Pet Insurance

I'd say it depends on the breed and potential health costs you may run into because of breed.  I have pet insurance for Kato, but if he were to need ACL surgery, which is common in giant breeds, or ANY surgery for that matter it would cost me a small fortune.  The larger the dog, the higher the cost due to anesthesia and equipment, etc..... Our insurance covers some of the yearly visit, and some of the Heartguard medication as well.  Your friends may have dogs that litterly only ever cost them a yearly check-up and preventative meds.  Then, they are correct in paying as they go.  It's really just peace of mind and how close to the edge you like to live! 

I believe that Bulldogs and Shar Peis are also high on the vet bill list, and would be willing to bet that a lot of those breed owners have insurance. 

I always get a little nervous when Kato goes out in the winter and I see him slip a bit on ice.  I see blown hips and astronomical vet bills!

Don't get me wrong, all pets can cost money at the vet, but some are more prone.  Actually, puppies have the highest incidence of ER vet bills because they tend to put everything in their mouths that an older dog doesn't do anymore.  Sticks in the back of the throat, poisons, etc...

Well, what's the best dog insurance, do you think?
er...or what do you use? That's what I should've asked.

Anyway, something that will cover the annual vaccinations, possibly heart and/or flea preventives (if there is such a policy) or anything like that.
I have a hard time understanding insurance policies or at least deciphering what's the better deal.

You're not alone ... I have a hard time figuring them out, too.  I've been thinking that if I was paying monthly for the policy, I'd wind up paying out more over the course of a year than I would pay just to get the shots and get 6 months worth of HW preventive twice a year. On the other hand, if something happened that resulted in a huge vet bill, it might come in pretty handy.

Joyce

I'm pretty sure I posted this before on another thread, but I would highly advise you give a lot of thought to whether the insurance is worth the money. I had insurance (VPI) on my dog for several years, and so did my sister, and they always had some reason why they couldn't pay more than a fraction (like $6 for anesthesia...um, hello? Have you EVER heard of any vet giving anesthesia for six bucks? Their excuse was that I live in NY so all the vets are just overpriced...but when they sold me the insurance, they told me they took geographic region into consideration when paying benefits. When I brought this up, they told me their salespeople have been known to lie -- yes, they ADMITTED it -- but said it wasn't their problem because as long as they didn't violate the small print in their contract, I couldn't sue them and win).

When my sister's dog needed surgery for hip displasure, they said it wasn't covered because the breed is predisposed to it, but otherwise they would have covered most of it. But then when Jessie had a $1,600 accident, I only got $300 and change back. They sit on checks forever, too.

Also, you can't cancel by phone, they make you fax or e-mail it, then they keep "losing" it so they can keep charging you. My sister had to cancel five times before they actually cancelled her.

I mentioned all this to my vet and he said he's gotten a LOT of complaints from people with VPI who were very dissatisfied with it.

So if you are going to get insurance, this is one company I would seriously stay away from.

Jan

I added up the cost of premiums for fifteen years and decided it was very unlikely I would save money by insuring. Even a couple of $$ emergencies wouldn't cost more than the premiums.

I have a friend from Maryland that got his dog from the Maryland SPCA, and they offered him pet insurance for $11/mo, which I think is extremely reasonable.  I'm pretty sure he said it covered vaccinations and all that, too.  However, he doesn't know the company name offhand. 

I've been thinking about looking into pet insurance, too, when I get my dog...so I'd like to hear more about this, too. 

mudpuppy, the odds may be in your favor, but they weren't with me.  my dog had every vaccination known to man, still contracted parvo, nearly died, and we ran up a $3500 vet bill over his 10 day hospital stay that i currently pay $400/mo. on!!!  live and learn,  i suppose!  i'm just thankful he's alive and remind myself of it everytime i write the check 

If it makes you feel better, if you had pet insurance, there's a good chance you'd still be paying $400 a month (or maybe $385 a month if you were really lucky). There are a lot of hidden clauses about things they won't pay for, anything that can be labelled pre-existing, any disease that the breed may be predisposed to, certain types of accidents, a host of special illnesses, etc. So if you do buy pet insurance, you really need to read the fine print. You'd be amazed at the creative excuses they come up with not to pay out on stuff.

