Category: News

With the sudden growth in “anaesthesia-free” dental cleaning offered by groomers and other non-veterinary professionals, it is important to understand the health risks involved within these procedures and why they have been banned by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons with support from the British Dental Veterinary Association and the European Veterinary Dental College.

What is anaesthetic free dental cleaning?

As the name suggests, this is the act of cleaning a pets teeth without the benefit of anaesthesia. Often with the use of sharp tools or an ultrasonic scaler. Just like in humans, this process requires the pet to sit still and not move their mouth during the procedure, an act that many humans find stressful enough, never mind our pets who don’t understand what is going on and why. At the end of the procedure you may end up with a pet with teeth that superficially look clean and shiny on the outer surface, but there are many potential problems to consider when assessing dental disease and the “shiny clean teeth” are most likely hiding the problem!

What can go wrong?

There are many concerns with anaesthesia free dental cleaning but the main three are:

1. Damage to teeth and gums: The periodontal tissue attaching teeth to gums is very delicate and can be easily damaged, especially if the patients moves their head while conscious during scaling with sharp or ultrasonic instruments. Damage to this tissue may lead to further dental disease or tooth loss.
2. Is the periodontal pocket being reached?: One of the most important areas of teeth to assess is the periodontal pocket. This is an area below the gum line that is the most impacted by dental disease. Assessment and cleaning of this pocket is a vital stage of any dental cleaning. It is not possible to do this effectively in a conscious pet. Cleaning and assessing this periodontal pocket below the gum line is considered to be an act of veterinary surgery and, as such, it is illegal for a non-veterinary surgeon to do so or to advertise this service.
3. What is being missed?: It is vital to remember that “cleaning” the teeth is only a small part of a dental scale and polish performed at a veterinary surgery. Many oral problems from dental disease through to early detection of oral tumours can only be diagnosed during complete general anaesthesia, some even require the use of dental x-rays. While anaesthesia-free cleaning may result in clean looking teeth, it will also most likely delay the diagnosis of these diseases which may limit treatment options.

So why can I still see this service being advertised?

While the governing body of the veterinary profession, the RCVS, has powers to tackle and punish Veterinary Surgeons and Registered Veterinary Nurses that are acting in a way that is not in the best interest of the health and welfare of our patients. They have limited power to act on non-veterinary professionals advertising and performing acts of veterinary surgery illegally. Technically this would come under the remit of the Trading Standards, but they are notoriously slow to act within the veterinary field.

One of the hopes within the veterinary profession with regards to some of the changes that may follow the CMA investigation is that loopholes within the powers of the RCVS be improved. However, The RCVS and their standards committee have advised members of the public offering these services that they should be aware it is illegal for a non-veterinary surgeon to offer services that include cleaning under the gum line or tooth extraction; and they are also reminding pet owners that are considering using these services that they have a responsibility under the Animal Welfare Act to avoid doing so.

More information on the RCVS stance on this can be found here: (https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/a-statement-on-anaesthesia-free-dental-procedures-for-cats-dogs/)

What does a dental assessment at Mayne Vets involve?

When you book your pet in for a dental assessment with us, your pet will need to be placed under general anaesthesia, so the dental procedure can be performed far more safely and effectively. A dental assessment includes:

• Full mouth dental x-rays
• A dental assessment, to include probing, charting of the teeth and gums
• Scale and polish of ALL surfaces of the teeth

These x-rays and dental charting will be assessed by one of our Veterinary Surgeons, who will then be able to provide feedback and advice on whether treatment, such as tooth extraction, is required.

If the dental assessment reveals that multiple or deep rooted teeth need to be extracted we will arrange this to be done as a second stage procedure. Doing this as a second stage procedure is better for:

– The patient as it reduces the anaesthetic risk for your pet by splitting the procedure over two shorter anaesthetics rather than one longer one.

– The owner as, following the assessment, they have a clearer understanding of what needs to be done, and why and at what cost before the second stage procedure has been started

– The veterinary team as it allows us to plan ahead for all the requirements for the anaesthesia but also, for the dental procedure itself, which can involve complicated and timely extraction of teeth in order for it to be done safely and correctly.

