find an insurance company that didn't need records but the coverage was specifically based around that, you had to declare any pre existing conditions but anything you didn't know about and it became a problem later that the dog already had then the insurance would cover maybe 40% of the figure.

 

If you have no records what so ever the only thing I can suggest is a full check up and inspection at the vets, and then use that for insurance purposes. Other than that you could try to inquire for info from where you got the dogs from.

 

Edit: having a quick read through some insurers, a lot of them state that the dog has to have had a check up from a vet with in the first 12 month of ownership for full coverage. I would imagine though that not all will require this,but you will probably have to pay higher fees

Edited March 6, 2015 by Steve123

[ShebasMom]

I had no health records for Sheba when I adopted her at 22 months old other than her vaccination and spay paperwork signed by the vet. I didn't even get her checked out by my own vet since she was checked by another vet within the past 12 months.

 

Embrace Pet Insurance readily covered her, except there was a 6-month hold period on any orthopedic issues unless I had an orthopedic exam, which I did not do. I don't believe I had to pay extra since I had no health paperwork on her but perhaps it was because she was still young.

 

If you haven't done so, check with Embrace Pet Insurance. You can choose your deductible, annual maximum, percentage of Embrace coverage, etc. I've been happy with Embrace so far (since 2010).

[MattB]

Thank you both. I find the lifetime cover quite confusing. If a dog got a condition which requires medication long-term, is there anything to stop the premium shooting up next year?

[NeylasMom]

I read your other post and I'm not so sure you couldn't have easily worked that out with the insurance company. They asked you whether your dog was missing any teeth. All you had to do was have your vet take a look and let them know the dog was in good health and you likely would have been fine.

 

Each company will clearly state it's policies on their websites. Make sure you find and read the section on pre-existing conditions (a newly adopted racer shoudln't have any and this has never applied to any of mine, but it may for you since you've had your dogs for a bit) and also find the section on when the policy goes into effect. There is typically a short waiting period to avoid someone getting the policy because they know their dog is sick, usually not more than 30 days for illness and less for injury.All of this info, if not on the quote page is usually easily found on a FAQ page or something similar. Most places won't actually ask for medical records when you sign up, but if you file a claim for something that could have been pre-existing they may ask for them. I presume both of your dogs have seen your vet for a baseline visit just to check them out and get baseline blood values. If not, you should do that (you should do it anyway) so you have that as evidence that the dogs were healthy when you signed up and you shouldn't have any issues.

 

As for premium increases, you also need to read the fine print there but companies tend to raise rates due to increased veterinary costs in your area, age, or both, but it's not specific on how much you've claimed with your policy. You can also always call companies and ask what their percentage increases have been historically and they should give you a range.

 

ETA: I should add, I'm familiar with US policies. I don't know how things differ where you are. Your best bet if you are unsure about something is to just call the company and ask how it works.

Edited March 6, 2015 by NeylasMom

[MattB]

Thank you. I completely agree you're right that it does sound like it should have been simple. I guess I was guilty of getting really frustrated with feeling they were being unhelpful (this was just one company) and didn't seem a good start to me paying them lots of money. I'm looking around at the moment.

 

No we didn't have a check up when we got them, one is due for their vaccinations soon so we're going to take them both in then. That would probably be a good time to get quotes after that. Thanks.

[Hawthorn]

I've insured four greyhounds with ages from 2-7 years with three different companies. I never had any history with any of mine and it wasn't an issue at all. I just answered no to all of the questions about has your dog ever suffered from this, that and the other, which was the truth to the best of my knowledge. I think it just complicates matters if you start saying I don't know and I never got the impression that they expected me to know anything about my dogs' history before I owned them or to have previous medical records etc. When I insured Sophie the second time around at the age of 7, I was truthful about her medical history in the five years I'd owned her, and there weren't any exclusions in the policy coverage.

 

As for premiums shooting up, this is my biggest peeve with dog insurance, and there's nothing to stop it shooting up even if your dog doesn't have a lifetime condition or even if you have never made a claim, or only made one or two small ones.

 

You may find it useful to speak to a broker who specialises in dogs. I can highly recommend VIP, telephone 0845 6018575. I spoke to them about my situation with Sunny, and although ultimately they weren't able to help me, I did find the person I spoke to very knowledgeable about the different companies and levels of cover etc.

 

ETA: Not sure why, but I thought you were in the UK; if you're not, the number above won't be much use to you!

Edited March 6, 2015 by Hawthorn

[NeylasMom]

Thank you. I completely agree you're right that it does sound like it should have been simple. I guess I was guilty of getting really frustrated with feeling they were being unhelpful (this was just one company) and didn't seem a good start to me paying them lots of money. I'm looking around at the moment.

 

No we didn't have a check up when we got them, one is due for their vaccinations soon so we're going to take them both in then. That would probably be a good time to get quotes after that. Thanks.

Well it certainly doesn't sound like they were bending over backwards to be helpful to you either (or anything close). Hopefully you find another company that you have a better experience with.

[OwnedBySummer]

I've never had a problem insuring a dog with little to no history. I've insured shelter dogs before I got my greyhound and the shelter dogs have way less history than any greyhound and didn't get such good care. Nothing was ever excluded and rate increases were minimal.

[Feisty49]

My experience when I was looking at insurance companies a few years ago was that just telling the rep that my dog is a retired racing Greyhound and came with no medical records was accepted by them. As it turned out, the group did find a one-sheet record with her spay and shot information.

[macoduck]

My experience was similar to Feisty49. I brought in my adoption papers that showed Mazy had been spayed. Told my vet I was just getting a new dog well doggy check up (like I do with each I bring home), but that she would be getting health insurance. Healthy Paws had a form for the vet. It was relatively simple.

[MattB]

Thanks all very very helpful.