# Can/would anyone recommend pet insurance



## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm thinking about insuring Avery knowing he's already had a MCT but I'm not sure if its worth it or if I'd even be covered because he has already had this diagnosis...thoughts???


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I've done some research and at the end of the day, it's cheaper to put some money away into savings account than invest in pet insurance.


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## Boxers&Pom's Mom (Jan 17, 2011)

Same thing here. I tried ad at the end they kept the money and almost anything were cover. Now, everytime that I had an extra dollar I go to my vet and put money in my account. I am always keep money there for emergencies. If I am going to a regular check up, I am still pay for it and add some more to my account. It had help me a lot now that my dogs are getting older ad need surgeries and treatment.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

I've heard it's really not worth it, and that it doesn't cover most things that you would think it would. I agree with just putting extra money away into a savings account for stuff like that.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Yes I would recommend it. I cannot afford to put that much extra money into a savings account, it would take me years to be able to accumulate a good 5 grand. And if, god forbid, my dog were to break a leg tomorrow, I would not have the extra money saved up yet to cover it. I’d rather have insurance to pay for it as opposed to going into debt.

I know people who have gone into $10,000 or more of debt, for things that would have been covered by insurance if they had it. 

But yes, getting an insurance plan will not cover anything pre-existing, so it is best to take out a plan the same day you bring your dog home.


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## naturalfeddogs (Jan 6, 2011)

It would probably just depend on each individual situation, as to whether or not it would be worth it.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

I recently got some for my two 13 year old girls, after Max became suddenly ill and the e-vet bills maxed out my credit cards and depleted my savings, if he had survived the seizure I would not have been able to afford to do all I would have wanted to, to save him. I am still paying the cc and have not been able to save up enough god forbid if and when my girls need it. 

even though most pre existing conditions are not covered, anything new can happen especially as dogs age and a trip the the e-vet, surgeries, and MRIs cost thousands of dollars. 

I researched a lot of them, I went with Healthy Paw they seem to cover a few things others don't, their deductible is yearly not per incident. I get 90% back minus office visit cost and if there is an emergency that is gonna require thousands I can make arrangement's for them to pay vet directly (case by case decision)
if I had Max covered I would have re coop most back and been able to pay back my credit cards and my savings.


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Rvent said:


> I recently got some for my two 13 year old girls, after Max became suddenly ill and the e-vet bills maxed out my credit cards and depleted my savings, if he had survived the seizure I would not have been able to afford to do all I would have wanted to, to save him. I am still paying the cc and have not been able to save up enough god forbid if and when my girls need it.
> 
> even though most pre existing conditions are not covered, anything new can happen especially as dogs age and a trip the the e-vet, surgeries, and MRIs cost thousands of dollars.
> 
> ...


Perfect example of why I would recommend some sort of insurance. It doesn't take much to all of a sudden need to be spending thousands of dollars at the vet. The idea of putting money aside in a savings account is all fine and good, but like the example above, things can easily cost thousands of dollars at the vet, and I think it would take most people a very long time to work up to having that much money available in a savings account. And putting it on a credit card just means debt and interest payments.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

most times even with insurance you still have to pay first some how, but you get most of the money back to be able to use it again, it is sort of like human health insurance or having life insurance you hope your family never has to use it, but you feel secure in knowing that god forbid it is there if you need it.


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## Boxers&Pom's Mom (Jan 17, 2011)

I purchased insurance for my three dogs and kept paying it for over 2 years. Cassie dislocated her knee almost a year after. I send the claim to the insurance ad they told me she must be insure for 2 years before insurance paid for it. I asked them if Cassie needs surgery later on if they will cover it and they told me that no, because it was now a pre-existent condition. When I got the insurance I was told that nothing will be cover for the first few months, but not a year later. also, after you take out deductible and % that they paid, you ending paying a lot of money from your packet.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Absolutely not. Why is debt and interest bad but paying money to an insurance company that you won't necessarily need ok? Insurance companies don't lose money, they make it. So you are more likely to pay more to the company than you are going to pay to the vet in case of emergency.. From the day puppy comes home, put what you would have paid to insurance in a savings account. Keep an emergency credit card in the mean time. Then the money is available and you don't have to worry about what is covered, etc.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Insurance companies suck. They are almost as evil as the pharmaceutical companies and the oil companies.


