Boronia Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Penny got a small bit of chicken frame stuck in her oesophagus, after x-rays and trying to remove it via her mouth she had to be opened up and the piece removed via her stomach. I paid for the operation and my vet sent all the details to BowWowMeow insurance, rang them today and they won't pay for the procedure. I really was under the impression that they did cover for an obstruction but it seems I was wrong. I checked on their website but couldn't find that as an exclusion in the Accident coverage. Can a kind DOLer check on the BWM site and find the part that excludes the foreign object in the "Accident' policy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sas Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Penny got a small bit of chicken frame stuck in her oesophagus, after x-rays and trying to remove it via her mouth she had to be opened up and the piece removed via her stomach. I paid for the operation and my vet sent all the details to BowWowMeow insurance, rang them today and they won't pay for the procedure. I really was under the impression that they did cover for an obstruction but it seems I was wrong. I checked on their website but couldn't find that as an exclusion in the Accident coverage. Can a kind DOLer check on the BWM site and find the part that excludes the foreign object in the "Accident' policy Why don't you ask your insurance company to send you the exclusion text. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Penny got a small bit of chicken frame stuck in her oesophagus, after x-rays and trying to remove it via her mouth she had to be opened up and the piece removed via her stomach. I paid for the operation and my vet sent all the details to BowWowMeow insurance, rang them today and they won't pay for the procedure. I really was under the impression that they did cover for an obstruction but it seems I was wrong. I checked on their website but couldn't find that as an exclusion in the Accident coverage. Can a kind DOLer check on the BWM site and find the part that excludes the foreign object in the "Accident' policy Why don't you ask your insurance company to send you the exclusion text. okey dokey, I'll do that now thank you sas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Let us know how you get on Boronia I'm surprised its not covered...surely its why we have insurance. I will be making a claim on my pet insurance soon so hopefully I don't find myself in the same situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jemappelle Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I found this on page 21 of their product disclosure document: b) your failure to take all reasonable precautions to protect your Pet from situations that may result in injury or Illness (such as ingestion of hazardous substances) or from aggravating a treated Condition. And wonder if that is what they will send you. I found it here: https://bowwowinsurance.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/bwm-pds-broch_aug2014_final_sp.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 (edited) I couldn't find out anything on their PDS Info so I phoned them and the woman I talked to was helpful and said she would email me the relevant section. Penny did have an endoscopy in July 2009 to remove a bit of pig trotter cartilage but I thought that that exclusion (which appeared on her renewal form for 2--3 years) was no longer in force as it hadn't appeared on her renewal for a few years. This is what BWM woman wrote: Thank you for your recent enquiry in to your Pet Insurance policy. As per your request please see the attached PDS On the PDS page 19 under the Section 3 it clearly says More than one incident of swallowing a foreign object that causes a blockage or obstruction requiring surgical or endoscopic removal per policy period is generally coverable under the Illness Cover. here is the PDS and I still can't see it (I think she may have given me the wrong page) https://bowwowinsura...14_final_sp.pdf Anyway, it looks like the chicken-bone-stuck-in-the-gizzard syndrome is only covered under illness seeing as Penny is trying to make a habit of it...once=acceptable, twice=unacceptable Penny has accident insurance only as she was too old to be covered for both when I got her. bummer Edited September 10, 2015 by Boronia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Was just coming in to post what my insurance policy states, but see now that your's is the same. So you get one episode covered but if it happens again then they won't pay. 5. more than one (1) incident of swallowing a foreign object that causes a blockage or obstruction requiring surgical or endoscopic removal per Policy Period; Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHRP Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Maybe the answer is in what they do cover rather than what they don't cover with Accidental Injury? Chicken bone in throat doesn't appear to be covered by any of these?? Accidental Injury Cover 2.1 What we will pay We will pay you the Benefit Percentage for the Vet Expenses incurred by you for Treatment during the Policy Period up to the Benefit Limits, as a result of your Pet suffering an Accidental Injury in one of the circumstances described below. You will be responsible for any Excess as shown on the applicable Certificate of Insurance. To qualify for Cover under this section of the policy, the Accidental Injury must have occurred during the Policy Period and: (a) be a direct consequence of at least one of the following: 1. a motor vehicle incident; 2. a burn or electrocution; or 3. an allergic reaction to an insect bite other than tick or flea bites; or (b) result in: 4. a bone fracture; 5. a snake bite toxicity; 6. a traumatic ligament or tendon injury; 7. a bite wound or fight wound abscesses; or 8. lacerations or abrasion of tissue, skin or mucous membrane due to external violence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiveplusone Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 hmm, I'm hoping infected happy tail requiring amputation comes under number 8 :-/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 What a crock, dogs eat bones, bones can splinter off = accident. I would fight it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 What a crock, dogs eat bones, bones can splinter off = accident. I would fight it it's not worth it Don, my fault as I usually keep an eye on Pen but she nicked some of Mac's chicken frame and as she only has a few teeth left she decided to just swallow the bit of shoulder bone without crunching it up properly, she has to get the food inside her in the shortest amount of time and this means that her philosophy is the fewer chews the better. I do have RACQ home and contents insurance and have paid a little bit extra for Pen and Mac coverage but it only pays out $500 with a $50 excess. It's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick though, so I'm happy (well sort-of :)) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I think you can fight this one... as the bits you have been quoted relate to per policy period - which to pretty much every sane person in this universe is 12 months, yes? If her last obstruction surgery/endoscope procedure for that problem was in 2009, then I'd be questioning what THEY are calling a"policy period". What was she covered under for the 2009 incident? Precedent claim if you only had accident cover then too. T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boronia Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 I think you can fight this one... as the bits you have been quoted relate to per policy period - which to pretty much every sane person in this universe is 12 months, yes? If her last obstruction surgery/endoscope procedure for that problem was in 2009, then I'd be questioning what THEY are calling a"policy period". What was she covered under for the 2009 incident? Precedent claim if you only had accident cover then too. T. Yep, that's what I thought T but from the conversation I had with the BWM woman it appears they have transferred 'Obstruction' over to the Illness insurance. The old PDS booklet allows an obstruction in the Accident insurance (hence Penny's previous pay out) but the later booklet doesn't mention it. BWM must have been hit with mega amounts of dogs getting stuff caught in their gizzards so decided to transfer it over to illness, though for the life of me I can't see how an obstruction can be an 'Illness' I blame Labradors and Staffies for this and... That Doler's dog that eats stones :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*kirty* Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 There is no way that an obstruction is an illness! I would get a letter from your vet to say it was clearly an accident. God these insurance companies are unbelievable sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Ummm... pretty much anything Trouble the Lab has swallowed has come out the other end just fine... *grin*... including gravel from the stones she used to chew as a youngster... ... and you should see the things that manage to pass through the Spastic Camp Dog!!! Poo patrol is an adventure here... *giggle* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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