don't you have insurance?

There has been quite a lather around the dog world lately about two large banks who have pulled out of the pet insurance business leaving high and dry those customers who bought from them "lifetime" insurance policies for their pets.  Beverley Cuddy, the editor of Dogs Today magazine, and others have been encouraging people to kick up a fuss about it.  After all, it will ultimately affect animal welfare most of all.

I'm sure Lloyds TSB and Halifax saw the insurance market as yet another excellent way to make money off people without having to provide anything in return.  After all, that is what banks do best.  So when they were increasingly called upon to actually provide something in exchange for their charges, it was not really a great surprise that they dropped out of the pet insurance business quicker than you can say "rising premiums".   Disappointing?  Yes.  Disgraceful?  To be sure.  But surprising?  Sadly not.

The companies blame the vets and their escalating charges.  Originally I thought that sounded like a cop-out - a typical bank response to blame everyone else for the things they do to ensure their enormous profits and bonuses are not adversely affected. 

Today I'm not so sure.

Today we took Maija to the vet to have a wart removed from her leg.  It has been bothering her, she's been trying to chew it off, and it was getting infected and disgusting.  So, get rid of it, we decided.  A very straightforward procedure, took very little actual time.  I didn't enquire as to the cost in advance - perhaps it was foolhardy, but I did assume it would cost no more than, say, castrating a dog.  Or certainly no more than spaying a bitch, which is fairly major surgery. 

"Three hundred and seventy-nine pounds and twenty-five pence," they said.  £379.25 - it doesn't look any better in figures than words.  I was quite flabbergasted and I must have looked like a cartoon: my head jutted forward on my neck, my jaw actually dropped, my eyes bugged out.  "How much!?" I said. 

When I queried the amount, the receptionist said, "Don't you have insurance?" as if such extortionate charges were perfectly normal and acceptable.  She's used to them, dealing with it everyday, I suppose.  I explained that I do indeed have insurance but that I don't claim every little thing on it because, of course, if you do that your premiums skyrocket and you end up paying over and over for every procedure every year forevermore.  I save my insurance for something really expensive, like a potential condition that will need medication for the rest of my dog's life, or major surgery after, say, a car accident, or heart surgery, for example.  Not for a 10-minute procedure.  Not for removing a wart.

The vet practice in question is St David's Veterinary Hospital in Exeter.  I've been going there for almost 13 years.  The staff are wonderful, the vets knowledgeable, professional and supportive, and the equipment state-of-the-art.  I've trusted them with both my cats, all 4 of my dogs and all the visitors, breeding bitches and litters of puppies who have passed through our doors.  They have always been just a little more expensive than other, smaller practices, but I thought it was worth it - after all, the welfare of my animals was at stake.  Even when I moved out of Exeter, I continued to support St David's even though it involves a 30-40 minute drive each way some days. 

But not so long ago, this formerly large, independent and beautifully run practice was bought by a corporate veterinary company, CVS (UK) Ltd.  And the prices started to rise.  Fast.  And dramatically.  Today, St David's is a full 30% more expensive for routine procedures than my local surgery.

But that's ok - the insurance companies will pay for it, right?  Have a look at your insurance policy.  Lloyds and Halifax are not the only pet insurers who reserve the right to withdraw their cover anytime they want.

So it is with regret that me and my 2 cats and umpteen dogs are leaving St David's.  But if any of their fine vets go back into independent practice, I hope they'll let me know. 

And when you're looking for a veterinary practice, I urge you to support your independents.  Big businesses are interested only in profits.  Only.  That is what they do.  They really could not care less if an animal dies because someone cannot afford to pay extortionate vet bills or because they have lost their insurance.  At the very least, check to make sure your vet is not on the extensive CVS list, because if they are, then you are almost guaranteed to get a better deal elsewhere.