My insurance company may be excluding colic coverage on my horse because she had ulcers. I never have ever had to call the vet for colic. Horse never went off her feed. What gut supplements offer the best colic coverage? TIA
No advice for “colic prevention” supplements. I would focus more on diet and management. Water and forage available 24/7. Being super alert of any physical or behavior changes especially when there are sudden changes in the weather/temperatures, etc.
Pasture plus exercise, make sure, the horse walks/moves enough.
I very carefully manage my horses and as a rule don’t have colic issues however if God forbid something happens I want to make sure I’ve got as much coverage as possible. Hence the question
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See above post.
If you use Smartpaks, they offer 10k colic surgery reimbursement if you use one of their Colic Care supplements. I use SmartDigest Ultra. I originally got it because of the oat beta glucan in the supplement due to ongoing ulcer issues and I wanted to protect his hind gut. The Colic Care is a nice side benefit though.
A quick read of the Smartpak policy suggests the coverage applies to colic surgery, pre and post op only and does not cover colic events that are not addressed with surgery.
Vet must perform annual wellness exam, dental exam, worming and vaccines. Owner must subscribe to one of the Smartpak approved supplement programs which start at $1.47 a day. So that is $536 a year plus any extra vet fees if you self-worm, etc.
There is always the option of “self insurance”. If you tuck away just $5 a day, in 5.5 years you’ll have a 10K “insurance fund”. Something to think about.
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Mine did that for this upcoming year because a vet misdiagnosed my horse for colic one time during the current year. It was actually something different and unrelated. I decided I could not feel comfortable with a colic exclusion, so I went with a different policy this upcoming year through a different underwriting company.
My horse is covered for colic, but due to the ulcers she had (never colicked) they will not allow me to pay the extra $100.00 for a no deductable/no co-pay for surgery. So I have a $500.00 deductible and 15% copays. I’ve always paid the extra $100 so it would be 100% covered. Just looking for extra coverage now since I can’t go with the extra from the insurance company.
Look into ASPCA pet insurance, they cover horses. 10k Medical/Accident Policy for my horse is $28.00 a month. $250 ded and 20% copay. They also offer a wellness option that covers most annual vaccinations and dentals
Earlier this year a horse at my barn was put down while throwing himself to the ground from the pain of colic. The owner had Vet out several times and everything that could be done without surgery was. I never want to be in that position, so I insure.
Do they have mortality? Does it depend on the value of the horse?
Not sure.
This looks interesting. Maybe supplemental to my mortality major medical plan.
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