Horse Insurance - Colic Surgery Required?

[sheltoneb]

I would like to get insurance for my horse including Major Medical/ Surgical. However, in the unfortunate situation where colic surgery is recommended by the vet, I don’t want to be forced to do colic surgery to be able to claim mortality. Are there companies who don’t require colic surgery if the vet recommends it?

Before anyone ask, the reason I don’t want to do colic surgery is both a standard of life and monetary issue for me. While some horse have colic surgery and make full recovery with no further issues, a large percentage of horses never make it off the table, struggle with recovery, or have continuing issues. I have personally seen more horse have continuing issues or require multiple surgeries than make a full recovery. This combined with the fact that even with insurance, it will still be a huge cost to me, I will only consider surgery in limited case.

The statics I have seen say that only 75% to 90% will make it off the table. Of those who make it off the table ~70% to 80% return to their previous or intended activity, and 55% to 80% percent regained their pre-surgical or higher level of performance.

[Guilherme]

It all depends on the policy. You can request policy exemplars from any reputable company and they will provide them. If they make something a Term and Condition then you either accept that or not. If you don’t accept it then the Company may cancel the contract or delete the item you don’t like or do something else. The wording of the policy will always govern.

G.

[kiwichick]

I have had the exact same issue.
My understanding from recent experience with insurance and surgery is that if there is a surgical opportunity, it must be taken, and this also extends beyond your cover (so my cover is for $7500 and I hit that, they then expected me to continue to operate at my own expense for as long as surgery was an option)
The mortality cover is closely aligned with AVA regulations (this is Australia), whereby choosing to Euth must fall into the ‘Euthanasia’ category, or your vet must make his case to your insurance company (and good luck with that)

I very much doubt there are any insurers that would cover mortality outside of this, as it protects their business interests too, otherwise people could easily extort the system and choose to Euth and claim mortality for all sorts of unethical reasons.

Infact after my discussion around mortality cover (and my horse was truly caught in the middle as a genuine case) I decided it was the most useless of the covers available. Its pretty much impossible to get, they re-evaluate your horses value based on their own assessors, and in my case they were cheeky enough to tell me my horses value needed reassessed as he had major surgery and therefore wasnt worth as much (surgery traumatised him into a dangerous lunatic - so ya think!)
I cancelled my cover on this horse after all this, they literally had me by the short and curly’s

[ZELLA]

If you know you absolutely would not pursue colic surgery under any circumstances, I wouldn’t recommend you buy insurance at all. In the insurance contract, the insurance carrier has a say in the care of the horse, and they would require you to go ahead with colic surgery IF the vet says it would be a good chance to save the horse.

There are times when even the vet says that the horse isn’t a surgical candidate (when all diagnostics indicate rupture, when the horse has other health issues that interfere, when it’s a second or third colic surgery on a debilitated horse, for example). In situations like this, the insurer usually agrees to euthanasia and accepts the mortality claim. However, if the vet says the horse IS a surgical candidate, you are obligated to proceed. If you refuse, then the claim expenses are not reimbursed, and the insurer probably will non-renew your contract, since you established a history of not following the policy rules on your end.

[ndirish07]

Well, my perspective and experience seems to be different. I had Great American insurance. My horse coliced and had surgery. He made it through that after an extended stay at Rood and Riddle for post-op ileus. I called Great American en route to Rood and Riddle at about 2 am and made the claim that he was really colicy. I was advised to do whatever was in my horse’s best interest in regarding to surgery or euthanasia. About 8 weeks after all that, he coliced again. This time it happened so fast that I didn’t even get a chance to call them en route. I was told I could do another surgery again or end it. I chose to end it. I called Great American after he was put down. The adjuster never even remotely questioned it. They paid a full value medical/surgical claim and my mortality claim. I did have to get a necropsy done ($200 at U.K.), but all I had to do was provide a copy of his show record from USEA, and a little thing I wrote up about his unrecognized shows to substantiate his value. They were just waiting on that and they overnighted my check so I could pay the bills to the vet. My policy technically required that I pay the bills and then get reimbursed, but the bills exceeded what I could pay out of pocket. I know that sounds like a paid endorsement, but I have nothing but kind words for that adjuster and the company in what was a really hard time.

[hunter51]

I have always been told that if there was a chance that the horse’s life could be saved, you must do so, or you will not receive mortality. I think the stats are actually much higher for the horse making it off the table and many go on to make a full recovery. I think it really depends on the type of colic, but it is a personal decision regardless. Mine did not recover after I chose to have colic surgery done for a 360* torsion - I had to euthanize him three months later due to ongoing chronic colic and peritonitis.

The company required extensive evidence that euthanasia was a last resort and the most humane thing in terms of his quality of life and I understand why - I’m sure less-than-honest people try to screw them by over-exaggerating the horse’s value (they make you prove this too in the event of death), and then euthanizing over something minor. It’s a shame for the rest of us who honestly just want to do right by the horse and sometimes the right thing is euthanasia. My vet told me that he’s never seen anybody receive a claim after putting a horse down, aside from myself.

I can only suggest that you speak to the insurance company specifically about these types of cases before purchasing insurance. Some have clauses about euthanasia in regards to the horse’s suffering/quality of life/danger to itself and others.