One thing I hate is being bullshitted. And being bullshitted out of my money is even worse. I've had pet insurance for 15 years and it is some of the best money I ever spent. Theres no mystery to what is covered and what is not. Its strictly for trauma and sickness, no electives. Do what it takes to fix him or make him well again.

In 1998 I bought VPI insurance for Java on his first birthday. A couple months later he punctured a lung running around in the woods. The bill was $1800, I got a check for $1200 (that paid for 3 years worth of coverage right there). A year later he had hemorrhagic enteritis, the bill was $720, I got a check for $301. A few other examples:

Neoplasia - claim $982/they paid me $782
cardiac work up - claim $184/they paid $120
otitis externica - claim $125/they paid $109
mast cell tumor - claim $598/they paid $451
pyroderma - claim $95/they paid $75
cracked nail - claim $261/they paid $189









Java's 14 year medical file

Before he was 2, we realized he was hypothyroid. For the next 12 years, they paid on his tests, meds and office visits. His yearly routine "wellness" exam was covered because it was also his yearly hypothyroid exam. The price goes up as the dog ages, in age brackets. When Nicky turned 8 last August, he jumped to the next bracket, from $33/month to $38/month. I believe Java's last premium was $44/month

Java's numbers are from thumbing through the paper files. His claim history is no longer on the customer portal. Nicky's is, and paints a clearer "bottom line" picture. He got it when he turned 1 year old (there was a reason to wait until after the dog turns 1 but I dont remember what it was) In 7 years and 5 months the premiums have totaled approx $2885. They reimbursed me for claims to the tune of $3387. I didnt freak when I looked at the estimates for some things _and_ Im up $440. Some of his Top 10 hits:

foriegn body - $275/$163
TTA surgery - $2911/$1525
hepatitis - $2875/$991
neoplasia- $287/$181

Insurance sucks - thats why its called insurance. Why buy auto insurance? Its the same principle. You are paying for something you hope you will never need. Theres the rub. Whats worse? Buying it and never needing it OR not buying it and wishing like hell you had? Like some people, I might consider putting my dog's health ahead of my own. If its so damn important than I want as much traction on it as I can get. I'd rather not depend on the Christmas Club method.

But then thats just me.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

So thegoodstuff you recommend insurance but you hate it?


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> So thegoodstuff you recommend insurance but you hate it?


I get what thegoodstuff is saying. I hate car and people health insurance, but I still recommend both  . Same with pet insurance.


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## Caty M (Aug 13, 2010)

Car insurance is a necessity- you can be sued if you hit another car and an injury claim can run you over a million if its bad.. Plus you have to have it here legally. House insurance too, cause I have a mortgage.. And can't afford, of something did happen, to pay it off. But a 500,000 house is much more than a vet bill. 

I dunno, for me it makes sense not to have it. I considered it for tessie to cover leg breaks for the first two years and it was 135/mo for her breed... Not worth it and she never broke.


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## RawPitbulls (Feb 7, 2013)

Unosmom said:


> I've done some research and at the end of the day, it's cheaper to put some money away into savings account than invest in pet insurance.


^^^^^^
I agree. Just put money into a savings account every month and don't touch it unless its for your dog.


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## shellbeme (Dec 8, 2010)

It boils down to WHY you are getting the insurance. Is it because you want a safety net in case you run into that 10k bill? And then you have to make a decision to go into debt for 10 or to have your dog put to sleep. If you have a savings account with that kind of money set aside for your dog kudos to you, I don't think the average person does. For me, I am willing to go into debt that much if it should happen-DH is not. I refuse to put a dog that I love to sleep for that amount of money-if it can be saved by going forward with vet care. We actually had a pretty heated discussion about this. 

