# Pet Insurance and Allergies?



## ggordster (Feb 25, 2013)

Hi Just want to find out some information about Pet Insurance and Skin allergies. Is there anyone out there that can share their experience of claiming for allergies through the pet insurance. I have a Lifelong policy and think my dog is showing signs of allergies but wanted some info before going to the vet tomorrow. How does the insurance work if this is a lifelong condition does that mean my premium will increase each year if I make a claim? Can you claim for allergy testing etc....Any info will be useful Thanks.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

ggordster said:


> Hi Just want to find out some information about Pet Insurance and Skin allergies. Is there anyone out there that can share their experience of claiming for allergies through the pet insurance. I have a Lifelong policy and think my dog is showing signs of allergies but wanted some info before going to the vet tomorrow. How does the insurance work if this is a lifelong condition does that mean my premium will increase each year if I make a claim? Can you claim for allergy testing etc....Any info will be useful Thanks.


If there is nothing else on his medical records with similar symptoms prior to you taking out the insurance claimed for or not or he has neither previously been diagnosed with possible allergies or allergies prior to it being taken out the in theory you should be OK to claim for any treatment or tests needed. If you have a lifelong policy then if he does need on going medication then again you should be OK.

Premiums tend to increase a bit each year anyway. Cant say how it will affect yours as all companies are different, but Ive got a 5 year old whos had a lifelong ongoing condition since two years old needing regular blood tests and daily medication and so far with the company she has been with the premiums only gone up a couple of pounds per month each year if that.


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## Malmum (Aug 1, 2010)

Our little dog Teebs is having a desensitisation programme for allergies to house dust mite and storage mite. Initially the allergen had to be identified and blood samples were sent off to Belgium for this. Depending on how many tests it takes to find the allergen is where the cost will rise, Teebs was quickly identified because his allergens are quite common. Once the allergen has been found the lab makes up a serum of these allergens and they are injected into the dog at varying amounts and intervals. For instance Teebs started off with fortnightly injections of 0.5 - I think it was, don't have his card to hand at present - but a few months on he now has 1ml, once a month. Its a very expensive process, the identification and serum both being done in Belgium, which rises the price considerably. The total cost for this initial treatment was £800, although he will need more serum eventually but has enough for around a year which is kept in the fridge. He is injected at home by my daughter but it can be done at the vets if you don't feel confident doing it, there would be a charge for it being done by them though and our vet showed my daughter how to do it then watched her give the first injection, to make sure she understood the process. 
Teebs started off on piriton, 4mg twice daily but as that failed to bring relief the vet tried him on Atopica. Atopica is also expensive at just under £100 per box of 30, which he had once a day. That drug was fantastic but we worried about side effects in long term use. It suppresses the immune system and is used in humans as an anti rejection drug after kidney transplants etc., so you can see what a powerful drug it is. Great for when the initial desensitisation starts and Teebs continued to take it for the first month, tapering off the dose until he was off of it completely. Funnily enough a nurse on my daughters ward also has a dog going through the same treatment with successful results. 

Our vet warned that the desensitisation doesn't always work but have seen great results in 75% of animals treated at his practice, so we went for it. Teebs rarely scratches at all now, where as before he would make his underarms bleed and his ears by constant scratching. 

Teebs is on a lifetime policy with Argos insurers and they have paid out everything related to his allergy excluding the initial excess. Once we go into another year and his treatment continues another excess will have to be paid but only once a year. Teebs has been insured by Argos since he was seven weeks old, long before he started scratching.


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## victoria171168 (Apr 8, 2013)

My insurance Animal Friends paid out no problems so long as not treated prior to insurance for similar issue


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