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I would like to advise people who have animals to make absolutely certain pet insurance is included. Melanie allowed us to have top quality insurance. On Christmas day my dog became very ill - suddenly - we called the Vet who came immediately and was with us and our dog until about 9;00pm. Fortunately the Vet had seen the ailment before - it was mengingitis - he immediately arranged for our dog to be admitted to a specialist Veterinary Hospital - the largest in the UK -it took us 4.5 hours to get there due to the weather - where our dog had a CT scan and a lumber puncture - the diagnosis was confirmed and our dog was put on the appropriate medication. He was in hospital until yesterday. He will be on high dose medication - steroids for along time. He has to go back and forward for check ups and shortly he will have another CT scan and lumber puncture to see how he is getting along - so far all the indications are that the treatment is working. The cost is going to be about £4,000! Pet health insurance is vital - thank goodness Melanie appreciates that.

Totally agree, we have had to claim on our insurance for Dobby. Its so nice to know you can get them the treatment they deserve.

What a dreadful and frightening time for you all, thankfully the vet acted promptly.

Sending all my love and good wishes for a speedy recovery for your dog xx

Hi Max, I'm so sorry to hear that Henry has been poorly but I'm glad he's home again.

I totally agree about pet insurance. I have to admit I changed Harry's insurance from Petplan as Homebase was half the price and they don't pay out quite as much but there's no way I'd not have it.

One thing I would say to anyone looking for pet insurance is to make sure the cover is 'whole of life', meaning the animal is covered for continuous treatment. A lot of the cheaper insurers don't do this and the animal won't be covered if the problem reoccurs.

Another thing to look out for is whether the payout amount is yearly, or for the total period of insurance. When I was looking for Harry's insurance some of the policies looked good - one paid out £7k, but this was a total amount, not yearly. The Homebase insurance pays out £2k per year, and I know Petplan works the same.

Sorry for hijacking your post Max, and a happy new year to you, J and the animals xxx

Max, I am so sorry to hear that Henry has been so ill, but excellent news that he is on the mend.

I do agree that pet insurance is a must. Lloyd is with Esure and Suzie with Petplan. So far (touch wood) we have not had to claim, but I'm so glad it is there if I need it.

I do agree that you need to check out exactly what cover you are getting.

this is a excellent post and priceless info for everyone,hope your dog gets better soon max.

Having had to claim in the past for a very sick dog, then I would never have an animal without insurance.

Hi Max sorry to hear that your pooch is'nt well, but your post highlights the importance of pet insurance. We have 3 King Charles, all of whom, thanks to Melanie, continue to be insured.

Hope he gets well soon.

We have a mongrel (think he has some Staffie in him) and a Lurcher, both rescue dogs.

I'm just glad that I have the peace of mind which comes from knowing that they are covered.

How is Henry getting on Max?

Hello Jan - Vet came this morning - Henry is responding well to the drugs - thank you very much for asking - I gave Henry a hug from you! Our Vet is very good - he always makes home visits to sick animals

I am so glad he is doing well. Give him lots of hugs from me![:D]

Glad Henry is responding well.....Dobby sends him some doggy hugs xx

What a great vet you have! How long do they think it'll be before Henry makes a full recovery?

xx

The only problem occurs when the dogs are a little older and you start having to pay more of an excess!!!
That said I wouldnt be without insurance for the hound!!

We've been lucky in that we've not claimed for the previous dog, or the current dogs.

I do get annoyed when the excess gets more, especially if you've not claimed for them.

Julie - to recover fully about six months - Henry is on a very high dose of immunosuppressive dugs - prednisolone - 60mg per day for at least 4 weeks - the speciailst will consider reducing them depending on the results of the lumber punctures which will be taken in the meantimeOur Vet has telephoned all the Vet Schools Emergency Depts and has discovered that Meningitis in dogs is on the increase. He is going to write to the local paper with the symptoms - I will copy them out and put them on here as he says it is often misdiagnosed with the result that dogs are being put down when they could be saved. However, the treatment is very expensive and insurance (life long for the same condition_ is vital.

As long as he recovers, that's the main thing.