This February we are offering our clients 20% of dental assessments, spaces are limited to don’t forget to give us a call to get your pet booked in. Should your pet need to have a second stage procedure, Pet Health Club members get 10% off if booked in by the end of April.

As part of ‘National Pet Dental Month‘ we are offering our patients a FREE dental check with our wonderful Veterinary Nurses.

What will be included in the nurse dental check?

During a nurse dental check we can discuss with you the signs of dental disease, along with the treatment we are able to provide to treat it. More importantly we can discuss what steps you can start putting in place to prevent the dental disease returning, which we can then help you introduce with follow up checks if further treatment is needed.

Should they be recommended to book in for a dental assessment, we are offering 20% off throughout the month of February.

What if I am recommended to book in a dental assessment?

In order for us to carry out this assessment, your pet will need to be placed under general anaesthesia. A dental assessment includes:

• Full mouth dental x-rays
• A dental assessment, to include probing, charting of the teeth and interpretation of x-rays
• Scale and polish of the teeth

We are offering 20% of dental assessments throughout February, so get yours booked in before the offer runs out!

Your pet will have x-rays taken of their whole mouth, an anaesthetic allows for us to do this safely and facilitate positioning for x-rays to be taken. The machine is positioned at a specific angle near your pet’s mouth, and an x-ray film is placed inside their mouth to capture the images. The process is painless and a full mouth series takes around 20 minutes to complete. Your pet will then have their teeth scaled and polished and a thorough dental assessment, involving charting, probing and scoring all surfaces of the teeth and gums. These x-rays and dental charting will be assessed by one of our Veterinary Surgeons, who will then be able to provide feedback and advice on whether treatment, such as tooth extraction, is required.

What if my pet requires a second stage procedure?

If the dental assessment reveals that multiple or deep rooted teeth need to be extracted we will arrange this to be done as a second stage procedure. Doing this as a second stage procedure reduces the anaesthetic risk for your pet by splitting the procedure over two shorter anaesthetics rather than one longer one. It also allows us to plan ahead for all the requirements for the anaesthesia but also, for the dental procedure itself, which can involve complicated and timely extraction of teeth in order for it to be done safely and correctly.

And finally as an owner, following the dental assessment, you will have a much clearer idea of what teeth need to be removed in that second stage dental and why, along with a far clearer estimate of what the cost of the procedure will be.

To help with these costs we are offering our Pet Health Club members a further 10% off their dental procedure should a second stage be required, if it is booked in before the end of April.

We all love to treat our pets, whether it’s with a frothy puppacino or even a new toy this Christmas season. We have to work out ways we can live more thoughtfully and deliberately to create a better world for the future. Next time you dive in your bag for your wallet, have a think about the environmental impact of what you are about to buy, could it be substituted for something else more sustainably made or sourced, be bought second hand, be home made, or even not purchased at all?!

I want to treat my pet to something new…

Many toys, beds, leads, outfits and plastic will end up on landfill. We all know that globally there is an issue with plastic pollution. A great swap this Christmas time would be to consider purchasing sustainable and responsibly produced products for your pets (and human family members), or buying locally. As mentioned above, how about not even making that purchase in the first place and give them something enriching and homemade. Who doesn’t love receiving a thoughtful, homemade gift?! This Christmas at Mayne Vets, we are spreading some sustainable Christmas joy. Secret Santa gifts are to be either homemade, second hand or re-useable.

Here are some ideas on some homemade and simple presents for your furry friend this festive season. How about getting crafty and making a snuffle mat for your dog or a wand toy for you cat! Or even getting your GBBO chef hat on and baking your pawesome pet some biscuits!

Enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated, your pet will appreciate something as simple as a scatter fee or treats hidden in a cardboard box with scrunched up paper. Have a look online there is so much out there, we will also share some ideas with you on our Facebook page over December.

