Insurance question (9.5 y/o Bearded Collie) diabetic

[bluewillow]

hi there - my Bearded Collie was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago after an attack of pancreatitis - he is now 9 and a half. Diabetes seems to be controlled with caninsulin but he developed cataracts and was b lind for a while. However one cataract was operated on and he now has sight in one eye. The treatments so far have used up all the insurance I had per condition (Wish I had taken out a higher level of insurance now!). I now think he may have Cushings (he was tested for it a year ago but seemed not to have it). Now, however, he is losing hair on his body, losing weight and has calloused elbows. He is not drinking excessively and not urinating more than usual.
My question is - would the insurance company (Tesco) treat this as a new condition? I am already paying out for insulin and, as a pensioner, my funds are limited. I love him to bits, of course, but he seems to be having problem after problem.

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi and welcome to you and your baby! :)

Unfortunately, we can't answer your insurance question. You will need to contact Tesco and ask them BUT most pet insurances that I have looked into won't cover pre-existing conditions. So IF this is Cushing's you are seeing now, that would be a new condition, not a pre-existing- as proven by the prior test. ;) But that's just my think-so and may not gel with the insurance company policies at all so ask them.

I will say that the signs you mention - weight loss, calloused elbows - are not typical signs of Cushing's. We see weight GAIN, not loss, excess peeing, excess drinking and an appetite that will not quit along with panting for no reason, seeking cool places to lay, reluctance to exercise or jump on furniture/into the vehicle/ect. as the most common signs in a cush pup.

So before I started the cush testing, I would make sure the diabetes is well controlled and have some labs run like the CBC....after talking with the ins company about their policy for new conditions. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[bluewillow]

Many thanks Squirt's Mum. I should have said that he is also always hungry - but has always been like that, has always looked for cool places to lie and has always been a bit of a lazy boy! He does struggle a bit with stairs etc but I had put that down to age - he manages to jump into the car.
I guess my thinking had been that diabetes and cushings were related illnesses? but I may be wrong about that.

[Skye]

i am glad to hear you have pet insurance..........cant answer your question for sure, however with my insurance, Pet Plan, it starts over each year, and you meet a deductable for each issue before they begin to cover their amounts. So is what you mean is you have reached the max amount within a year? or completely for that issue?

[Woodydog]

Hi and welcome from me too. I have pet insurance from Petplan and like you have almost used it all up for the year. I know that Petplan would see this as a new condition and charge the excess etc. To be safe contact Tesco they will tell you all you need to know.