pet insurance

Do any of you guys have any insight on pet insurance? I have a 2.5 year old springer spaniel that is in great shape, but going into his 3rd year hunting have been thinking about it.
 
Imo

Pet insurance will provide a vehicle to make pet care too expensive for ordinary folks. It gives Veterinarians an excuse to drive up prices.

Opinion only here.....
 
I have it for my dog through my wife's work has saved me big dollars a couple times. I think I pay $30 a month but it does help me get the dog in for regular check ups as most of that is covered.
 
I've never looked at a pet insurance policy. Just what I need, another insurance premium to pay. I have enough now. :) Life insurance, home owners, auto, health, long-term care and probably some others I'm forgetting.

$360 a year seems like a lot. My vet expenses on 2 dogs doesn't run that much in a normal year. But, if it gives you piece of mind, go for it!
 
Check-ups, heartworm tests, heartworm pills, tick pills - routine stuff can amount to $200 a year for one dog. Add a few other problems and one can easily go over $360.

Had one dog at the Uof M hospital a few years back, $2200. Another dog with kidney issues - $2500 - 3000.
 
IF (big IF) a 360$/year policy covered ALL vet expenses in a year including preventive stuff like tick/heart worm/checkup with no deductible then yes, it would be a no-brainer to get it, but that is not the case. Take a careful look at what is covered, what the deductibles are, and what percentages are covered. When I did that math on policies available in Canada I came to the conclusion that this insurance was a good buy for folks for whom a surprise 3000$ vet bill would be financially devastating, but otherwise it was better to save your money and hope for the best. That said, my unlucky buddy who had to do three major leg surgeries, then a toe amputation, then etc etc etc... He wishes he had it! But it's not for me.
Dave
 
I didnt have it when I went thru 2 ccl repairs on one of my pooches. I havent looked into it to see what may have been covered. Those of you that have been thru these repairs know the costs.
 
Out of curiosity I went on line and checked out the pet insurance with 2 different companies that were rated the highest by consumeradvocates.org. Here's what I found it would cost on my 5 year old Brittany.

Company: Healthy Paws
Max Per Year: Unlimited
Deductible: $250
Co-Insurance: 80%
Premium: $43.88 per month

Company: Pet Plan
Max Per Year: $10,000
Deductible: $200
Co-Insurance: 80%
Premium: $34.19 per month

With a $410-526 annual premium plus a $200-250 deductible you would be paying $610-776 before the insurance would pay dollar one! And then you would still have to pay 20% of the balance.

Unless you really anticipate something major happening to your dog, or have deep pockets, I just don't see it being cost effective.

Not having the insurance on my 5 year old Brittany has saved my $2,050-2,620. :)
 
Out of curiosity I went on line and checked out the pet insurance with 2 different companies that were rated the highest by consumeradvocates.org. Here's what I found it would cost on my 5 year old Brittany.

Company: Healthy Paws
Max Per Year: Unlimited
Deductible: $250
Co-Insurance: 80%
Premium: $43.88 per month

Company: Pet Plan
Max Per Year: $10,000
Deductible: $200
Co-Insurance: 80%
Premium: $34.19 per month

With a $410-526 annual premium plus a $200-250 deductible you would be paying $610-776 before the insurance would pay dollar one! And then you would still have to pay 20% of the balance.

Unless you really anticipate something major happening to your dog, or have deep pockets, I just don't see it being cost effective.

Not having the insurance on my 5 year old Brittany has saved my $2,050-2,620. :)


I have Pet Plan and it's paid for itself every year I've had it and I insure 2 dogs.

My plan covers 20,000 year. Cost 26.00 month per dog. 200.00 deductible, and thats per injury.

Hunting dogs tend to get hurt.

Last year one severed an artery in his leg. That was 1800.00. This year one slipped a disc in her back. 4800.00. Just for the diagnostics. I don't want to have to make a difficult decision because I can't afford vet care. Worth the piece of mind in my opinion.
 
What most people don't realize and it's no wonder as the insurance companies don't tell you this is the premium increases from year to year can be as high as 25% after the dog reaches two years old. Just something to think about.

I started a PetPlan policy on my GSP puppy almost 7 years ago and the policy worked out to be $25 a month at the time.( I paid monthly). I made one claim in all that time that saved me about $350 , otherwise that was the only time.

We'll.... I canceled the policy last year when the monthly premium rose to $64 even after lowering my coinsurance from 90% to 80%. :eek:

Yep, those of you who have or have just started a policy, get ready for some steep increases every year as your pet ages. Sure you can lower your coverage to save some money, but then your getting to the point where your paying quite a bit of out-of-pocket and still getting the high premiums.

I was nice for the first few years, then the increases were to the point of gouging the customer IMO. But if you think it's worth the increases they demand, then go for it.
 
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