Even these simple swaps will have a positive impact on the planet:

• biodegradable cat litter (clay based litter containing sodium bentonite are often mined through a destructive process, do not decompose and can contain chemicals)
• biodegradable poo bags
• shampoo bars rather than bottles

Pet food and packaging:

Some traditional pet food comes in tins, which we have been able to recycle for a number of years through our local councils. There are some great initiatives which have been set up for previously non-recycled pet food packaging. Many Pets at Home stores have the facilities to recycle your wet food sachets and dry food bags. If not, visit the Terracycle website to find a collection point local to you.

Waste is tangible and visible and it’s a lot easier to understand when we are talking about the impact on the environmental. However, sustainability is more than just the packaging and recycling of the pet food we choose. The ingredients used and the transportation of pet food actually has a greater impact on the environment, than the materials used in its packaging. Stay turned for our blog post on ‘Sustainable Pet Ownership – pet food and it’s carbon footprint’ in the new year!

We hope you’ve been enjoying out ‘Pet Owner Sustainability’ series, stay tuned for more insightful, educational and thought provoking information soon. We will you all a very merry Christmas.

Image 1: https://unsplash.com/photos/white-and-brown-cat-on-red-and-white-floral-textile-FDjHs2Uv8MQ

With the announcement of the new legislation regarding XL Bullies, we know a lot of you will be concerned about what the new laws are and what they may mean for you.  Unfortunately, there was no prior warning or information given to the veterinary industry as a whole as to what the legislation would entail before its release and so we are working our way through it today as you have been.  However the core points seem to be these:

All dogs that resemble an “XL Bully” have been added to the dangerous dog list.  A description of what would be described as an XL Bully can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog/official-definition-of-an-xl-bully-dog. 

It is not the responsibility of the veterinary clinic to decide if your dog is an XL Bully, it is down to the local council and police to interpret this, however we cannot change what your pet is registered as on our database.  The government advice is that if you think your dog could be considered an XL Bully then it is your responsibility to follow the laws that have been introduced.

UPDATE 14/11/23 (XL Bully Type)

The ban only applies to XL Bully dogs. There are other established breeds, such as those recognised by the UK Kennel Club, that may meet some of the characteristics of the XL Bully breed type. These are not within scope of the ban.

If your dog could be considered to be an XL Bully then the following rules will apply:

From the 31/12/23

It will be illegal to :

• Sell, abandon and give away an XL Bully
• Breed from an XL Bully
• Have an XL Bully in public without it being muzzled and on a lead

From 1/2/24

In addition to the rules above, it will be illegal to own an XL Bully without Certificate of Exemption.

A certificate of exemption is issued by the courts following an assessment by the courts to attest that your dog does not pose a risk to public safety.

• It will allow your dog to be added to an Index listing it as legal to own
• It will cost £92.40 and will last for a dog’s life
• The applications for this would need to be in by 31/1/24
• You will need to produce this on request from a member of the local council or police
• The dog will still need to be muzzled and on a lead in public
• And you will need to show you have 3^rd party insurance cover for the dog (we recommend this cover for all dogs).

14/11/23 UPDATE (Third Party Cover)

The cover must start no later than 01/02/24, this can be provided by The Dogs Trust Membership. If you use a different insurance provider it should cover the policyholder for death or bodily injury to any person caused by the exempted dog and is suitable for a prohibited breed as defined under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991.

14/11/23 UPDATE (Certificate of Exemption)

Please follow the link below to apply for a certificate of exemption. This will take you to DEFRA’s website.

apply-for-a-certificate-of-exemption-to-keep-an-xl-bully-dog.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Neutering

If keeping an XL Bully, they will need to be neutered regardless of their sex.

• If they are over a year of age on 31/1/24 this will need to be done by 30/6/24
• If they are under a year of age on 31/1/24 this will need to be done by 31/12/24
• A neutering certificate will be issued following surgery that you will need to keep as proof of neutering
• If your dog has already been neutered by us we will be able to provide you a certificate but DEFRA are yet to provide more information on these certificates

14/11/23 UPDATE (Neutering Certification)

Veterinary practices have been provided with information to assist with completing neutering declaration certificates (VCN01) for owners and are now accessible on the DEFRA website. This will support your application for a certificate of exemption.

