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[greekblue]

Do you have pet insurance? Do you think is worth it? How much do you pay?
I do not have health insurance for myself But I am seriously thinking getting insurance for my puppy. Just in case something serious happen, I am a student, so I want to make sure she can get the treatment to get well. I love this puppy who is still with her mummy; it just takes soooo long!! She is my life, and I really cannot imagine something happening to her. Adopting her (do not like the word buying) was a big and well thought out decision, and I love her. Do you think is worth getting pet insurance? Did you ever have to use it and thought, Thank God you had that?
Thanks again,
You are probably getting sick by my continuous questions.

[Rivsky]

I have pet insurance for River though I'm still in two minds about whether it really is worth it given that I think I've only claimed back about $30 (Australian) on actual illness claims. However I think it is worth it once your dog starts getting older and will more likely than not require medication of some sort.

I know a lot of people simply put the money they'd pay in premiums into a special account in order to pay for any vet costs that may come up but I just don't trust myself to be able to do that.

I'm not sure how pet insurance works in the US but just make sure you're aware of what ISN'T covered. Until recently the company I'm with had a whole range of "breed specific" exclusions which weren't covered - thankfully they have now lifted this. Also I am able to claim money back for desexing, microchipping, heartworming, flea/tick prevantives, vaccinations, heartworm tests, council registrations etc under a "routine care" component of my policy. Because of this I pretty much get a couple of months "free" cover from what I'm claiming back for these costs.

[Cassiepeia]

I have to put my hand up as one of those people who doesn't really think it's worth it. Putting money aside in an account is a much safer bet (IMO) when it comes not only to emergancies, but to long term illnesses like Jesse had. But that's just my view of course.

Cass.

[Sweetpea]

There was a special on our local news about pet insurance. They did an investigation and found that people would be better to open a separate account to save money in case of and emergency. Rather then pay out for pet insurance. I agree with them, Sometimes it can be hard to collect on some policies. Many times there is fine print that you don't see. Also you may end up waiting a long period of time for the money from the insurance. Which means you still need to pay out of your pocket. But that's just my opinion. There may be someone on the forum who has pet insurance and it's worked out for them. Most Vets around here will set up payment plans. If you let them know you will have a difficult time paying it all up front. It just depends on the Vet. I don't have pet insurance for Emma. I have talked to our vet and he didn't think it was very good. You may want to talk to your local vet also.

[britishbandit]

Originally Posted by Cassiepeia

I have to put my hand up as one of those people who doesn't really think it's worth it. Putting money aside in an account is a much safer bet (IMO) when it comes not only to emergancies, but to long term illnesses like Jesse had. But that's just my view of course.

Cass.

I totally agree. I'd rather just put money aside as well. And for those of us with multiple pets (I have 2 dogs and 2 cats), it's just to much for insurance on them all. For any decent plan around here (without too many stipulations), it's $60 Canadian. So that'd be $240/mth in pet insurance.

If anything ever came up where there was an expesive surgery needed, and I didn't have quite enough saved to cover it, most vets are really good about doing payments. And I'd still rather go that way when needed, over a set monthly fee for the entire life of the pet.

[CdnRottieMom]

I don't have pet insurance. I actually think it's a waste and if anything ever happened to your pet where you needed to make a claim, it's hard to get the insurance company to pay out. Also there may be stipulations on what you can claim and what you can't. More than likely the things you can't claim (Murphy's Law) will be the illness or surgery that you need to make a claim on. I put aside an emergency savings in the event anything should ever happen and if I didn't have the full amount at the time, I would make arrangements to do a payment plan with my vet or depending on the amount of the vet bill then I would take out a loan if I had to.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

I'm with BB. Inevitably the pet I don't have insurance on something will happen to, so I keep my savings account reserved for emergencies. Also, all the companies I've looked at, you pay out of pocket and then file a claim and get maybe 80% of what you paid back. However, I was only looking for Missie who is considered a senior dog. It MAY be worth it for a puppy if you get a basic plan that'll cover spaying, shots, flea/heartworm prev. etc. I would talk to your vet and see what they think.

[Beryl]

I'm with TAD regarding having a health plan for the first year or so if it covers the basics. Also, most reputable breeders have good health guarantees but if your dog is a companion, you will likely NOT return the dog to the breeder. After the first year or so you can drop the plan.

This is similar to what I've done with Banfield. It really paid off for the first year but unnecessary now so it is being minimized. Also, since I've started to feed some raw meals, I don't need the teeth cleaning which is quite costly.

IMO, it is wise to have a significant emergency fund even if you do get insurance which would replenish your account after you'd paid for the service. There are way too many people who do not have enough savings to sustain themselves, let alone their pets, for at least 6 months.

[greekblue]

I like the idea of having separate savings instead of pet insurance. That way I am more free on when I need to use them and when I do not, rather than waiting for the insurance to make this decision for me.

I will, however, check to see if there is an inexpensive plan for the first year that will cover the basic without having a time contract, so I can get out after the first year or so.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Greek, ASPCA Pet Health Insurance was the most inexpensive of the ones I looked at.

Also, I just discovered that members of the Phi Theta Kappa honor society (I don't know if your college participates or not) can get breaks on pet insurance. I haven't looked into it yet because I don't know where my membership card is to gain access to that information, but if you happen to be a member you might look into it.

[greekblue]

Thanks,
I will look into it.
I was send a lettet from Phi Theta Kappa, but I never applied while I was in my community college (I know stupid of me). Now I have transfered to the University and they participate. I have very good greats, so if I receive a letter from them again, I will definitely fill out their form.

[GreyhoundGirl]

Originally Posted by Cassiepeia

I have to put my hand up as one of those people who doesn't really think it's worth it. Putting money aside in an account is a much safer bet (IMO) when it comes not only to emergancies, but to long term illnesses like Jesse had. But that's just my view of course.

Cass.

I totally agree.

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

Greek, their website is www.ptk.org. I believe you can fill out an application there for admission. It takes awhile for your membership to go through so if you're going to do it you'd probably want to now. There are hotel, car rental and other misc. discounts you get too!

[Sophie45]

I have VPI pet insurance for Sophie and think it's the best thing I could have ever done. I get my reimbursement check within two weeks, and have gone over my policy with a fine toothed comb and the coverage is excellent. I pay $375/year and get $150 automatically back in routine vet office visits, heartworm meds and tests, and either a full blood/urinalysis work-up or a teeth cleaning each year. I discussed insurance with my vet who strongly recommended it, has many patients who have had it for years and are extremely pleased with the coverage.

I am not knocking the savings account idea, but first of all, how many people actually put aside thousands of dollars (because if your dog needs immediate surgery or has a serious illness it gets into the thousands quickly) and don't touch it at all? I have 14K in coverage per year. The peace of mind I have is worth the money.