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Pet insurance? Is it really worth it?

2K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  Baron's Mom 
#1 ·
Hello, I will be a new dog owner in 2 months. I am buying a puppy from a health tested reputable breader and was wondering if it is worth having pet insurance? If so, which one do u recommend?

Thanks
 
#2 ·
That depends ..... Some people get pet insurance while others just set aside a certain amount a month and place it into a savings account for the pet in case of emergencies etc. Its totally up to you.

Me personally..I cant save $$ worth a flip so pet insurance is a better option for me lol
 
#3 · (Edited)
I always recommend Pet Insurance. Thats great that you have done your research and found a reputable breeder :)

Its great to put money away each month but what if something happens within the first year? Such as a broken leg or injury that requires surgery? The average person cannot put enough aside to cover those costs in a 12 mth period. An ACL tear alone will cost approx. $3500-4000 to repair, so unless you are willing to put away at least $250-300 month into a medical fund, I would recommend insurance at approx. $70 month. If you can put that much off to the side for the first year then I would recommend that route. Then you can decrease the amount you put in in the following years.

Trupanion is a great company to look into, they have on of the highest payout per incident than any other company. I believe its $20K

Congrats on your new puppy :) Can't wait to see pictures
 
#4 ·
Totally depends. I had one dog (Spynxz - Toy Poodle) who live a very happy and healthy 18 years. We had insurance for her and she probably used it less than a handful of times her whole life. Which is GREAT.. but the Insurance never paid of. On the other hand we rescued a Bichon at the estimated age of 6-9years who had A LOT of health issues & the insurance paid off.
The thing is you never know. My theory is, better safe than sorry. Just make sure you do your research as to what the packages cover.
 
#5 ·
I've never had pet insurance and then something happens and the ins doesn't cover that anymore if you get it. I'm not sure what all is covered but I've paid $2000+ on tests for one of my dogs and she died before we finished running test. I took her in for one thing and had blood work that was way out of whack. Every test they ran showed something else wrong. The. I had dogs get into advil $4000 later! My credit card companies are loving me now because I didn't get per ins.


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#7 ·
I always recommend either Trupanion or Petplan and no other. The reason being is those two are the only ones that won't treat a condition in one calendar year as a "pre-existing condition" the next. For example, all other companies, at least when I did my research, will treat a condition that was diagnosed in 2011 (such as diabetes, for example) for all of 2011 but will stop paying for it in 2012. It makes no sense but that was the conclusive result of my research when I was searching for a company. To my knowledge, the two that I mentioned are the only two that don't do that.
 
#9 ·
I will never have a pet without having pet insurance. In the four years I had my golden retriever he costed me $20 000 (knees, hips, skin conditions and eventually cancer). There's no way I would have been able to save enough money to cover those costs in the short time that I had him. I've had Aspen for 2 years now and our insurance has paid us almost $8000 in that time, mostly for her broken leg and for a knee injury. It is so nice to never have to make a decision based on finances, I can make my medical decisions based on what's best for the dog and not based on how much money is in my bank account.
 
#10 ·
Agree Pet insurance is best thing to have especially for those accidents unexpected.. You never know!
We've had to use ours a few times and it makes a difference getting money back for helping your dog get better :)
For what it costs a month to have it Well worth it if you have more than one dog you bundle them together and get a better rate!!


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#11 ·
How do the insurance companies determine what is a pre-existing condition if you have no medical history on a dog? Since Boxers are known for having some form of cancer, do they exclude coverage by breed? Is it worth it to get insurance if your dog has already been diagnosed with MCT and allergies - meaning can they deny coverage if she develops some other form of cancer even though not related? We are batting a thousand on our Boxers ending up with a costly cancer, but the one we have now we found medical records showing she had the tumors since april 2011.


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#12 ·
Pre-existing is just that. Its a pre-existing issue that has been documented on in their medical files. If your dog doesnt have any medical files then you would be fine.

Not all Boxers have cancer and there are many different types of cancers. Each different type of cancer would be its own claim.
 
#13 ·
I just purchased Trupanion for Nikki. My nieces puppy is at the emergency vet -since last night- shes already up to $3500 and her ins only covers $2500. They think her pup has something blocking his digestive system. Nothing on X-rays or ultrasound so it looks like he needs surgery to find out. Apparently plastic wouldnt show up on the tests. She is absolutely freaking. I've been researching all morning and Trupanion seems to be the best.


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#15 ·
Trupanion is unlimited. They pay 90% and you pick the deductible. Nikkis is $100/month but I pick $100 deductible and added the extra for hip dysplacia and a bunch of therapy features that was $30 and $5 was for property damage, reward $ if she's lost and cremation. She's 10 months. I priced my 10 yr old and it was too much. Can't remember but over $100 without the extras The other company I looked at was pet secure. Their price was the same for unlimited $400 deductible but also include annual checkup and heartworm meds but only covered 80%. You can get quotes online based on what you want.


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#16 ·
I have Trupanion and would not be with out it. Have never used it but if that's what it takes to keep them healthy that's OK too.
 
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