• If they are over a year old on 31/1/24 , it must be neutered and your VCNO1 certificate must be received by 30/06/24
• If they are under a year of age on 31/01/24, it must be neutered and your VCNO1 certificate must be received by 31/12/24

If your dog is already neutered, as above, your vet will need to fill in a VCNO1 certificate:

• by 31 December 2024 for dogs less than one year old on 31 January 2024
• by 30 June 2024 for dogs more than one year old on 31 January 2024

Euthanasia

If you chose to euthanise your dog due to these changes of legislation this can be done at your registered veterinary practice.  Owners may be able to claim up to £200 to put towards the costs of euthanasia, but more information is to be released about this at a later date.

14/11/23 UPDATE (Euthanasia)

Forms are now available for those wanting the claim back compensation if they choose to euthanise your dog. This procedure must be carried out by 31/01/24 in order to qualify for compensation and the form must be received by 15/03/24. Payment should be made be made to the veterinary practice in full and claimed back to yourself.

Please follow the link below to apply for compensation for DEFRA:

XL Bully dog compensation: owners (publishing.service.gov.uk)

To receive your compensation payment you must register with The Rural Payment Agency. It will take up to 30 days for payment to be made into your account.

Please follow the link below to register:

Registering with the Rural Payments Agency to claim compensation for the euthanasia of XL Bully dogs – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What to do if you find a stray dog that you believe to be an XL Bully?

Contact your local dog warden

Colchester Borough Council

01206 282581 (Monday – Friday 9-5pm)

So What Next…

This information is our interpretation of the changes to the law as of 1/11/23 and may change.  We encourage people to read the full guidance here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prepare-for-the-ban-on-xl-bully-dogs and look for updates from the government as they appear.

We appreciate that is a lot of information to digest and will leave a lot of owners with some difficult decisions.  If you have a dog that would be considered to be an XL Bully that you would like to keep, our advice at this stage would be to start muzzle training.  There is a some good support on how to do this via :

• Blue Cross: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/behaviour-and-training/dogs-and-muzzle-training
• Dogs Trust: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice/training/outdoors/muzzle-training
• PDSA: https://www.pdsa.org.uk/pet-help-and-advice/pet-health-hub/other-veterinary-advice/how-to-muzzle-train-your-dog
• Alternatively our nursing team have a lot of experience in assisting owners with this and will happy to go through training options with you in a nurse consult

As to what you need to do to apply for a Certificate of Exemption, we are looking for clearer guidance on that ourselves and hope to be able to provide more information soon.

Finally, we would like to politely remind owners that these changes to the law are not the responsibility of our practice, our team or the veterinary profession as a whole. We share the British Veterinary Association’s view that, while urgent laws need to be put in place to protect the public, there needs to be a greater focus on penalising owners that are not in control of their dogs, rather than targeting specific breeds. 

We are also concerned that the current description of an “XL Bully” is far too vague, leaving it open to interpretation and leaving many owners worried about whether their dog would count as an XL Bully.  You can find more about the response from the Dog Control Coalition (including members of Battersea, Blue Cross, British Veterinary Association, Dogs Trust, Kennel Club, RSPCA, SSPCA and Hope Rescue) here: https://www.bva.co.uk/news-and-blog/news-article/dog-control-coalition-responds-to-details-of-the-government-s-ban-on-american-bully-xls/. As always, if you have any further questions please feel free to contact the team, although please be aware we will not be able to tell you if your dog would count as an XL Bully or not at this stage.

Ruptured cruciate ligament?! What is this?

Compared to a human knee, our dog’s knees are an anatomically imperfect joint.  Due to the angle the bones meet, they naturally want to slide forwards and backwards during weight bearing and movement. The cruciate ligaments sit inside the knee joint stabilising it, preventing any movement and rotation, but the ligaments are under constant demand and stress, which can lead to rupture. Whereas cruciate rupture in humans is often due to trauma, think sporting injuries, in dogs it tends to be due to degeneration meaning that over time the ligament becomes weaker.

A cruciate rupture typically refers to the tearing of the cranial cruciate ligaments within the knee joint.  This injury results in the joint surfaces grinding against one another cause pain, discomfort, lameness and difficulty walking for our furry friends as well as a rapid deterioration of the joint surfaces themselves.