It also depends on age, if my dog is old, I'm not going to spend that kind of money-I don't mean to be cruel, I'm just being honest. Both of mine are young. If you want insurance to reimburse you for day to day things, you will have a rough time finding something like that. The 20 bucks I spend a month on pet insurance would not amount to a hill of beans going into a savings account, it would take me forever to save for a major bill. That doesn't mean i don't save though.

I recommend petplan above all others (even though I have VPI cause I get it through work). They are by far the best plan I have seen. Just read, EVERYTHING, the fine print. Insurance is not OUT to get anyone (peeve of mine when people start saying that). They are businesses, heck yes they want to make money, but in order to do that they have to be mutually beneficial to themselves and to US. Read your plan, if you don't, you have no one to blame but yourself. Everytime I see people complain about their pet insurance not paying it is always because the person did not take the time to read what is covered.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

@lauren43 - Yes I recommend it. I dont want to sound like a commercial for VPI. I dont hate it, just a have a very low opinion of insurance companies in general and the way they do business. They do their best to pay as little as possible. Like the drug and oil companies they have a lot of control over the quality of our lives because you pretty much cant live without them. Ya know, the over a barrel thing.

@shellbeme - I have VPI because 15 years ago they were pretty much the only show in town. I just never thought about changing because I had few complaints. Are you saying that when your dogs get old you will discontinue it or that its not worth it to start with an older dog?

Maybe its just a matter of "how lucky do you feel?" If youre flush enough to handle a surprise TTA or TPLO surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament or 3 days in the ICU for a case of hepatitis or a poisoning plus the weeks of follow up care/tests/meds or emergency surgery for a stomach torsion then you dont need pet insurance. I am glad I have it.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

I am no fan of insurance either, and I have had many heated discussions with my husband of why we should have it, after listening for years to him about how it was a waste of money, Max's illness changed my mind. After 2 trips to the E-vet and serveral test at my own vet we were already approx 3000 into trying to diagnose him, the last trip to the E-vet did it they stabilized him but need to work up a treatment plan which was 3000 to start with, I did not have that kind of money left, I had to remove some of the necessary things just to get him some care, it was still 1500 (2100 after having to put him to sleep) it is a HORRIBLE FEELING knowing that you don't have the money to possibly save your dogs life, he just turned 5! 
Over 10 years of we have had Babs, we have spent approx 8000 on unexpected surgeries, and even though some of those things are now considered pre existing conditions there are a million other things that could go wrong, christ a regular appt at the vet is never less than 150.
And now Macy tore her ACL and the surgery for that is 4000. 

Babs & Macy are both 13 years old, but I still don't want to have to put one of them down just because I don't have the money to help them heal.

But that is just me, I will do what ever it takes for them and the lousy 100 bucks a month is nothing most people piss that away on stupid stuff


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## FBarnes (Feb 17, 2013)

There are so many pet insurance companies and they aren't all equal. My vet recommends VEterinary Pet Insurance and I'm looking into it for accidents, not chronic illness or regular checks. I spent well over $5000 last year on my dog that I could ill afford. $4000 of it was emergency stuff, and $1000 of it was not. Frank.

Personally, I would get it for an older dog moreso than for a younger dog. I don't think dogs lose their value as they age. I have spent thousands of $$$ on my older dog, and he's worth every penny to keep him with me as long as he's happy and not in pain. But, in reality older dogs are going to cost more in medical care and insurance is expensive for anything but accidents, which is why I will get only accident insurance. If he gets cancer I guess we are out of luck and I'll find another way to pay.


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## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

I wouldn't use it. I have Care Credit for emergencies. It's not as good as storing money away, but it works for me. They changed their policies recently, but I just try to pay it off quickly and haven't had to use it for any huge emergency (knock on wood).


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## Felix (Oct 9, 2012)

shellbeme said:


> It also depends on age, if my dog is old, I'm not going to spend that kind of money-I don't mean to be cruel, I'm just being honest. Both of mine are young. If you want insurance to reimburse you for day to day things, you will have a rough time finding something like that. *The 20 bucks I spend a month on pet insurance would not amount to a hill of beans going into a savings account, it would take me forever to save for a major bill*. That doesn't mean i don't save though.
> 
> .


