Unexpected vet bills

Really feel the need to bring this to everyones attention, just to remind people to please put money away/ensure you have access to a large amount of it, in case unexpected vets bills do crop up. I have all my animals insured, work full time and don't have a family/household bills etc to pay, so never thought I'd be in this position. Because I have to pay upfront before claiming on the insurance, I am really in the sh** with money at the moment. I have drained my savings account, dont have a penny to my name, am overdrawn and owe shedloads of money to family & friends. Its one of those things that always niggles you, but you never actually think will happen. Then it does Pleeease please be prepared for things like this to happen folks XX

Very good advice Becki. I am so glad Evo is insured, but I always have to put his bills on a credit card first, then pay them back when the insurance claim has gone through. Sometimes it means I have to pay a month's worth of interest on the card though.

Yes, I agree, I have paid £150 today for Foxy's x-rays, antibiotics etc etc which we have got to find from somewhere.

racheld69 wrote:Yes, I agree, I have paid £150 today for Foxy's x-rays, antibiotics etc etc which we have got to find from somewhere.

I think you got a very good deal there!

Due to the number of pets we have none of them are insured as it's cheaper to pay out as and when, as such I put money away each month instead.

I have one credit card that is only for the bunnies.... in case of emergencies only!

Sooz wrote:

racheld69 wrote:Yes, I agree, I have paid £150 today for Foxy's x-rays, antibiotics etc etc which we have got to find from somewhere.

I think you got a very good deal there!

Yes, was not too bad - £70 for x-rays, £60 something for dental plus baytril and injection. But is still £150 added to the overdraft!

sadly i never insured my pets

I had our first three bunnies insured but when I got quotes for all six of them ( a measly multi-bun discount from Petplan ) it was working out at £500 a year or so.

Big dilemma then - as this is a lot of money if no bunny falls ill. There was also exclusions with Herbie. Because he had syphilis last year and had lesions on his face he was not covered for any face problems (including abcesses and eyes.)

We have decided, like Sooz to put money away for big bills as and when they arrive.

I put money away each month into a high interest account so thats its there when I need it. I did have them insured but as I now work for a vets they advised me to cancel it as unless its something really serious then it doesn't usually come over the excess amount. Plus I get 25% off and can pay it off as I can do rather than as a lump sum. I know this is a good situation for me to be in but I still but something away each month as I don't have a credit card for emergencies or anything like that.

Chances are if you don't have insurance or savings them something major will go wrong whereas if you do have it then it won't. Life huh!!

I have mine insured and have a credit card for large bills, I had thought of putting money away but if I had I would be in a mess now.
If I had put away the insurance amount for the amount of bunnies I had at the time I would have used it up on Meggies op.
Then a month later Dumpling also needed meds and an op total roughly £350 so I would have had to pay that off then start saving again, what if something had happened another month later or even 6 months later? I would've been up sh*t creek without a paddle, especially after just moving out on my own.

I suppose it depends how much you put away and how often you have to dip into it.

I had an unexpected vet bill of £750 earlier in the year which I had to put on my credit Card, thankfully the Insurance paid before before the credit card bill came so in the end it only cost me the £40 excess.

That would have wiped me out if I'd only been putting money away, my insurance is £18 a month for 2 buns.

I put an amount away each month into a savings account, but should really up it now that I have 4 bunnies. I don't use it for routine vet visits like vaccinations and that - it is only there for emergencies. I can always fall back on my ISA or my credit card should I have to pay a big vet bill and there isn't enough in the savings account.

excellent advice. something I am always 'meaning to do' (I don't have an income now so it's kinda irrelevant) but never got around to.

thank you for that