From cover to cover

After a month of medical drama with his beloved Ted, Nick Ridley discovers that protecting his dogs and his bank balance Gomés at a premium

- Nick Ridley

I have kept gundogs for more than 30 years and in that time my vet’s bills have been mercifully small. Other than routine visits for inoculations and the occasional small cut, I haven’t had to dig deep into my bank balance to pay any bills. Then four years ago along came Percy.

Right from the word go I knew that he was going to cost me. By the time he was just six months I had already spent more than £2,000 in vet’s bills. He had a passion for eating socks and it always seemed to be out of hours. The final straw was when one got stuck in his intestines and he had to have surgery. I was also beginning to see that he was going to be a hard-hunting dog and I was convinced that at some point he was going to injure himself, so it was time to get both him and Ted insured.

If any of you have looked at getting your gundogs insured, you will already know what a minefield it can be. The most important thing is to ensure that you read the small print as some insurance companies exclude ‘working dogs’. You may consider this not to be an issue as the majority of the time your gundog may be considered a ‘pet’ dog, especially during the close season. Consider the following, however.

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