How is it diagnosed?

The diagnosis of a cruciate ligament rupture involves a combination of physical examination, history taking and diagnostic imaging.

Your vet will look for signs of lameness, pain and instability of the affected leg. They may also, if your dog allows, manipulate the knee joint to assess its stability and check for something termed ‘cranial drawer’. This is where abnormal movement is felt between the shin and thighbone.

If we suspect there may be an issue, the next step is to take x-rays in house to assist with diagnosis, also allowing us to rule out any other issue related to the knee and hip joint. Occasionally further imaging such as a CT scan or arthroscopy (a procedure where a small camera is inserted into the joint), may be required if a diagnosis is unclear.

My dog’s cruciate ligament is ruptured!! What now?!

Once a diagnosis is confirmed, your vet will discuss the appropriate treatment options with you based on the severity of the injury, your dog’s size, age, health and financial constraints. In many patients the preferred surgical option is a technique called a ‘Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy’ (TPLO), and this will be the focus of this article. This involves changing the angle at the top of the shin bone by cutting, rotating, and stabilising it in a new position using a plate and screws.  Altering this angle provides a “level” joint surface that helps prevent the sliding motion that results in the rupture.

Here’s where we introduce Freddie, a 10 year old, West Highland White Terrier, who underwent surgery on his right knee to repair his cruciate ligament this summer and we wanted to share his journey with you all!

On the day of surgery:

• Freddie had a pre-operative health check completed, an i/v cannula placed, pre-medication administered and placed under anaesthesia for this procedure.
• His right leg was shaved, from his hip down to his ankle, and was scrubbed and prepped ready for surgery by the nursing team resulting in a sterile surgical field.
• We use a local orthopaedic surgeon for a lot of our orthopaedic surgeries.  This allows for our patients to be cared for by the Mayne Vets team, and removes the stress of travelling further afield.
• Once Freddie recovered from his surgery, the nursing team monitored him throughout the afternoon, offering him food, monitoring his comfort levels, giving him further medication as was necessary and applying a cold compress to his surgery site. We advise for owners to cold compress, if the dog allows, for the first few days after surgery to help reduce any swelling.
• Freddie went home the same day of his surgery, here he is below relaxing and recovering in the evening. This is often the case for most surgeries, unless we are concerned with your pet’s anaesthetic recovery or pain management.

• Freddie was prescribed a combination of different pain relief medications for his parents to administer for around 2 – 4 weeks. A course of antibiotics was also prescribed.
• Much to Freddie’s delight, a buster collar is recommended to prevent dogs from causing trauma to their incision and is advised to be kept on for at least 2 weeks.
• Freddie had to undergo strict rest initially, he was confined to a crate and was only allowed outside to toilet for quite a few weeks.

Here is the lovely Freddie showing us what life is like on his first day in the crate after getting home, and his last day in the crat  before he was allowed some freedom to stretch those legs!

Around 4 weeks post-surgery, exercise can be increased, although it needs to still be restricted and gentle. Why so much rest you may ask? There is potential even one month after the surgery for the implant and surgery to fail if your dog slips or knocks their knee. The bone needs time to heal and strengthen.

Here is Freddie enjoying some time outside his crate enjoying the sun in the garden, as you can see Freddie’s owners are amazing, making sure he was still restrained by his lead. This prevents an injury in case your dog is a keen chaser of birds or squirrels! The recovery process is a long one, and it’s all down to owner’s time and dedication.

There are a few considerations when your dog is recovering from surgery:

1. Seeing as they are not going to be exerting much energy, switching to a lower calorie food or reducing the amount you feed can help maintain your dog’s body weight and prevent any weight gain.
2. We’ve mentioned the risks of slips and falls to the success of the surgery and there are a few ways you can combat this at home. Consider using non-slip matting on wooden or laminate flooring, avoiding walking up steps and stairs. If there are some steps coming into the house then a ramp would be beneficial, or using a sling to support their back leg, especially early on in their recovery.
3. Take into account their mental wellbeing during rehabilitation, how about providing food puzzles, chew toys or supervised time out of the crate.
4. The addition of joint supplements to your dog’s routine would be advised in order to support their joints long term. Unfortunately after a cruciate rupture dogs are more prone to arthritic changes.

