Insurance No Pay Out Options

[simbasmum]

I also use PP and have never had a problem with them paying up, I also wonder if it's because they have made an assumption that a rescue dog will have had a medical assessment before being rehomed?

When I adopted my dog he came with the medical reports from Dogs Trust and that was it, pretty basic really but essentially signing off that there were no obvious health issues to report. I imagine with something like epilepsy it wouldn't be picked up in a basic health check anyway so perhaps they are just trying to make sure the boxes are ticked

It would be worth asking PP to clarify what the issue is.

[walkiesandtalkies]

I also use PP and have never had a problem with them paying up, I also wonder if it's because they have made an assumption that a rescue dog will have had a medical assessment before being rehomed?

There was never an assumption with mine though They didn't have an assessment and one was a claim very soon after coming home with me.

[libertybella]

We recommed Petplan through our rescue and PP know that some of our dogs dont come with a medical history.The £500 was all the tests he had when he had the fit they rushed him to the vets and he was still fitting when they got him there.Franesf i will pass this information onto the owners.sue+girls

[Dalsmum]

It may be a new requirement if they think claims were being made for pre existing conditions that were not declared when the dog was handed into a rescue.


The poster did say that the requirement applied to dogs who were rehomed with a free 4week policy from the rescue.

It may not apply to rescue dogs who are insured by their new owner through normal channels.

[walkiesandtalkies]

We recommed Petplan through our rescue and PP know that some of our dogs dont come with a medical history.The £500 was all the tests he had when he had the fit they rushed him to the vets and he was still fitting when they got him there.Franesf i will pass this information onto the owners.sue+girls

I'm still not clear - you reccommend them obviously but do you provide 4 weeks free insurance as it seems someone is saying that if you do then unless you as a rescue provide a vet check then that four weeks insurance will be invalid? Wasn't the case with mine a few years back bu maybe things have changed?

[simbasmum]

I would be asking PP for clarification and going through Ts&Cs in this instance. There must be something that will explain this.

I recently enquired whether PP would cover Pyometra as the vet told me many insurers don't (we thought my collie might have had it at the time). They do cover it and the lady I spoke to was very helpful however I went through our policy booklet thoroughly before calling - their terms and conditions are not written in jargon so should be able to clear things up?

Both my dogs were started on PP a few years ago so I too can't comment on how it has changed but most big rescues recommend them, and vets, so there must be something being missed somewhere here in the communications between these poor owners and the insurers

[Dalsmum]

I help a Labrador Rescue and in Febuary i rehomed a 3 year old chocolate boy he went to a lovely home who had bought everythink new for him and insured him with a top insurance company that our Rescue recomends.He had been in his Home about a month when he has had 2 fits his family has been intouch with the insurance they inturn have been intouch with my co-ordenater who faxed my report on the dog to them and because there is no medical report they have told the owners that they will not pay out the family have been left with a bill over £500 and carnt afford to pay thats why they took out insurance in the first place.can anybody think of anythink more we can do.thanks.sue+girls

You could try advising Petplan that the dog remained in his own home until the rehoming and get a medical report from the original vet, which presumably would show that the dog had not needed veterinary treatment before being rehomed.

[kimthecat]

I'm with Petplan. When I adopted Pip about 18 months ago he had been a stray so no known history but the Little Dog Rescue had arranged for jabs and neutering so I guess PP would have accepted that if I had made a claim.

Ali

This post has been edited by kimthecat: 4th Apr 2012, 6:29 pm

[libertybella]

We dont give 4 weeks free insurance we tried it a few years ago but it didnt work out so now the new owners just ring up and tell them that they have had the dog from us.PP do know that this dog came with no medical history my co-ordenater spoke to a lady from PP yesterday and she faxed my assessment of the dog to PP they then phoned new owner to say they wouldnt pay.sue+girls

[walkiesandtalkies]

We dont give 4 weeks free insurance we tried it a few years ago but it didnt work out so now the new owners just ring up and tell them that they have had the dog from us.PP do know that this dog came with no medical history my co-ordenater spoke to a lady from PP yesterday and she faxed my assessment of the dog to PP they then phoned new owner to say they wouldnt pay.sue+girls

In which case it really doesn't make sense. Can you get the olde owners to get their vets, even if it was just for vaccination records to fax that record over to the new owners vet - then there will be proof that there were no pre-existing conditions (actually it would probably need to be the old vets adress given to pet plan to avoid giving old owenrs deatials about new owners) there must be a way around it though.

The only way I can think that this wouldn;t be covered is fi the owners didn't take the cover out untill a couple of weeks ago as ilness won;t be covered in the first two weeks only accident, or if the fit happend within the first two weeks, then it also wouldn;t be covered, that wpould be teh same with any insurance (or the majority). Is that possible?

[Dalsmum]

We dont give 4 weeks free insurance we tried it a few years ago but it didnt work out so now the new owners just ring up and tell them that they have had the dog from us.PP do know that this dog came with no medical history my co-ordinater spoke to a lady from PP yesterday and she faxed my assessment of the dog to PP they then phoned new owner to say they wouldn't pay.sue+girls

'they then phoned new owner to say they wouldn't pay.'

So have they put that in writing? They do have do that and then the owners can take it further per their complaints procedure.

I would ask them where in the policy booklet or the Terms and Conditions that it says that they don't' cover a dog with no previous medical history. You need to establish exactly, in writing, why they aren't paying out.

Are they prepared to cover the dog for other conditions or not at all?


The claim form does ask for details of any previous vet used so I suspect they consider the fits are a pre existing condition which would show up on a previous vet record.



All this doesn't help your family who are left with a large bill and possibly ongoing costs.

[Goldiemad]

Sorry if I have missed it, but if you rehome from home to home, why can't you get the medical history off the previous owner?