<p>Does anyone here have pet insurance and, if so, have you found it to be “worth it”? Also, what brand do you have and what does it cover?</p>
<p>I would be interested as well.
My friend is dealing with huge vet bills after her dog was run over by a car. It has made me consider getting insurance.</p>
<p>I have insurance through Petplan. [Pet</a> Insurance for Dogs and Cats - Petplan Pet Health Insurance](<a href=“http://www.gopetplan.com/]Pet”>http://www.gopetplan.com/)</p>
<p>I’ve had it for a bit over a year. There are several levels of coverage you can choose at various prices, and the younger your dog is the cheaper it is. You can get well care coverage and pay more, or get accident/emergency coverage for those unexpected things and pay less. I took out the policy for unexpected large problems only with a fairly high deductible. I figure I’m fine with routine problems, but if my dog gets cancer or other serious problem, i don’t want finances to be the deciding factor in his care.</p>
<pre><code> I think it’s worth it from the peace of mind angle. No, it doesn’t pay for itself, unless your animal needs very expensive care from an accident or need surgery for some reason. One thing I like about Petplan is that they cover hereditary diseases- not all companies do. They don’t cover pre-existing problems, however.
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<p>Filing is kind of a pain- I did it once when my dog had eaten 6 hard boiled eggs and a whole bowl of grapes from the counter :rolleyes: and needed to be treated (emergency) as grapes can be toxic to dogs. You have to have the doctor fax in her notes for the treatment, as well as fill out the little form. Payment is fairly prompt, but between the deductible and the co-pay, they wound up paying for about a third of the cost, but it was expected because I choose such a minimal plan when I signed up.</p>
<p>There are many companies out there, and you can explore most of them online. I wanted to be sure that hereditary problems like hip dysplasia were covered, which is why I chose this company, but that might not matter depending on the breed.</p>
<p>We had Petcare when we had a dog and it turned out to be very worth it. We had a rescue Lab and he had a host of medical problems the entire time we had him. He had lots of medication (some of which was covered) and when he got cancer, my husband was only willing to be as aggressive as we were because of the insurance. People seem to spend a lot of money on their pets. I know two people who have spent many thousands of dollars on their dogs to improve the quality of their lives – hip replacements, etc.</p>
<p>I went with PetPlan too. My dog is almost 2 and we have yet to file a claim (Thank doG!) I like the feeling of knowing I won’t have to choose between my dog and my pocketbook, should something happen.</p>
<p>Pet Plan’s website is [Pet</a> Insurance for Dogs and Cats - Petplan Pet Health Insurance](<a href=“http://www.gopetplan.com%5DPet”>http://www.gopetplan.com)</p>
<p>You can also check out pet insurance reviews at [Pet</a> Insurance Review - comparison of VPI, ASPCA, etc.](<a href=“http://www.petinsurancereview.com%5DPet”>http://www.petinsurancereview.com)</p>
<p>Oh yes we do!</p>
<p>We have a Toy Fox Terrier, a very tiny breed that is prone to breaking legs, especially as puppies. And we got the runt. So as luck would have it, she broke her leg her first day at our house >_<</p>
<p>After a rather expensive $3000 surgery we decided we’d invest in pet insurance! In case she ever broke her leg again - which she did! Six months later, the other leg. Luckily, the insurance covered it all.</p>
<p>There are some different plans out there. We went with ‘accident only’ plans, because we are mostly worried about her frail little legs and other accidents that small dogs are prone to. However, your dog might be better suited for different packages. Also - watch out - a lot of plans do NOT cover genetic health problems (such as hip dysplasia), which can be a pretty big deal for a lot of breeds like Labs.</p>
<p>We went with PetFirst - they have a wide variety of plans (her breeder and several other breeders I know recommend it)
[Pet</a> Health Insurance for Dogs and Cats| Pet Medical Insurance| Pet Insurance Reviews](<a href=“Lost Redirection”>http://www.petfirsthealthcare.com/)
So far we’re very satisfied with it. It works differently than human insurance - its a reimbursement program - but whats good about that is you dont have to worry about vets not accepting it.
Our accident-only plan is $190 a year, $50 deductible, 100% reimbursement and up to $3000 per-incident coverage.