Depends on the savings account you put it into. The banks suck lately and don't pay out anything, but there are some accounts that have restrictions that will give a great interest rate. My grandmother puts $70 into an account a month instead of paying for life insurance. She has been doing so since she was 60 I think. She is 78 now and she said there is over $20,000 in the account! A lot of it is interest, now I know a dog won't live that long, but if they are young it doesn't hurt to start saving when they only need to see the vet once a year (barring any malady). 

I also don't do surgery on my dogs if they are over 11 and don't treat cancer. Just my personal feelings, I've seen too many dogs die on the table or alone in a kennel because their owners were trying to save them, when they could be comfortable in their own home or at least with their people holding them for the last time at the very end.


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## shellbeme (Dec 8, 2010)

thegoodstuff said:


> @lauren43 - Yes I recommend it. I dont want to sound like a commercial for VPI. I dont hate it, just a have a very low opinion of insurance companies in general and the way they do business. They do their best to pay as little as possible. Like the drug and oil companies they have a lot of control over the quality of our lives because you pretty much cant live without them. Ya know, the over a barrel thing.
> 
> @shellbeme - I have VPI because 15 years ago they were pretty much the only show in town. I just never thought about changing because I had few complaints. Are you saying that when your dogs get old you will discontinue it or that its not worth it to start with an older dog?
> 
> Maybe its just a matter of "how lucky do you feel?" If youre flush enough to handle a surprise TTA or TPLO surgery for a ruptured cruciate ligament or 3 days in the ICU for a case of hepatitis or a poisoning plus the weeks of follow up care/tests/meds or emergency surgery for a stomach torsion then you dont need pet insurance. I am glad I have it.


When my pups get old I will likely discontinue the insurance. I know the rates increase as they get old too, but I don't know at what rate.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

Felix said:


> My grandmother puts $70 into an account a month instead of paying for life insurance. She has been doing so since she was 60 I think. She is 78 now and she said there is over $20,000 in the account! A lot of it is interest, now I know a dog won't live that long, but if they are young it doesn't hurt to start saving when they only need to see the vet once a year (barring any malady).


$70/month would cover 2 dogs. Make that 3, 4 or 5 dogs over 18 years. _Nobody_ needs insurance if their dog only has to go to the vet once a year, thats not what its for. If you are so sure of that would you pick tomorrow's lotto numbers for me? :smile:






shellbeme said:


> When my pups get old I will likely discontinue the insurance. I know the rates increase as they get old too, but I don't know at what rate.


Whats old? Nine, ten, twelve? Then what? If the dog gets sick or breaks something youre back to paying 100% or god forbid not able to afford whatever it is... 

For yourself, would you rather have health insurance when you were a teenager or when your 60?


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

VPI can't even cover Avery because he had a MCT LMAO!!!!

Are there any others that ppl would recommend. I talked to go pet plan they seem pretty good. Anyone have any experience with them??


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> VPI can't even cover Avery because he had a MCT LMAO!!!!
> 
> Are there any others that ppl would recommend. I talked to go pet plan they seem pretty good. Anyone have any experience with them??


I have Pet Plan. It is one for emergency type issues, it doesn't cover the routine stuff. But that is the kind of coverage I wanted. A lot of other lab owners I know have Pet Plan as well and like it. I know a few people who have had some expensive claims paid out promptly by them. I would suggest going to the vet after you sign up to have him make a note in the chart that knees/elbows/hips are healthy. The only one required to be certified to waive the waiting period is the knees, but I woudl do all of the above mentioned. Otherwise there is either a six month or a year period where you have to wait before anything related to the knees (or broken legs) is covered.


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## lauren43 (Feb 6, 2011)

The only thing that makes me nervous with them is that with Avery's pre-existing cancer anything even mildly related won't be covered. What if something happens to that leg completely unrelated like he breaks it, will they see he had surgery on that leg and consider it pre-existing. The other thing I don't like is the deductible is per condition, so if he ends up at the vet 4x this year they'll take $100 from each bill. Finally if you up to 90% any specialist care is reimburses at 80%..I hope that if I pay the preimium at 90% they don't pull the "well this issue right here was/is considered a specialist issue" or some crap like that...


