Dog insurance 2010 : HOW much???

[bunn]

 Just got Mollydog's medical insurance renewal reminder.  Last year it was £312 : this year she was 11 years old in September - and it's £622.10!   That's more than my car insurance!  

Again, the dilemma: do I pay it for the peace of mind (and after all, the insurance was good to have when she knackered her leg and needed all that work done to fix it!) , or put the money in a savings account and hope?  I guess it's the leg claim last year that has pushed things skywards, though it may just be the age.   Greyhound lifespan averages about 12-14 years, but she's in really good condition, so probably has at least one more year of looning about (or in insurance terms 'potential damage') ahead. Dread to think what next year's premium might be... 

Az's premium when he was 11 was just £180 - because he is a modest crossbreed rather than having a pedigree : he's now 12(ish, probably).

If I go the savings route I should probably arrange for liability insurance just in case.  I met a friend last week who needs a knee replacement op after being crashed into by a greyhound (not my greyhound, I hasten to add, friend used to run a greyhound rescue!) 

Comments

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

I don't know about pet insurance in particular, but all sorts of individual non-life insurance are making losses at the moment. Insurers are increasing premiums as fast as they think they can get away with, but they aren't making profits yet.

Presumably the insurance peeps have access to a mountain of data about the likelihood of 11 year old greyhounds getting broken, and have assessed the situation as 'quite likely'.

If not mountains, then at least hills.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

My confidence in the predictive accuracy of the stats used to decide these things took a knock when I discovered that all these years they've had her down as unspayed, but that correcting this made no difference to the premium.

This doesn't jibe with any of the stats I've read about risk factors in older bitches, or my Oldies Club experience, so I'm now thinking perhaps the hills of data are less imposing than I'd imagined!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

Reasonable point.

I might see what I can find out at work, but don't hold your breath.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Goodness, don't worry about it : sounds like you have more than enough to do at work already!

[wellinghall.livejournal.com]

If I do, it will be as much from personal interest! Pet insurance barely existed when I was studying, I think, so I didn't learn anything about it.