My sister has a beautiful Maltese puppy and we’ve talked about pet insurance , it seems the safest thing to do , yet would it be a good idea to pay the money into a savings account and let it build up to pay the bills . I know there are lovely pet owners on here who can give help and advice . Thankyou
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That only works if the pup grows up to be a healthy adult without any incidents.
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I have always insured Holly, and for about the first year I was always claiming. Fingers crossed there hasn’t been a need to since, but because of her breed (Westie) and they are prone to various problems, I am keeping it. Just annoyed at what they are charging, though. It went up so much last year.
It really is a choice only each owner can make, as to whether to insure…or put money away. But ask yourself, if treatment ran into £thousands, would you be able to pay?
Dogs being outdoors creatures could sustain any type of injury. I will never let her off lead unless in a gated or fenced enclosure. I would hate for her to be hit by a car, for instance.
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If insurance companies can find a loophole so as not to pay out they will. Happend to us with teasle, so now putting money away instead. Should have done this years ago and saved a fortune in what we have paid for annual insurance
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Sister is living on a low income but not on any benefits so really needs to think deep . Lovely breeder has pup insured for another month . I know its peace of mind to insure . I would consider having one too as he is adorable but I am concerned at insurance costs/ vets bills etc .
I’m staying with her at the moment and the pup is so funny and we havnt laughed so much in a long while .
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Because I lived overseas where you just pay the vet I had never insured a dog .
I decided to insure Mungo as I was leaving him with my son and his family for a month.
The premiums were £7.50 a month with Tesco
Within three weeks he had a major incident ( he swallowed a needle ) which involved an operation and all this happened on a bank holiday weekend .
The bill came to £3500 +
Luckily we were just in the insurance period ( the first two weeks don’t count ) and they paid out without question £3000 ( the amount I had insured him for ) .
So I was very glad I had taken insurance.
Of course now the premiums are much higher as he is older but even so I would have had to save a lot of money to get over that initial £3000 .
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We insured at Pets At Home. We have had a few incidents that more than covered the vets bills. One was a cancer on the dogs flank. It was removed safely. Without the insurance we would have had to put him down…
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HI Muddy
I too insured with Tesco after being ripped off with MoreThan. My German Spitz spent 4 days in Hospital had 2 crucial ligament repairs and finally had to be put to sleep due to Liver cancer . All this within 3 years at a cost of well over £5000 including her ashes and I had paid in nothing near that figure.Yes her fees went up but it was still worthwhile as you never know what can happen with pets and there was absolutely no questions asked and payment was within a few weeks.
I wish I still had Cherie but the service I received and the care was incredible.!
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Many pedigree dogs have their own breed specific health problems, Susan.
Did your sister do her research on the Maltese health before she decided on one?
I ask because if she knows what health problems to look out for in her Maltese, it might help her decide whether to renew the free 4-week puppy insurance or not.
It’s like Pugs and the like, have awful problems with their breathing, and GSD’s you have to watch for hip dysplasia and Hymophilia, etc etc
I don’t know a lot about Maltese, except quite a lot of small breeds like that can have 'Slipping Patella’s (knee caps), and eye problems (PRA) which the parents should be tested for I believe.
Personally, years ago I used to have my German Shepherds insured, but I found any time anything went wrong, it seemed to be something they weren’t covered for (according to the insurers)! So I always ended up paying the vet PLUS the insurers for cover I couldn’t use.
I knocked it on the head in the end, when one of the girls had a grass seed go deep down her ear and had to be anaesthetised to remove it. The insurers put a clause on afterwards, saying if she had anymore ear problems, they wouldn’t pay.
I was very angry because she didn’t have ‘ear problems’ at all, she had a one-off accident, which I thought insurance was all about!
What with that, and having multiple dogs as well, I stopped the insurance and have an account I pay into each week for veterinary bills myself.
I think dog insurance is much like any other type of insurance. If something goes wrong it can be a godsend, but if nothing ever does, you’ve paid them for years for nothing.
It’s a chance you take.
(Sorry for the long reply). 
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Thanks mups I’ll check out health issues in Maltese. We did go on Internet last night and saw a plan for £9 accident only which is not the right one then another for £26 for illness and accident but we are looking at others. My guess is sister will insure for peace of mind .
He is such a cutie he is almost house trained and using the mats. He has such a personality we’ve fallen in love . I’ll miss him when I go home at the weekend.
As said earlier I’d love one but insurance is a big issue as I have limited savings too . Such a shame
I would recommend insurance. Putting aside money is a good idea, but generally never works out when there’s a big bill to be paid, and the dog is bouncing around in good health.
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My daughter in law had a savings account for her cat. She paid into it every month by Direct Debit the amount she would have had to pay for insurance. And when she had enough, she bought a premium bond
He had a few small wins and she never had to use the main fund in the end
As long as you’ve got the self-discipline not to go into the funds for something else I think it’s a good idea
When your animal is young, insurance payment aren’t too bad, but do they increase as your pet gets older?
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Our insurance paid out around £5000 for operations, treatments and care for our German Shepherd when we had him years ago.
I would never have a dog without insuring him.
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We’ve always had our dogs insured and it was good thing that we did for barley. At 4 months he developed a limp on his front legs, he had a scan and x-ray, he had to have his cartilage trimmed on both of his elbows on his front legs, if he wasn’t insured we would have to have paid it ourselves.
We went for a life policy, so they’re covered for the same thing or anything related for life with pet plan, it’s not a cheap one but good, there’s different types to choose from but have to pay more.
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When l had Flat Coated Retrievers one of them developed thyroid trouble and was put on medication.
Luckily, he was insured and we were able to claim for his treatment and his tablets.
Unluckily, the Insurance company would only pay for just one year’s supply of the tablets that he had to take for life.
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