Pet Insurance
 

How many of you have it and for what breed of dog?

My dilemma. I have a 1 year old Yorkie (love this little guy to pieces). A few months back he ate a bug that made him so sick we ended up at the doggie ER almost at midnight. That trip cost $500. But it could have been $1500 if they had kept him over night etc etc.

I'm on a website dedicated to Yorkies and I'm suddenly realizing these little dogs are not the healthiest breed. Fragile, super into everything they shouldn't be. Etc.
They have hearts of a lion, not afraid of much, and so much fun. I wouldn't give him up for anything.

Doggie insurance is about $30 per month with $250 deductible.

Am I being paranoid or cautious??? A minor surgery can be in the thousands.
I need to think this over and sleep on it.

Tia for your help.

I have always insured my dogs - vet fees are so expensive - my terrier had to have a big surgery a couple of years ago for oxylate stones in her bladder - not sure what I would have done if I didn't have that insurance as it cost a few thousand.

I don't have it, but I know others that do and any time they went to use it (several different reasons) they were told that the insurance didn't cover it

If you can get some policies, read them over very carefully to see what they do - and do NOT cover.

Is that $250 deductible for each episode or annually?

Does it cover routine care like exams and rabies shots?

Have you asked your veterinarian's office what they think about it?

Is there a way to compare coverages from different companies?

$360 plus $250 for "total" coverage for a pet is still in the "reasonable/manageable" range if the animal has anything more than "routine" exams and vaccinations. (Says she whose son's cat had close to $5,000 in vet bills)

I remember - way back when - that the cats and dogs did not get any special care. When they got old and sick, it seemed like the animals would just go off somewhere and die a natural death.

Same here. I love my pets to pieces and don't want them to suffer, but I can't see spending thousands of dollars to extend one life when so many -- animal and human -- are suffering and going without.

I had to have my beloved dog put down earlier this year, and it was quite the learning experience. In our area, you are no longer allowed to bury your pet on your own property, so in addition to a hefty vet bill for putting her down (on top of vet bills for trying to treat her), I had to pay more to have her cremated and then more for her ashes to be spread on a designated country property -- or pay even more to have her put in an urn, which I declined. She was suffering, so letting her go naturally wasn't an option, but I do feel like the vet industry is making a whole lot of money off people these days. I don't mean any offense to any vets or people who work for them, I'm just reflecting on how things have changed...

No, a lot of people have pet insurance. So I'd say go for it. My nephew just had to slam on his brakes and his 12 yr old dog flew into the front and hit the dashboard. I've yet to hear how she is doing. I'd just sent him $300.00 to help him get new tennis shoes and some groceries, but it may go elsewhere now.

Having had dogs for a long time, and may be different as in UK, I would not, have a pet without insurance. I help rehome German Shepherds and we advocate insurance, one of mine was seriously ill last year and the vet bills ended up over £4000 sterling, we had to pay 10% and £70 excess a lot less than full bill X

As a disabled person on a very low fixed income, vet insurance is not an option. $36 per month and a $250 deductible, would mean giving up frivolities like heat. When something happens, I just depend on my Karma to find a way to pay the vet. I should say that I have a great vet, who is wonderful about taking payments. My animals get all of their shots, check ups, flea control, chipping, and licensing, so I must do something right. I just took Eli to the vet yesterday and the bill is $308, so insurance would only pay $58, and when you subtract that from what I would have paid for a year, it just does not make any sense. The only thing covered by locally available vet insurance is vaccines and checkups, so it would only have covered a small part of the bill, but the deductible would mean I would still pay the whole bill.

I don't have pet insurance but do have a care credit card in case of any emergencies. I recently used it to help cover a biopsy on my little Chihuahua. Glad I had it, but she had cancer, and I had maxed out the card, so that was a big expense that was out of pocket, to the tune of $400.00. She was also spayed. Just glad she's on the mend .

When my Borzoi bloated and we had to take him to the emergency hospital miles away in a blizzard, they charged my credit card $1500 when we walked in the door. The entire episode was almost $5000 but they did save his left. I wish I could afford monthly premiums and feel confident everything would be covered but I doubt that's the case.

I like madamekelly, same last name but no relation :-), I hope for the best and my previous vet was glad to take payments. He's passed now but I got a Care Credit CC in case something goes wrong again. I can still make payments to them but the interest is very high.

I don't have it for my PON, but I wish I did because he has chronic ear problems and allergies....next time.

Same goes for human insurance!

My thoughts:

Insurance companies are designed to turn a profit for their shareholders. To that end they budget on only paying out about 60% of the premiums they collect in any given fiscal year. The 40% covers their administrative expenses and shareholder profit.

The policy my Vet suggested for my son's kitten does not cover shots and check ups. If you do not get shots and check ups according to the insurance company's schedule, they will not cover emergency treatment.

I was reviewing the last 10 years of vet bills for my various cats and dogs. Check ups, shots and flea treatments average $300.00 per pet per year. I currently have three cats and one dog, so I budget for $1200 per year in regular care.

Emergency care has been needed for one dog and two cats over the years. On average it cost $1400.00 each. My dog is going in for dental surgery on Tuesday, the quote I was given is for between $700.00 and $1000.00, plus he needs his shots. This is not the same dog that had emergency surgery. I have a contingency fund set aside to help out if there is another emergency.

Touch wood, we have not had two pets need emergency care the same year.

