Danny’s Story

This is Danny’s Story, and the reason why we’ve started the A Change For Danny Campaign.  Some of you may find reading Danny’s story hard, even heartbreaking. But we would encourage you to try to read it, as it outlines why we’re asking for a change to UK pet insurance policies.

Danny was a Cockapoo who came into our lives in December 2014. He arrived as a tiny ball of fur who could be held in both hands. He had a character like no other. He was playful, mischievous, loving and my Mum’s “baby boy”. He followed her everywhere and loved his walks with my Dad. He was never happier than when having long walks on Winchelsea beach during my parent’s summer breaks at their caravan.

He was a good dog, and very rarely needed to be told off for bad behaviour. Although, he did like to try to bury his biscuits under the rug in front of the fire. If you told him not to do it, often or not he would walk out the lounge, and give you a little tap with his paw as he walked past!

As with all pet owners, my Mum and Dad looked forward to many years of fun, laughter and love with Danny. It’s what all pet owners want, and they don’t think of the day when they will need to say goodbye. And, my Mum and Dad could not have expected that day to come when he was only six years old.

As with all responsible pet owners and lovers, my Dad had always made sure Danny had pet insurance. He made sure the insurance would cover Danny for whatever may come his way in terms of veterinary costs.

When Dad received his renewal quote at the beginning of November 2020, it had increased by £100. My parents are in their mid-seventies, so, my Dad did a quick comparison on a comparison website to see what the “going rate” was for a dog of Danny’s breed and age. 

My Dad saw that the same policy, with the same insurance company, was £100 cheaper on the comparison website. So, he decided to go with that policy.

What my Dad didn’t know, was that this would be deemed a new policy, and therefore, subject to a 14-day “no claim” clause – even though it was still with the same insurance company and underwriter as the previous policy.

What both my Dad and Mum couldn’t have known also at the time of renewal was just how ill Danny was!

Danny had shown no symptoms of illness. He was eating well, he was still getting up to mischief and, to all intents and purposes, seemed the model of a healthy dog.

All that changed on Monday 16th November 2020…

Danny started to be sick sometimes when he drank water or ate food. Concerned, my Dad took him to the vets. After an examination, the vet could find no apparent reason. He ordered some blood work, to see if he could see what would be causing the vomiting – but the likelihood was that it was just a bug or something he’d eaten. Indeed, the blood results came back normal, no sign of anything untoward.

On the Wednesday, Danny was still not well, still unable to keep liquids down most of the time, so Dad arranged another visit to the vets. The vet decided the best course of action was to bring Danny in on the Thursday, sedate him, and do an ultrasound of his abdomen to see what might be causing his sickness.

Then the phone call no pet owner wants to receive… “we’ve found a mass in Danny’s stomach”. The blood work had shown no signs of cancer, so the vets were concerned. It was agreed that they would keep Danny in overnight and perform a Laparotomy on the Friday morning to further investigate.

The procedure was carried out first thing on Friday morning. The outcome was bleak. Danny had a tumour in his stomach – it was almost certainly malignant and highly unusual in a dog of Danny’s age – just 6 years old. The tumour had also perforated his bowel. The vet advised my Mum that Danny’s chances of survival were pretty much zero. 

Even if they removed the tumour, they would need to remove a large section of his bowel, and his lymph nodes. Even then, and even with intensive chemotherapy, Danny could not be saved. If he survived the operation and managed to survive the next 4-7 days, even with chemotherapy, his life expectancy was 4-6 months at the most. Even then, his quality of life would decrease as cancer started to spread. So, the prognosis was poor.

This was a tragic blow. Unforeseen, and, until 4 days earlier, undetected or known.

The vet advised that, in her professional opinion, it would be kinder to let Danny pass away whilst still asleep, rather than waking him up for one final goodbye. My parents agreed, and the decision was made to put Danny to sleep so as not to let him suffer. In a matter of four days, he’d gone from seemingly fit and well, to terminally ill, with no good prognosis.

Add to this the heartbreak of Covid-19. Because of Coronavirus, we were not allowed to visit him one last time, to hold his paw as he slipped away. My Mum had to give consent over the phone to a nurse for Danny to be put to sleep.

The 14-Day Clause

Because Danny had only recently been put onto his new policy, my Dad was informed he was not covered for any of the vet bills. They could not accept a claim due to the 14-day clause being in effect. Even though the policy that had just run out had been with the same insurance company and underwriter, the 14-day “no claim” clause had been enacted. They were left to try to find the money to cover the treatment Danny had received in the last few days of his life.

Danny’s Story highlights the unfairness of the 14-day clause on pet insurance. At a time of sadness and grief, my parents had to think about how to pay the vet bills. My partner and I couldn’t let them go through this worry on top of losing Danny, so, naturally, we stepped in and made sure that the vet bill was paid for on their behalf. We intend to follow this up with the insurance company to see if, on compassionate grounds, there is anything they can do to help.

This situation is the driver for us wanting to try to get pet insurance companies to change the rules and remove the clause. We’re doing this for Danny. It won’t bring him back, it doesn’t mend the huge hole and grief we all feel as a family at his sudden loss at such an early age. 

It’s not about the money. It’s about wanting to help others in the future who will find themselves in the same situation as us – dealing with the loss of a much-loved family pet, and not knowing how to pay the vet bills for the treatment received during the 14-day “no cover” period. If Danny’s outlook had been better, we would, like all pet owners, have found a way to treat him to get better. But we feel that if you take out pet insurance in good faith, then it should be honoured regardless of when your pet becomes unwell.

We know reading Danny’s Story has probably been hard, but we needed to tell it. We hope you’ll support us on this journey. In the meantime, we will remember Danny with such great fondness. We will look back and laugh at his character and the joy he gave us, even if it was just for 6 short years. But for now, we say “goodnight Danny-boy… sleep well…”