Ask The Expert: Gastric exclusion following foreign body removal

I was contacted yesterday by Dawn. She’s looking to switch pet insurance provider after her current insurer still hasn’t paid out her claim for removing a foreign body ingested by her dog in July. However, some insurers want to place an exclusion on her policy.

My labrador swallowed a foreign object in July. She had an operation to remove it and is now fully fit and has no other illnesses or symptoms relating from the incident/surgery.

I want to change my insurance company ( still waiting to be paid out after 3 months)

Some insurance companies want to put a “gastric exclusion” in because she had an operation. If she is fully fit and has no problems with her health why should there be an exclusion ?

Hi Dawn,

Thank you for contacting me. I hope the below will help.

You are raising a very valid point here: your dog has been treated for an accident, not a condition, so why should there be an exclusion placed on gastric problems? Well, your dog has had surgery and may suffer from secondary effects in a few months or years. Even though she is healthy today, there is a slight risk that further problems will be encountered in the future as a result of the operation. And insurers, generally, will not take on that risk.

Some companies would also exclude the ingestion of a foreign body as an accident. It can be argued that some dogs have a behavioural tendency to swallow objects.

So what can you do?

I would phone a few insurers, explain the situation and see what they say. You may get various responses but my guess is that most of them would place an exclusion, one way or another.

Make sure you disclose everything that related to the incident and provide proofs from your vet that your pet is healthy and doesn’t have any gastric problems. Specify that this was an accident, not a illness.

Whoever you decide to go with in the end, make sure you have a written proof of what you’ve agreed with your insurer so that there is no argument if you ever need to make a claim.

Your current insurer should also be ashamed to make you wait more than 3 months to reimburse you and you should definitely change as soon as possible.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, feel free to add a comment below. I’ll be happy to help. Also let us know how you get on.

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