My sister's cat got caught in a recliner chair and needed hip surgery, and they told her they couldn't pay for it because they were somehow convinced that the hip problem was pre-existing, even though nothing in the vet records or the cat's history suggested hip problems.

Then again, maybe this is insurance in general. Last year, my insurance company decided a treatment I needed was "experimental" and therefore not covered, even though it's been around for 10 plus years and was the only possible treatment for my problem and the insurance company's doctor AND his boss agreed with my doctor that this was the only option for me...every other state recognized it as legit, too, but since my insurance is based in Wisconsin, which is apparently in the Dark Ages, medically speaking, I got to pay for it myself.

Just don't expect too much out of pet insurance. If it covers a serious illness, that's great, but you don't want to rely on it as your only option and then find out it doesn't cover much of anything, because that can leave you more vulnerable than if you had no insurance, since you know with no insurance to save some money for vet bills.

Sorry to sound so cynical, but every person I know who's had a major problem with their pet found their pet insurance was practically useless. I personally still can't get over that they thought paying $6 toward anesthesia constituted "coverage..."

Jan

EEEK!  Sounds like these pet insurance companies are undercover thieves!  If I end up paying like $400 a month and they have a bunch of hidden clauses, then I think best if I just pay as I go.  So glad you guys were here to share your experiences!  Otherwise, I might've jumped onto a pirate ship and not know it!  []
 
pickleweed

I have insurance for Toby and I'm so glad I got it.

Toby has had some issues with his digestive system and the last round of bloodwork and ultrasound cost $695. The vet put in the claim for me and I got the cheque in less than 5 days. They covered exactly what they said they would. Insurance pays 80% and I pay $20%.

Yesterday, Toby had diarrhea and was very lethargic. I had to take him to the Emergency Animal Hospital this afternoon. He will have to stay for 24 hours of monitoring plus tests and x-rays.  The approx. cost of this will be $2000.

I would pay for any treatments and tests for Toby regardless if I had insurance or not. But its nice to not have to think of money issues when your beloved dog is ill.

If I end up paying like $400 a month and they have a bunch of hidden clauses, then I think best if I just pay as I go  

 
yeah, i would never get pet insurance for the precise reason that my dogs yearly vet bills do not add up to what a months worth of insurance would cost, but  my dog is real low maintenance. i'd rather just take my chances with having to pay a large bill for emergency surgery or any other unexpected bills as my dog has not had any big occurrences in the 3 years he's been with us.

Hello who do you have your pet insurance with. I have just gotten a new toy poodle puppy and the breeder recommended it, but every thing I have read is aweful and so many hidden terms. Thanks Codette

My boyfriend got insurance on his dog right when he got her. He claimed nothing for 15 months, and is in great standing with the company. I think he pays about $25/month. Now his dog needs bi-lateral hip replacement (not just FHAs) within the next few years and luckily because of his good start with the insurance, he's getting it mostly covered. I don't know the figures exactly, but it helps, A LOT.

My mom says she is going to get insurance for her next dog, especially since her eldery corgi right now is costing her close to $600/month in tests and goodness knows what else - and I get her her presciption diet for practically free.

I'll probably never get insurance for my pets - but then again, in four years I'll just be able to do it myself.

I looked into several Pet Insurance policies when I got my new (young) dog from a shelter a couple of months ago. Came to the conclusion that I would probably spend more in premiums than I would in medical expenses even if I took only a "middle of the road" policy.  For example, from one company, Rabies vaccinations were not a reimbursible expense and on another vaccination (I cant remember which one) the Vet charges around $30 and the reimbursement would be $6 from the insurance company.... I would be paying much more out of pocket than I could ever expect to receive as reimbursement.

So as long as I have to pay out of pocket anyway,  what I decided to do was to pay the premium to myself -- I opened a "vet savings account" with $100 and will transfer $30 each month into that account. I wont tap into it for the day-to-day vet bills but hopefully the account will be quite sizeable before my dog ever needs major treatment.