Does anyone have pet insurance?

[blisstwins]

Was it worth it? Can you recommend a company? TIA.

[bubbaray]

Yup, we have it. See Avatar. Will swollow large plastic/rubber items whole (ie., orange street hockey balls, larger than tennis balls).

Already paid over $2k for surgery for "intestinal obstruction" (prior to having pet insurance). Would rather pay $50/$60 per month for insurance than another large vet bill.

[infomama]

We lost our pup last year to kidney failure. she was only 2 1/2 years old and was such a sweet soul. they told us she was born with a kidney issue. My heart breaks even writing about her.

We did not have pet insurance but we would have been wise to purchase it. It would have saved us hundreds (maybe thousands) of dollars in vet bills over her lifetime.

[blisstwins]

Wow. It costs $50-60 a month. I have a lot of pets so I am not sure what will work for us.
WHich company are you insured through and are you happy with them? Thanks again!

[bubbaray]

I'm in Canada, IIRC our coverage is with PetCare (I think!). I have pretty much the top of the line coverage, there are various levels.

Cats are much cheaper than dogs IIRC. Dogs also vary by breed.

[WatchingThemGrow]

My step brother and his wife have pet insurance (2 dogs), but they have none for themselves (older, rough history). Make sure all your people are well-insured first, please ;)

[elektra]

I have it through VPI (veterinary pet insurance). I have the basic plans for both dogs. You just have to submit claims after each treatment, visit, procedure.
I think mine comes out to 30 something per month for both.
We already used it once with our first dog when he needed stitches. I think it covered about half of the $600 bill.

[Wife_and_mommy]

I've never had it but after considering it didn't choose it for a couple of reasons. One, the fee seems high(and this was 8-9 years ago!). Two, by the time you add up how much you spent on premiums you're probably close to, if not less than you spent on the dog for the year. It ends up not being a benefit.

FWIW, I have a 9 yr. large dog who's relatively healthy. We had a couple of $500 or so bills when she was younger for minor injuries and the usual puppy bills. Her annual vet bill is only about $100-150 so paying $50 JIC something happens doesn't make sense to me. If you add up how much those premiums cost a year and just save it you'll have a rather large medical fund for your pet. :)

[blisstwins]

thanks for the feedback. I think I just need to get prices. We do have health insurance on us and kids, but I dread a bill in the thousands for a pet. DH and I would definitely have a conflict over how to proceed and it would break my heart.

[nov04]

I've never had it but after considering it didn't choose it for a couple of reasons. One, the fee seems high(and this was 8-9 years ago!). Two, by the time you add up how much you spent on premiums you're probably close to, if not less than you spent on the dog for the year. It ends up not being a benefit.

FWIW, I have a 9 yr. large dog who's relatively healthy. We had a couple of $500 or so bills when she was younger for minor injuries and the usual puppy bills. Her annual vet bill is only about $100-150 so paying $50 JIC something happens doesn't make sense to me. If you add up how much those premiums cost a year and just save it you'll have a rather large medical fund for your pet. :)

We had it for about a year then realized we could just put that money in a savings account ($900/year).

[maestramommy]

When I had a dog, we went to Banfield, and we used their plan, so that was sorta like insurance. We paid an annual fee up front, and didn't have to pay for teeth cleaning, any checkups, reduced fees for labs and such. It was worth it.

[MmeSunny]

For about 6 years. But it's not pet insurance, it pre-pays any type of regular care with various levels/amounts. It also gives discounts on other services/treatments.

My issue with it is that for the main comprehensive visits, you HAVE to drop your pet off, you CANNOT stay with them for the visit and thus they are there all day, scared and alone in a cage until the staff "gets to them".

I'm sorry, but I wouldn't leave my child alone at the ped, so I'm not doing the same with my furry children. Also, do they really do all of the special services or just vax and push the next one through? I want to see that I'm getting everything I pay for. (Yes, I am a little paranoid and a control freak!)

Your quality of service is also hugely dependant on the vet at your particular office and there seems to be A LOT of turnover. Like at least 8 different vets in the 6 years we've been with them. At the beginning they were amazing--we even bought a Christmas gift for one, you helped us through a really long and tough "good bye". But she left and since then, not so much.

So when our plan year is up, we're cancelling. My personal opinion is that a huge national pet care company should want the owners to be there, communicating issues and hearing the vet's care advice, to provide the best care.