Pet insurance

[Meeps83]

We have insurance. For me it's peace of mind that whatever happens, including cancer, we will be able to treat to the fullest extent at a 90% coverage rate. I do wish that vet clinics billed insurance like hospitals do.....maybe that will happen in the future.

[Squeaksmom]

Raodi is insured, and Rowan will be as well. With Raodi we started with Trupanion, but it got too expensive for a while when I was in undergrad. Luckily (well, financially anyways) she was still insured when she blew her cruciate, so that was covered. We have since got her re-insured with PC insurance (I think they're only in Canada, and not sure who underwrites them... they do our car insurance as well). Of course the cruciate isn't covered as it was pre-existing when we signed up for them. We have already talked to them about adding Rowan as soon as she comes home. Raodi was a confo/obed dog and travelled to shows, and Rowan will be as well and may be bred in the future, so insuring them makes sense for us.

Sprite was dumped as a puppy and hubby found her at the side of the road. She's always been a homebody (doesn't travel with us to dog shows or anything) so insuring her didn't make sense to us.

[Java]

Had insurance on my first dog for his entire life (12 years). Insurance company came out ahead on that one because I had the basic level of care. I think I only used it for removal of a major benign cyst & at the end. Annual deductibles increased at 5 & 10 years of age [edited]. I got basic level for emergencies only because beagles can eat all sorts of things. I knew of one puppy at the time who ate a plastic toy & finally pushed it out but not before costing his family $1400 in emergency vet bills.

Didn't get insurance for my 2nd dog who was 12 when I adopted her. After I lost her 13 months later, I estimated costs of her care were less than if I had registered her for the basic level of insurance. If I had paid for the top level from day 1, expenses would've been about equal either way (the SPCA had run tests that cleared her of the usual senior issues, so insurance would've covered everything).

I adopted my current dog at age 8 & put him on the second highest tier of insurance from day 1 [edited]. Before adoption, I had paid for a geri-panel & urinalysis because insurance doesn't cover pre-existing issues. Because of a slight blip in liver readings, they won't cover his liver but insurance has already paid off despite the steep monthly rate. In the one year I've had him, he's already had two surgeries & thorough testing due to oral melanoma (about $4500 total). Next week, he's getting more testing, a dead tooth extracted (concussive trauma) and a small eyelid tumour removed. There's a $500 deductible once each year and 80% reimbursement after that.

I originally planned to stop pet insurance when Boomer turns 10 but given his medical run so far, probably not.

[Tanya]

it seems most charge 70-100 per month here which is insane. It's a gamble either way, if you need it, it can be a lifesafer. really. but like any insurance many won' use it. Be VERY careful at what is and is not included (ex: i hear some consider CCL tares degenerative and not an accident, others cover it like an accident).

Alternatively, put the money you would pay for insurance in a special emergency account. but you have to be diligent and not use it (I ended up running thru mine due to other issues and am now dealing with the outcome of that). the issue is if something happens before that account has much in it (vs insurance starts as soon as you are accepted). Also, if something MAJOR or lots of separate issues come up it could add up to much much more than what's in the account.

expenses come up w hen you least expect it. a dog can be perfectly healthy and something horrible come up or an accident that costs 4000+.

I would no recommend people have $2000 emergency fund before getting a dog (beyond regular expenses and purchase/planned vetting) and start putting $50 aside in an account (especially with multiple dogs where insurance is even trickier as it's x2!) The advantage is this money is good for anything unlike pet insurance with it's limitations. Again disadvantage is you can quickly run to costs well beyond this or before it's accumulated enough.

If you don't have much of a fund (or limited) have a plan to access money. Can you borrow from parents no interest? someone else you know? can you access any low interest loans? just have an idea ahead of time so it's less of a panic if something happens.

Also, many of us end up paying much more for senior dogs in pain meds alone. so even just saving up for that if you have minimal flex in monthly spending.

[Java]

The more I have dogs, the more I realize the different things that can happen to them. Pet insurance helps reduce my angst about making decisions for treatment but doesn't remove it altogether. There were other treatments available for Boomer's oral melanoma but I drew the line for the ones with diminishing returns. I'm at the point where I'm not sure I'll get another dog after him. Love him but he's definitely a significant financial investment for me.

[Tanya]

The more I have dogs, the more I realize the different things that can happen to them. Pet insurance helps reduce my angst about making decisions for treatment but doesn't remove it altogether. There were other treatments available for Boomer's oral melanoma but I drew the line for the ones with diminishing returns. I'm at the point where I'm not sure I'll get another dog after him. Love him but he's definitely a significant financial investment for me.

i hate to say it but i am having moments of not wanting to deal with this pain again as well (both Penny's issue and Rocky's issues) I suspect i may stick to one dog more after this. And be more diligent on expense. maybe less treats and toys and more into savings.

[ChocLabOwner]

Late to the thread, but with my dog Kiley I was so glad I had insurance. I never wanted finances to drive my decision. Kiley was "a lemon" as a friend put it. Not only did she have UTIs from the time she was 4 months old, she had allergies, thyroid issues and then the big one-full cruciate tear (and have to have TPLO and of course she developed all the rare complications-like I said "a lemon" ). With the new puppy, I will be getting insurance, I am just researching companies at the moment-Trupanion is what my vet is recommending and I like that they don't have a cap on illnesses.

[Georgia]

Update on the Nationwide whole pet with wellness. I've been super happy with this plan. I just submitted a $226 receipt for a 12 month supply of Nexgard and got $203 back. The vet put Sam on a prescription weight loss kibble. They have even been covering his food. I was just reimbursed $68 for a $76 bag of food. Awesome coverage!