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

lauren43 said:


> The only thing that makes me nervous with them is that with Avery's pre-existing cancer anything even mildly related won't be covered. What if something happens to that leg completely unrelated like he breaks it, will they see he had surgery on that leg and consider it pre-existing. The other thing I don't like is the deductible is per condition, so if he ends up at the vet 4x this year they'll take $100 from each bill. Finally if you up to 90% any specialist care is reimburses at 80%..I hope that if I pay the preimium at 90% they don't pull the "well this issue right here was/is considered a specialist issue" or some crap like that...


I would call and ask them your question about the broken leg scenario, I honestly don't know the answer. Their customer service does seem to be pretty helpful though. And unfortunately, none of the insurance companies are going to be perfect....I get what you are saying on the other points of concern. The good thing about the "per condition" deductible though is that once you pay a deductible for one condition, any other treatment you receive for it does not require a brand new claim, and you only have to pay the deductible for it once.


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## Rvent (Apr 15, 2012)

shellbell said:


> I would call and ask them your question about the broken leg scenario, I honestly don't know the answer. Their customer service does seem to be pretty helpful though. And unfortunately, none of the insurance companies are going to be perfect....I get what you are saying on the other points of concern. The good thing about the "per condition" deductible though is that once you pay a deductible for one condition, any other treatment you receive for it does not require a brand new claim, and you only have to pay the deductible for it once.


healthy paw insurance has a yearly deductable that you choose the amount, I find that the customer service has been helpful when I call with questions, you can have your vet fax the dogs records and they will tell you up front what they will not cover.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

lauren43 said:


> The only thing that makes me nervous with them is that with Avery's pre-existing cancer anything even mildly related won't be covered. What if something happens to that leg completely unrelated like he breaks it, will they see he had surgery on that leg and consider it pre-existing. The other thing I don't like is the deductible is per condition, so if he ends up at the vet 4x this year they'll take $100 from each bill. Finally if you up to 90% any specialist care is reimburses at 80%..I hope that if I pay the preimium at 90% they don't pull the "well this issue right here was/is considered a specialist issue" or some crap like that...


Confirm the deductible is per condition (for life) not *per condition per year*.

In general, the younger they are when you get it the better - no time to get a condition which would then be pre existing at a later date.


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## Kumakichi (May 8, 2012)

I'd definitely recommend having pet insurance if you can afford it. I have it to as protection against a catastrophe. I've used VPI for the past 5 yrs or so and have luckily only had some minor pet claims (biggest ones being around $500). Maybe there are better insurers than VPI I haven't shopped around lately.

A friend I work with has 2 pure bred dogs and he put them into a kennel on a trip not too long ago. One of the dogs got pneumonia and had to be hospitalized. There dog was treated and they brought him home but then he had a relapsed and had to be hospitalized once again. The doctors said there were a couple treatment options at that point but the chances of survival was maybe 10% at which point they had there beloved dog put to rest. There bills came to $19,000 which they felt they needed to try save there dog so the money was well spent. But thats a lot of money.

For my dog I dont want money to have to be a considering factor if he is ill. I would want to do whats in his best interest as I think many pet parents would. And I'm not in a position to have $20-30k reserve in the bank to cover emergencies.

My monthly premiums are about $50/mo thru VPI. There is a lot of fine print to read also regarding pre-existing conditions etc... And I didn't get the plan that covers regular visits although I have considered it. My dog is 13 yrs old so I guess I started VPI at age 7 maybe, I can't recall. He is a bichon frise who visits the doctor twice a year for routine examinations.


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## thegoodstuff (May 12, 2010)

My dog smokes, overeats and refuses to exercise. Will his insurance premiums be higher?


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## Tobi (Mar 18, 2011)

We have insurance on Tobi, 31$ per month covers 99% of anything we would go to the vet for. Including congenital or hereditary conditions. The only thing they won't do is ore existing conditions but they can reevaluate after a year if you haven't needed treatment for that condition (like Tobi's allergies). The company we use is called VPI pet insurance, deductible is 100$ too, really decent.


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