22nd September, 2011 Cleft Stick

And so the fun with the insurance company has started over Chancer's various treatments. There has been no point in claiming for the injury to his leg as the cost of treatment fell below the £250 excess although of course, I have had to declare it. This injury has resolved itself completely and it will be interesting to see whether his legs get excluded on the next occasion.

For the other two, I have been asked when I first noticed the problem. So, when is a lump not a lump and when is a loss of condition a real loss? These are both gradual processes and I think we probably notice them subconsciously first. If I reported every lump and bump that Chancer has, I'd be on the phone to the insurance company every day and my definition of a loss of condition is a lot fatter than many Throughbreds - it was more a stary coat, a lack of interest in life and just being far too docile; nothing I could really put my finger on as, there, that is a loss of condition. However, when Lindy came to work with me, she agreed that he wasn't quite right and so when the vet was out, I took the opportunity to say what do you think. She agreed too.She also felt that the lump was something more sinister. So here I am, several hundreds of pounds down the road waiting to see is my insurance company will pay up or not. And whether they do or not, I anticipate that they are likely to exclude gastric ulcers (which he didn't have) and sarcoids (which he could acquire more of) next year. We'll see...