Dog Community

Who has pet insurance?

dyan

Posted : 4/10/2008 5:59:16 PM

I've seen this discussed on this forum..but never really read any of it. Now I can't find where there is a conversation about pet insurance.

Today and yesterday at work the topic came up...yesterday because a dog owner can't afford ligament surgery for her dog...and contacted an insurance company ( which is too late not that it was diagnosed ) and today and insurance company called the clinic I work for to have us fax all the DOCTORS NOTES to them on a dog where the owner applied for insurance.

It got me thinking.... Its been just about a month that my dear sweet Bubblegum is gone.... and I'll be paying for her medical bills for a few more months. The bills are running almost $3000 in about 2 and 1/2 weeks spent trying to find out what is wrong and get her better. I am looking at getting another dog...and this whole thing scares me,,,in a few areas. But even thinking that we could go thru these expenses again soon....really upset me. So with this insurance thing going on at work, I started thinking that I should look into it.

THe one lady tried the ASPCA for pet insurance and the other PetCare.

Wondering if any of you have it and what you think of it? If I get a 3 yr old...can I still get insurance? And do I want to. I know that you still have to pay for the service..and then get reimbursed but that is sure better than paying and getting nothing back. Especially when your husband is retired....and you have to also consider your own health care. I remember when Bubby had a UTI last year...the antibiotics were about $60 and I was thinking...gee,,if it were for me I would get the pills from the local drug store on my health card for probably $5!

shadowsgin

Posted : 4/11/2008 8:31:40 AM

I am glad you asked this question. I ran into the same situation with Shadow. I just got those vet bills paid and we lost him in Jan. Thank goodness we have a wonderful vet that allowed me to make payments. I was thinking about insurance for our new puppy but when I read the ASPCA data it looked to me like the monthly costs would outweigh the amount I would normally spend for a healthy dog. The only way it would pay the large expenses such as injury and illness would be if I upped the plan and even then it was limited to what it would pay. I to am confused about which direction to go.

Maxs Mom

Posted : 4/11/2008 8:34:47 AM

I have it, I love it. I have VPI. However, VPI does not cover CCL injuries in the first year of coverage. We started when Max tore her CCL. We never covered her (2 TPLO's) but we did cover Belle, and Teddi. Unfortunately it also did not cover Teddi's THR (genetic) BUT they did not say "no" out right. They looked over our claim. She is covered for her THR follow up's she will need annually, our premiums did not go up, and if she has any knee injuries she would be covered. We also have the routine care coverage which covers shots/spays. That pays for itself. I did not pick up cancer coverage.

I find VPI might be a bit more expensive, but they seem reputable and they cover the claims quickly via reimbursement. All my vets recommended them when I checked around.

Max was 8 when she hurt her first knee. We investigated insurance but do to her advanced age the premiums were quite high. Since we were already paying for the surgery we didn't insure her. Maybe we should have her second knee surgery might have been covered. Oh well.

Benedict

Posted : 4/11/2008 10:04:38 AM

I do, but it's a very common thing to have in the UK. Off the top of my head I could probably list 30 different companies that offer competitively priced pet insurance. When I first insured Ben the only restriction was that they wouldn't cover any claim made within the first month. We're a long way past that now and essentially everything except routine checkups and vaccinations are covered.

If you can get a decent plan, it's worth it for peace of mind alone.

dyan

Posted : 4/11/2008 2:50:28 PM

From what I am reading... VPI seems the one that most people that are answering have. One person said they have PerCare ( which is the first one that I heard of because at work they called for information on a patient ) and they said this company keeps coming up with reasons to NOT pay. THAT is what I am afraid of.

That is why I want to check this out carefully. I guess I will have to go to different companies to figure out which things will be covered or not.

I can understand a company saying they won't pay for an illness that vets recommend you vaccinate against......and I pretty much am not vaccinating against any of them unless I have to...such as rabies.