Pet Insurance

[aprilmay]

$600 a year seems like quite a bit. My dog was diagnosed with epilepsy a year ago and we spent a fortune trying to find out what was wrong with her, but now that she's stable we only pay $20 a month for her meds. Are you able to wait until they're older to opt in for the insurance? Cause that's when you'll most likely need it more. You just never know though if you'll need it or not.

[Jess]

I have VPI for my cat for $22 per month. If you are going to get it you have to get it when they are young and healthy as the price goes up if they will even accept you.

 

Honestly, it hasn't been that worth it. She has been pretty sick lately and it has only paid half of the bills...so at this point we are about at the break even point. If you get it, just make sure to look at the exclusions and limitations. A lot of times it maxes out on certain illnesses.

[Jessica]

We have pet insurance and it's $400 a year. For us it was worth it, especially when our pets are new because our insurance completely covers check ups, shots, neutering/spaying, and all those initial visits. Now that our dogs have been through all the initial stuff we are going to let the insurance finish off the rest of the year and not renew because we won't need it as much.

 

We didn't have any co-pays except for meds. But for us it was worth it because it saved us money on getting the major stuff out of the way and for less than it would have cost us without insurance.

[juliepfeif]

$600 seems like a lot. We have 3 small dogs from 3 to 17 years of age and we don't spend that much a year on the vet. We take them all at least 2x per year.

 

I did have Care Credit for a while and that worked well for large expenses. When I had my oldest neutered, (the other two I got through rescue agencies and they were neutered before they were adopted) I was able to buy a discounted certificate from my local humane society and take it to my vet to perform the procedure.

 

Also, I'd check to be sure what the insurance covered? Does it do big (expensive) things like special tests (ultrasound) or teeth cleaning or emergency vet visits? If it's only for routine office visits, I would think twice!

[MissyR]

We have pet insurance through PC Financial which is actually run by Securican. It's about 37 bucks a month and for us totally worth it. Last year our pup was punctured with a stick while playing in the forest and the cost was $700 - pet insurance covered everything except our annual $100 deductible.

[jenniebey]

I have Pet's Best for my little pug at about $20 per month. I've only had it for 5 months and haven't used it yet. It doesn't cover routinue stuff like shots, check-ups or dental. But I have a dog who likes to eat everything (macadamia nut = $350 in ER bills) and fight other dogs (small bite = $250) so I figured it was worth it.

 

Plus if you have a pure bred they are bound to get sick from something as they get older. So I figure it will be used then.

 

However $600 seems like a lot. Is it the basic plan or the 'gold' plan?

[Debs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissyR We have pet insurance through PC Financial which is actually run by Securican. It's about 37 bucks a month and for us totally worth it. Last year our pup was punctured with a stick while playing in the forest and the cost was $700 - pet insurance covered everything except our annual $100 deductible.

That's weird there's no co-pay for you? The quote I got shows that there's a 20% co-pay with PC financial. Weird! This was their example:

covered treatment cost$1,500
co-insurance (you pay 20%)- $300
SUBTOTAL$1,200
deductible- $100
TOTAL REFUND$1,100


Thanks for all the advice! The $600 I said was for the dog AND cat.

I think I'll research some of the other plans you ladies have used as well.

[KristinaM]

Debs- I researched this too when I first got Daisy and opted out.

 

I heard alot of stories of things not being covered, people have issues being reimbursed, etc. In my research, many people recommended an alternative-- a savings account-- which I decided was a better option for me.

 

I opened an online savings (I chose HSBC online at the time) and put $50 or so in it each month. This way, if something comes up where Daisy needs it- I can take it out and use it for that purpose and if she *god willng* lives a long healthy life with no major health problems.. I still have the account rather than throwing the premiums out the window.

[Vikki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KristinaM Debs- I researched this too when I first got Daisy and opted out. I heard alot of stories of things not being covered, people have issues being reimbursed, etc. In my research, many people recommended an alternative-- a savings account-- which I decided was a better option for me. I opened an online savings (I chose HSBC online at the time) and put $50 or so in it each month. This way, if something comes up where Daisy needs it- I can take it out and use it for that purpose and if she *god willng* lives a long healthy life with no major health problems.. I still have the account rather than throwing the premiums out the window.

That's a really great idea. Lots of online accounts don't have fee and what a great way to sock away some money toward your pet's care.

[bholthof]

Quote:

Originally Posted by KristinaM Debs- I researched this too when I first got Daisy and opted out. I heard alot of stories of things not being covered, people have issues being reimbursed, etc. In my research, many people recommended an alternative-- a savings account-- which I decided was a better option for me. I opened an online savings (I chose HSBC online at the time) and put $50 or so in it each month. This way, if something comes up where Daisy needs it- I can take it out and use it for that purpose and if she *god willng* lives a long healthy life with no major health problems.. I still have the account rather than throwing the premiums out the window.

I think this is what we are going to wind up doing. We have three cats, and we're getting a large-breed puppy next year, so I think it just makes more sense to start putting it all away properly.