Follow up x-rays are taken 8 weeks post-surgery to check the healing of the bone and position of the implant.

We love to shout out about the confidence clinics our nurses run here at Mayne Vets.  In these confidence clinics we provide shy and nervous dogs with some stability and reassurance through creating positive associations at the clinic and building a relationship with one of our veterinary nurses. We thought we would share with you a case study from one of our patients!

Here is the lovely Oscar, who is a 4 year old Golden Retriever and started his confidence clinic journey back in May 2022.  Although Oscar is a friendly dog, he was very shy and uncertain when he visited the clinic.

Each confidence clinic pet will be assigned to a designated nurse (Lindsey, Caroline or Chloe).  Prior to the first confidence clinic, they will ascertain what your dog is driven by, whether food, toys or their owner. To begin with Oscar wasn’t too keen on anything we offered, he even suffers from food allergies which also limited what we could offer. Despite this, overtime, as Oscar’s confidence grew at the clinic.  He began to noticeably be more excited visiting us at the clinic, exhibiting play stance behaviors and wagging his tail. Sometimes confidence clinics will simply be play based to improve their general confidence, and sometimes they will be focused on certain behaviors (for example, focusing on mimicking an injection or helping pets get used to being weighed on scales). It really is dependent on the dog, the owner, previous experiences and the time frame. Remember, if you are a member of our Pet Health Club, unlimited nurse clinics are included in your membership, giving you peace of mind when multiple visits are needed.

Oscar was also showing hormonally driven behaviors at home, humping and scent marking. Often this behavior can be linked to testosterone levels and castration would help reduce its occurrence, however reducing the testosterone levels in a nervous dog can exacerbate this behavior potentially leading to nervous aggression.  So, because of Oscar’s shyness, we opted to use a “chemical castration” option which would temporarily reduce the testosterone to allow us to assess the potential impact of a castration before an irreversible surgery is performed.  In this way chemical castration can be a great option if owners are on the fence with surgical castration. Neutering is not a one size fits all, every animal is assessed individually.  If you do have any questions or queries about getting your dog neutered then speak to a member of the team.

Thankfully, in Oscar’s case, there were no detrimental side effects to the reduction in testosterone from the chemical implant. Therefore his owners opted for surgical castration in the end. Here is Oscar at his post op check up with Lindsey, his designated clinic nurse. We made sure that his pre-op appointment was with her also, and as much of his hospital stay as possible with Lindsey by his side.

We should highlight at this point, none of our nurses have qualified animal behavior status, just a keen interest in behavior and making a dog’s visit to the clinic as fear free as possible. If they feel additional work is needed, or your dog’s behavior is outside of their capabilities, the clinic would refer you to a behaviorist.  If you would like to talk to us more about our confidence clinics please message us via text message or Whatsapp on 07360541569 or email reception@maynevets.co.uk.

We posted an article about pet insurance back in the wake of COVID-19 knowing that a recession was not too far away. Since then we have all watched a continued growth in food, fuel and energy bills with inflation rates not seen in decades.  Unfortunately the veterinary industry has been hit hard through this period with a significant increase in costs of providing veterinary care.  We, as pet owners and veterinary professionals, may have to face some very difficult decisions as money remains tight for a lot of us. Many of those decisions are going to be emotionally heart breaking for both owners and veterinary staff alike.  However, we can prepare for them and hopefully avoid having to make too many difficult choices.

The answer is simple. Pet insurance. Thankfully a lot of patients here at Mayne Vets are already insured, but there are still a few traps that pet owners can fall into while their pets are insured, so please read on to ensure you have the cover you think you do.

For those that are insured, take a moment to consider what your policy limit is.  Some insurance policies will only offer cover up to £2000 per condition.  In the past we have always advised that patients are covered for at least £4000 per condition per year, and more if possible.  However, with the rising costs of veterinary care, now may be the time to look to increasing that.  Where first opinion practice costs have increased, referral costs have increased even further, and we are commonly hearing of referral working costing £6000-£8000 per condition. How about contacting your insurance company today and updating your pet’s insurance policy?

