Insurance?

I won't buy pet insurance....hate to support any more fat-arsed CEOs than I already have to.
My vet gets my extra $$ when I can. Got a credit right now big enough to cover an emergency appointment with my cat today and have some left over!!!
Someone once mentioned here about my vet gettign the interest rather than me by me not having it in the bank.
My bank service charges normally are more than any interest I earn in a month anyway. What is interest on savings now? About .000005% a month while service charges are usually around $10/month. I'll let my vet have what little interest he can earn...xmas gift to them LOL
better they have it than some CEO with 8 vacation homes and 5 yachts

I have VPI pet insurance. It's through my work so it comes straight out of my paycheck. I have heard the pros and cons and there was even article in our local newspaper about it this weekend. The reason I have it is because it makes me feel more secure and I don't have enough money to cover an emergency on my own. We don't have it on my older dog though. We didn't even know what it was back then or if it even existed and now she's too old and the companies won't insure her.

There are a ton of pros and cons and for some people it's just not do-able or practical.
 
1.  It's ALWAYS not going to cover 'pre-existing conditions'.  That means any problems the dog already HAS won't be covered -- so typically unless you cover a pup from day 1 it can be not worth it.  In other words - a pup that develops spay incontinence -- that can be 'not covered' if the dog was spayed prior to you getting them.  It can also (and this depends on the company) make it not cover some breed-related problems -- like breathing problems for a bracheocephalic breed -- if they can decide it was 'pre-existing' they won't cover it.  And definitely -- if a dog you adopted had ear problems before you got it, won't EVER be covered under the policy.  That sort of stuff.
 
2.  They can require all the vaccines in the book -- so if you are someone who doesn't want to over-vaccinate -- your insurance may REQUIRE it or it won't cover the dog.  Same thing with bortadella and other stuff. 
 
3.  They will only pay "reasonable and customary" -- so if your vet charges more they may either require you to switch vets or won't pay what your vet charges.  They can also get really picky about what they will and won't cover.  Like teeth cleaning -- I don't know if they consider that important or not. 
 
It can also get really sticky on how an animal got the problem -- and what sort of treatment it may cover.
 
I never wanted to wade thru the minefield of "no you can't do that it's not covered". 
 
For ME -- the savings account is what we do.  Any 'found money' goes there, my Christmas bonus's go there (and it was a darned good thing last years was a good one cos I've needed it for Billy and then some).  You do have to be disciplined about it.  It's awfully easy to think "oh, I have to have this .. I'll put it away next month".  The ONLY way it works is if you are aggressive with yourself and never EVER let yourself tap into it because you can go YEARS without any catastrophic problem and then suddenly when the dog is 9 it gets EXPENSIVE. 
 
Generally it doesn't cover meds either -- so like with my Billy -- it never would have covered for him to go up to UFlorida and be treated in ICU, nor would it have covered the drugs we've needed to use for the IMHA. 
 
It gets risky -- sometimes you may need to tell the vet to treat, and then the insurance might not pay. 
 
I've never taken puppies -- I like mature dogs so by the time I get them typically they have a problem or two.  My dogs are less likely to get hit by a car because I'm completely anal about them being contained.  But I'm also going to be the person who may want to treat cancer if it's a sensible option -- and I don't want to be told "no" by insurance and then feel like I can't do what I want to do.
 
That's me.   But if you're looking for input that's my thots.

the biggest expense I had with Sadie (an emergency-related...most was over time so not as noticable) was the stone surgery, liver biopsy and my vet was pretty sure it was genetic - both the stones and the liver disease. I also understand that if something is considered a genetic health issue it wn't be covered.

I second your notion to start a savings account. Reflect for a moment on how much profit insurance companies make.... they are ripping you off no matter what. I used to work for one (not pet related) and I think everyone is better off saving that money instead of putting it towards premiums. And who knows what kind of hassle they might give you if you (god forbid) try to make a claim!

I look at pet insurance like health insurance for people. I hear people say, oh just start a savings account and pay if someone gets sick rather than spending thousands in premiums every year. How many people are going  to set aside a couple of hundred thousand dollars in a savings account so that they can pay for a hospital stay if necessary.  I think it is the same with pet insurance.  It is pretty easy to rack up a multi thousand dollar bill if your dog gets seriously sick or injured.  Paying $130 for a year with a limit of $8,000 for the year , is a no brainer in my opinion. God forbid my dog gets seriously sick or injured, I know at least a major part of the expense will be covered. 

*IF* you can start insuring the pup as a young one and with no breaks then it's definitely worth it as long as they aren't going to require things you won't in conscience do (like the vaccine issue for some of us) . 
 
However -- it's not the same rule structure as for people (where we CAN choose to go or not) and given that a spay is still somewhere around $100, I doubt you'll find any doctor/hospital who does a hysterectomy for that.

We have it after spending a couple thousand dollars having Marley in intensive care for 3 days, a retrieval attempt on the nail he swallowed, and several x-rays later (this was when he was 13 weeks old). My husband did the research and got it for us. They have payed on everything...they even payed a portion on his microchip which I thought was a long shot when I sent in the claim! There are pros and cons, but I am glad we have it in case Marley decides to swallow another sharp object or something he can't pass! Apparently, Labs are notorious for doing such things!

I've also been thinking about this. Overall the dogs are very healthy and still young, but this year we've had a couple accidents that sent us to the emergency clinic with $250 bills each time. We are not wealthy people, so while we can afford a bill of that magnitude, anything more than that would definately be disasterous. We have a savings account and a credit card we would use, but we're saving to buy a house and if I can pay a small monthly bill in order to ensure that we can keep our home-savings intact, I'd rather do that.
 
I was wondering if anyone knew anything about the pet insurance offered through the PetCo P.A.L.S program? Last time I was in the store I picked up a flier and I haven't seriously investigated it yet, but I am planning to.

I wish there was something like major medical for dogs.  As if, they got in a serious accident, or needed surgery.  I'm fine with the run of the mill vet expenses; I budget for them.  But I am afraid a big one could wipe me out.  Yikes.

I was going to get it for Giz but because of "pre-existing condition" it would not be worth it for her. After her first surgery that basicaly suggested that any health condition would be related to that and I would have to pay either way. For my new puppy that I will get next year I am seriously thinking about getting it for him or her.

With most vets the insurance companies do not work directly with them. Instead you pay up front and send the reccept and clame to the companie then they decide if they should pay for it. Even at that you will pay out of pocket first so you would need some sort of back up plan either way like an emergency credit card.

My friend bought it for her cat and has gotten almost everything back that she has had to pay in vet bills. She got it for her cat when it was a kitten with a clean bill of health. It payed for all her vet visits and even payed for her cat when it was sick. She paid the full amount for a whole year at once and got a discounted price. Then to add to that she also got a discount because she is a vet tech. Some insurance co. do give discounts if you work in animal rescue or in animal care. There are also discount for buying it for more than one pet. I would say make sure you read all the fine prit first before going with anything ans ask your vet if other clients use pet insurance and what they go with. I know there are some companies my vet strongly suggest to stay away from.

My dog is insured with Petplan USA.  Petplan is the world#%92s largest and most trusted pet health insurance provider, recommended by more veterinarians & pet owners than any other.  Petplan gave me a discount for micro-chipping. 
Petplan is the only pet health insurer in the US to cover congenital and hereditary conditions with no dollar limits per condition.  Now that my dog is insured, Petplan will cover any condition that he might develop and cover it forever. 
I can also visit any veterinarian US and Can.