I also know people on the ASPCA plan that like it.</p>
<p>God forbid she breaks a third leg…but at the least, we know that the surgery will be covered and we wont have to skimp on treatment!</p>
<p>I have a plan through our vet which is located in a large pet store chain. We pay an amount per month (around $30), and get coverage for well check ups every 6 months, teeth cleaning, vaccinations, etc. Knock wood the dog has been healthy so far, but I believe there is at least some coverage if she would need anything major. I know it’s saved us a lot so far.</p>
<p>We’ve had VPI for the past year, I don’t recommend it. VPI has denied all of our claims. Shame on me for not reading the teeny tiny fine print before enrolling; but it seems that anything wrong with our now two-year old dog has been an existing condition. Our vet recommends only getting “catastrophic” type coverage…getting hit by a car etc. So, I’ll be reading the fine print with some of the other companies above, just not VPI.</p>
<p>“I know two people who have spent many thousands of dollars on their dogs to improve the quality of their lives – hip replacements, etc.”</p>
<p>Now you know a third person… :)</p>
<p>If we ever get another dog, I will get pet insurance for him. For my indoor kitties - I do not think it makes any sense. Anything will be considered “pre-existing” for them because they are both over 10 lb :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Uh oh, we have VPI too, but have never filed a claim. They told us right up front what was considered an existing condition (things that we declared already). But then again, we have never filed for reimbursement yet, so I don’t know if they would deny things that hadn’t been declared. We got the insurance after paying $2500 for surgery to remove a little dogs anal sacs—realizing that we loved our doggies so much that we would pay whatever it took for them to be well…so may as well cover it.</p>
<p>My guys are indoor cats, so I’m most worried about them developing kidney problems or cancer someday. I like the looks of PetPlan, I’m going to give them some serious thought.</p>
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<p>Wait, what? You mean they won’t cover for them for anything because of their weight? O.o My guys are also both over 10 lbs . . .</p>
<p>After paying $300 to the vet yesterday for what started as a little bug bite but is now a “hot spot” because my poor dog kept biting and scratching it, I’m reminded that I MEANT to get pet insurance. Did a search before posting and found this thread–will start researching the different companies here but, if anyone has any more suggestions, please post. I’m looking for a company that will include teeth cleaning ($400-$500 my vet just told me!). Not sure if I want well care included or not as I haven’t had a chance to look at the premiums vs. what’s covered but I definitely want coverage for these unexpected problems that crop up periodically and ease of use is also important to me.</p>
<p>We spent more on vet bills one year than college tuition. Imagine that! Our then-7-yr-old lab-chow mix tore both ACLs in her hind legs, about 6 months apart. I learned from the vet that larger breeds, especially labs, are prone to torn ACLs. I didn’t realize that smaller dogs like terriers are also prone to leg problems. (Thanks, PandoraHearts).</p>
<p>I would definately consider pet insurance for a younger dog. Right now, my dog is “geriatric” and has too many pre-existing conditions. It’s interesting to hear how VPI and PetPlan compare.</p>
<p>With over $500 in bills last summer for treatment and well over $1k in bills for what turned into my dog dying, I am thinking we need to investigate this for the next dog!</p>
<p>Some friends have a lab (surprise) who had to have two separate surgeries for eating things like towels, socks, etc. Aside from the fact that he could have died, they spent thousands on each surgery.</p>
<p>This is in the back of my head each day living with our 6 month old BC/newf rescue, who eats everything he can get his mouth on. In choosing a policy, is eating something crazy considered an ‘accident?’</p>
<p>We had pet insurance on our dog and still do on our horse. My aunt was recently in a position where her dog needed an operation that would give him a perfectly normal life for another 5-6 years if he had it, but she had to consider putting him to sleep because she couldn’t afford to pay for the operation that would save him. I would never want to be in that position. Horse insurance is fairly standard so maybe we were already adjusted to the idea because we had it for our horse first, but your pets are just as capable as you are of suddenly getting an extremely expensive illness or injury, and your choices are shelling out the cash or having to mercy kill your pet. If it makes it easier to choose just paying for the procedure, I am all about pet insurance. If you’re in a position to just pay out of pocket anyway then I suppose it doesn’t matte either way if that’s what you want to do, but for the rest of us it’s a lifesaver. </p>
<p>FYI, my aunt was able to borrow the money from family and her dog is healthy and happy now. And insured!</p>
<p>I did intensive research before selecting Purina Care for our 200lb. big boy and we have been very happy with the coverage and promptness of payment. The premium price will depend on the age and breed of your dog and whether or not you want “Preventive Care” coverage. We receive 80% coverage on both medical and prescriptions but they do not cover any “holistic” treatments. What you need to watch with other plans is their description of pre-existing conditions. With Purina Care, if the condition did not exist at the inception of your original policy it is NOT considered a pre-existing condition. They also do not have breed specific genetic conditions exclusions which most plans do.</p>
<p>Here is the link</p>
<p>[Pet</a> Insurance | PurinaCare](<a href=“http://www.purinacare.com/]Pet”>http://www.purinacare.com/)</p>
<p>We have it for our dogs and after our last dog who we unfortunately lost to cancer right before the new year at only 5 1/2 the policy more than paid for itself. We’ve only used it once for our other dog, his sister, but I’m happy to know we have it. We just adopted a new puppy 2 weeks ago and his policy is already in place! We have VPI which doesn’t always pay out a ton,especially as we live in an expensive vet area but they have been great to deal with and when comparing plans they still were one of the most affordable at just 20something a month per dog. There were some more comprehensive plans that would have paid out a lot more but the per month cost was at least 3 times what I pay now per dog.</p>
<p>This reminds me that we were going to look into getting it for our young lab. Our animals have been fairly healthy and we are lucky to be able to pay for vet bills.
We do have insurance on our horse. Horse insurance is bought through an insurance broker so not quite the same as buying insurance for a dog or cat. We have not had cause to use our horse insurance. Thankfully.</p>
<p>Recently a great horned owl tried to carry off a chihuahua. The chihuahua received puncture wound. The chihuahua’s claim was declared the most unusual of the month by its insurance company.</p>