But what other factors should you consider?  Whether your pet is insured or you’re considering pet insurance for the first time, we know that pet insurance can be a bit confusing.  Here are some key points to consider to ensure it is there for you and your pet when they need it most:

LIFETIME COVER

It is really important to have insurance that covers a condition “for life”.

Some insurance policies offer cover for conditions only for 12 months, therefore if your pet has a ‘lifelong’ condition, such as diabetes or arthritis, they will only be covered for a year, after that it would be classed as pre-existing and is no longer covered.

Another type of policy is only covering a condition until the monetary limit has been reached, this may take 6 months, it may take 2 years, but once that monetary limit has been reached it would be classed as pre-existing and no longer covered.

We advise lifelong cover, your pet will then be covered for a condition throughout their life, an excess would likely be paid each year, but the monetary cover for the condition would be refreshed each policy year.

TIME LIMITED COVER

If you have opted for a “time limited” policy and the condition is covered for 12 months, make sure you understand the policy in full. Is the condition covered for 12 months from time of diagnosis, or is it only covered up until the policy renewal date? 

An example of this could be if we find a lump on a dog at its annual health check. It may be agreed to hold off on surgical removal for now, to see if there is any change in size or appearance. However, if the lump grows and you decide to go ahead with surgery at a later health check, you may discover the condition is no longer covered. It is important to know what you’re covered for and when that cover runs out.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Check what you are covered for? Again, make sure you understand your policy in full.

Dental treatment – For some dental claims to be covered, regular teeth checks need to have been performed by your vets, regular yearly vaccinations help with this. Furthermore, if dental treatment is advised, then this may need to be carried out in a timely manner, for example within 3 months of it being advised. You may presume you are covered, but some insurance companies exclude any treatment related to your pet’s gums.

Arthritis – Some insurance companies may exclude you claiming for certain conditions, such as arthritis, if your pet is overweight.

Behaviour – Some conditions, such as feline cystitis can be linked to stress, if you have an exclusion on your policy for behavioural conditions, this may be linked and therefore not covered on your policy.

COVERAGE

As mentioned earlier, ideally you want your pet to be covered for at least £6000-£8000 per condition per year. But obviously the more the better. Some insurance companies will offer cover for up to £12,000.

DON’T SHOP AROUND

Shopping around each year for the cheapest premium isn’t the most cost effective or efficient way to manage pet insurance. Many of us, staff here included, are used to shopping around every year for the cheapest car or home insurance quote on comparison websites. 

However, doing this with pet insurance is problematic. When you switch providers most policies have a clause that prevents them from covering any pre-existing issues. When you first insure your pet the new company will ask if they have any underlying health issues, which you are legally bound to disclose. Although there may be some veterinary visits you may not deem as pre-existing health complaints.

When we submit an insurance claim, one of the first things the company will do is request a full clinical history, which we must provide in order for the claim to be processed; both from ourselves and any previous veterinary practices you may have been registered at. If they link the issue we are claiming for to an issue or visit the pet had prior to starting with the new insurance company, they will likely decline the claim.

There is however good news, some insurance companies currently on the market will cover pre-existing conditions if they haven’t been an issue, or resulted in a trip to the vets for over a year.

DO NOT CANCEL YOUR POLICY

It is important not to cancel your insurance as your pet gets older. Yes, the premium and the excess may have increased, and you may have to also contribute with a co-payment. The reason for this is due to older pets being more likely to get unwell and need treatment.

We often hear of owners taking out insurance for their pet when they first get their new puppy or kitten and be lucky enough to never need to make a claim for 10 years, just to then cancel it when it is needed most.

We appreciate how difficult it can be to pick… and stick with… a pet insurance company; but there is no harder decision than trying to balance up ‘what can be done’ with ‘what can we afford’ and good insurance cover is always the best way to avoid those decisions.  We hope these tips have helped to navigate the world of pet insurance, but if you have any further questions, our team are always happy to help out with advice.  You can contact us via text message or Whatsapp on 07360 541569, by email at reception@maynevets.co.uk or by phone on 01206 851338.