All but one has been buried in the yard, when they died. It makes me sad that I will leave them when I move next year. Each one has a special plant. Cassie, my old dog died in late December when the ground was frozen, she also was over 60 pounds and I would have needed a really big hole. She, I had cremated. She I in a pottery urn on my hearth.

Talk to your vet. This pet insurance stuff is relatively new so a lot of vets don't take it. The paperwork is as confusing as people ins. and adds to their work load. My vet takes payments on larger bills. But only from long standing patients. She brought my Clem in to this world as a middle of the night emergency 18 yrs ago and she still gets excited when he visits her.

I would do it if I had a Yorkie. My friend has had Yorkies for over 30 years and as soon as pet insurance became available she and her husband signed up for it. She had 4-5 at once for a couple years. Never bred always had them altered. If I were going to adopt a special breed and depending on their health issues, I would get pet insurance. Just really check out the policy. There's a lot they won't cover. Only way I would take a Yorkie or other special breed/needs dog would be if it were given to me. Not going to pay the price they want and turn around and pay more. Our dogs were given, rescued/adopted. Brutus our last one adopted us. He wouldn't let loose of my DH for nothing. Followed him everywhere and still does for the past 9 years.

We cremated the last one our Bianca and the same will happen with the other 2 when the time comes, hopefully not for awhile.

You have to read the fine print. I thought it would cost more than the payout if one of my dogs ever got seriously ill. I didn't get it for either of my Westies.

I would have loved to have a special place in my yard for Yukon King when we lost him, but in Oregon it is illegal to bury them in your own yard. The only reason I can come up with is that it creates guaranteed business for local pet creamatoriums. It is not as if they are toxic waste.....

MadameKelly, i buried our 17 year old orange tabby in our backyard after the Vet let us have him back. She just said not to tell her what we would do. I was ready to fight for him.

I looked into pet insurance , doesn't cover a lot , I make sure she gets quality food, I add pure pumkin to aide in digestion, brush her teeth almost daily, walk her in good weather, maker her her owN dog treats. Vet said she's very heathy, hope she stays that way

I took Buddybear to the vet today for a wellness check and his anxiety about riding in the car. She suggested Lecithin, 1/4 tsp per day. When I told her about looking into pet insurance she replied "the best insurance is that you love him and he loves you."
Their office policy is you pay all the costs then send the bill to the insurance for reimbursement.

Compare policies and ask your regular vet if they can recommend and insurance and do they accept any insurances. There are so many new ways now to treat animals that did not exist even 20 years ago. Of course, they are expensive treatments. My brother's two dogs has cancer and they got chemotherapy! The dogs did get well and lived pretty good after that, but still the treatment was a huge cost. And surgeries can be very costly, especially on an emergent basis. We have two ER vet hospitals in our area and they have a charge just to walk in the door. I think pet insurance is a good thing, if you can afford it. Also, your dog is still very young, so you would probably get a lower rate than you would if you were trying to insure a senior dog.

We have insurance on our two dogs. No, it doesn't cover a very high percentage of routine care, but it does cover some. That, however, is not why we have it.

It's for the potential big-ticket items such as cancer and other disasters that can befall a pup.

Years ago, I had a wonderful cat (and no insurance.) The cat became very ill and I couldn't imagine destroying him, so I paid about $2000 to get him back on his feet. A few years later, I had to do the same again. I called him the IRA cat (IRA contributions were then limited to $2000 per year.) He repaid the expense by lighting up my life for quite a few more healthy years. Wish I had insurance. Such problems are what it's for IMHO.

If you can afford it, go for it.

I try to budget aside money for vet expenses. If something catastrophic happens insurance is great to have but if your pet is overall healthy the insurance will never pay for itself. Additionally the longer you wait to insure the pet the higher the premiums are. I looked into it when I first got my Shiloh and opted against it.

Here are some good links regarding the cost/benefit of pet insurance.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/2...cost/index.htm

http://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/is...rance-worth-it

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/43916934/n.../#.VhUWAPlVhBc

I don't have insurance but I do have a medical credit card that is for pets and humans. Most cases as long as it is paid on time and within the time frame its finance charge free. Its from Care Credit. I like it because it isn't just for the dogs or cats but me too. this was a life saver when my Akita got bloat and had to have emergency surgery or he woundn't have made it thru the night. The vets finished his surgery about 3am and then called me to say he did great. If I hadn't of had this card he would have died. That was over 7 yrs ago and even though he's getting old he's still going strong.

Here you can have the SPCA put your dog to sleep. I don't know how much it is now but years ago it was 12 for that and creamation.

I need insurance. I just had a dog with torn ACL fixed an it cost 4000.00 for the surgery and 600.00 for the therapy follow her surgery...

I have never had mostly because of the restrictions on it. I've had dachshunds for many years and they are very prone to back problems. I've had several that had problems, only one that we had to operate on. We also had to operate on the same dog for cancer. She came to be called the "Million Dollar Dog". I've always just kept one credit card that I don't use. If I need it for an emergency, it's there. I'm not big on insurance because they are in business to make money, not for your good. Meaning that if you take the monthly money and put it in an account, you probably come out better. We did this years ago with a classic car. I figured it out one day and if we had insured the car for all of this time we would have paid more than the value of the car. As it is, we now have a nice healthy money market account with the money deposited to cover the car.

I bought health insurance for my Lhasa Apso when he was 4 years old. Three months later he had a grand mal seizure. The insurance paid an arm and a leg for multiple tests with a doggie neurologist. Then he got skin cancer that they paid to remove. Then he blew both ACLs, and they paid $2300 for the two surgeries.