Pet insurance
- Thread starter Kimenem
- Start date
dss62467
Cathlete
Everything I've seen and heard about it indicates it's not worth it. The premium goes up every year that the animal ages, it doesn't cover routine care, and doesn't cover certain conditions. for example, it wouldn't cover the ACL repair my Duke is having tomorrow. What's the point? I'd rather just put the money I'd pay in premiums into a "just in case" fund.
You might call various pet insurance companies to see what their exact coverages are. Pre-existing conditions and/or genetic disorders (such as hip dysplasia, hemophilia, etc.) are not covered, but I don't know about previous injuries and you would want to be very specific about that if you spoke with a rep about it. You can choose different types of coverage, too, including plans that cover only accidents, so you might be able to go that route.
Personally, I have had very good luck with my pet insurance company. I have been with them for six years now. The insurance is not cheap, but I have two large dogs (chocolate labs, each weighing about 100 pounds) and vet exams/diagnostic tests/surgery/medicine for them is costly. My policy doesn't cover everything, but it takes care of a lot and it provides me with a certain degree of security just knowing that it at least makes most treatments/surgeries "doable" --especially for the big things. (They have paid out a lot more to me than I have paid to them.)
I have insurance through the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan, but there are many others out there. I have heard good things about VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance). I think they are a little less expensive than mine, and they offer very specific information about their coverage on their website. My veterinarian has many clients who use VPI, and he has gotten a lot of good feedback about them.
I know there are other companies, too, but I have heard nothing specific about them so cannot speak to that. Maybe if there is a veterinarian on the this forum, she/he could offer you more info on the various companies.
Good luck.
MissL
Personally, I have had very good luck with my pet insurance company. I have been with them for six years now. The insurance is not cheap, but I have two large dogs (chocolate labs, each weighing about 100 pounds) and vet exams/diagnostic tests/surgery/medicine for them is costly. My policy doesn't cover everything, but it takes care of a lot and it provides me with a certain degree of security just knowing that it at least makes most treatments/surgeries "doable" --especially for the big things. (They have paid out a lot more to me than I have paid to them.)
I have insurance through the AKC Pet Healthcare Plan, but there are many others out there. I have heard good things about VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance). I think they are a little less expensive than mine, and they offer very specific information about their coverage on their website. My veterinarian has many clients who use VPI, and he has gotten a lot of good feedback about them.
I know there are other companies, too, but I have heard nothing specific about them so cannot speak to that. Maybe if there is a veterinarian on the this forum, she/he could offer you more info on the various companies.
Good luck.
MissL
poohpeggy
Cathlete
kristen
Cathlete
I had VPI for my then 3-year-old Lab. 8 months into the year, she got a foxtail in her hindquarters, which required several hours of surgery. The vet's bill was just under a thousand dollars. VPI reimbursed me just under three hundred dollars. Yep, not even 30%, despite their claims that they typically pay about 80%. I checked around and found that the amount the vet asked for each part of treatment was standard. I emailed VPI and told them if they did not substantially increase the reimbursement, I would drop my coverage. Their response was "you are welcome to contest the reimbursement; we'll need a line-by-line explanation of every piece of veterinary treatment your dog has ever had." So I dropped my coverage that day; happily, I still came out a tiny bit ahead on the premiums I had paid thus far versus the amount they reimbursed. What we've been doing ever since is putting a little more than the amount we were paying for premiums into a savings account, and that's what we'll use if, god forbid, she ever has another need for expensive treatment.
Long story short: save your money!!
Long story short: save your money!!
Shadowpup
Cathlete
I've thought really hard about pet insurance over the years, since about 1980when I worked for a vet and the first policies were coming on line. We now have four horses, three dogs, two cats, and tons of fish, so there is always something going on. But every time I run the numbers, I find that it is not worth the premiums over the long haul.
Instead, what I do is calculate our average regular expenses each year, plus at least one major emergency on the $1K scale; increase by 5% a year, divide the total by twelve, and have that amount automatically taken out of my check and put aside in a savings account (soon half of that will be moving into a money market fund, for better interest rates). I don't touch the money for anything else, under any circumstances. In the early days, I seeded that with a startup investment and had to supplement a little from time to time, but lately (knock on wood) even bad times, like the year major surgery for two dogs who had cancer the same year a horse tore himself up on a fence, have been covered by the fund. It really gives me peace of mind knowing that the money is there when (not if) one of our four legged kids needs care.
Instead, what I do is calculate our average regular expenses each year, plus at least one major emergency on the $1K scale; increase by 5% a year, divide the total by twelve, and have that amount automatically taken out of my check and put aside in a savings account (soon half of that will be moving into a money market fund, for better interest rates). I don't touch the money for anything else, under any circumstances. In the early days, I seeded that with a startup investment and had to supplement a little from time to time, but lately (knock on wood) even bad times, like the year major surgery for two dogs who had cancer the same year a horse tore himself up on a fence, have been covered by the fund. It really gives me peace of mind knowing that the money is there when (not if) one of our four legged kids needs care.
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