Do you have pet insurance, and have you used it?

[sju279]

I just got the free 2 months AKC insurance when I registered Rocky...just in the nick of time! When he cut his ankle, his medication and stitches have cost me $350. Fortunately, since it was an accident he was covered and I will be getting $250 of that back. I had been thinking about getting insurance for Shelby, but this has sealed the deal for me. I will be making sure that they're both insured.

How many of you have your pets insured, and have you had to use it?

[Ilovealldogs]

I don't have it, but sometimes I wish I would have gotten it. I have one dog who has cancer and one dog with presumably an autoimmune disease. It's been very costly to pay 100% out of pocket.

[Spitfire22]

I have ins. through PetCare and I have used it when Tidus had knee surgery. The surgery was $1500.00 and it was covered. Now, remember most policies will state that having one or more knee's done is considered bilateral. So if Tidus needs the same knee done again or the other one done he will have a maximum of $1500.00 left for either knee.

Because there is a total lifetime amount payable for bilateral knees. In our case (GSD) the total lifetime ammt is $3,000 (I think) The same applies for hips ect. My premium is $45.00 a month but that will rise as Tidus gets older.

[Sherush]

When we adopted Jesse at 8 weeks we got 60 days free pet insurance but when I looked at the cost, and for how long they would cover him for, I opted out, instead I budget $100 a month in a dummy vet account in Quicken so I have the money there if needed.

[Fransheska]

where my aunt works we get pet insurance
havent used it yet, but it sure does give peace of mind

[Wolfie]

I signed Yukon up for pet insurance when he was 9mths old. The monthly fee is cheaper if you sign up while your dog is a puppy.

I had to use it last month when Yukon sliced opened his thigh muscle on the side of our house during his nightly romp outdoors.

The vet bill was $415, I got $321 back.

I'm very happy I have Vet insurance. Certainly takes a lot of the stress off knowing Yukon is covered for life.

[Janine16]

we have insurance too, and pay a slightly higher premium $78 CAD to have preventative care covered too, we get 80% (I think it is 80%) of the costs back after we have paid the deductible each year. So we got some of the costs back for neutering, vaccinations, bloods before neutering etc plus when he ate one of those nasty grass heads we got 80% of the costs back for vet appointment and antibiotics.

We would end up dipping into the money if we put it aside and I figured that it was better to pay a bit more each month knowing that whatever reason I take him to the vet for we will get some of the costs come back to us. I didn't want to find I was in a position where Hardy needed the vet and we were wondering how on earth we were going to pay for it. At least this way I pay the bill but know that in a couple of weeks will get a chunk of the money back again. Bit like Alberta Blue Cross but for dogs :0)

Maybe over the years it doesn't work out so cost effective but at the moment it makes me feel better.

[GranvilleGSD]

I was bored one day at work so I grabbed a pamphlet and crunched the numbers. For the first year of life, if you have a normal healthy dog, and you decided to spay/neuter, you ended up paying more money having the insurance than if you paid out of pocket. It was in the range of $50-$100 more. IMO your money would be better off in some kind of savings account that you keep aside for the dogs.

Oh, I believe it was VPI that I looked at.

[Strana1]

I have VPI with the standard wellness rider for both of my dogs. I think it is worth it. the wellness rider allows for 2 check ups, vaccines, & heartworm meds and I have received most of my premiums back. I also had a staph infection, stitches and a intestinal blockage this year so I have received much more than I paid.

[roxy84]

i have petplan. ~$21/month. $8000/yr coverage, 10% copay after $200 dedictible. it is no good for preventative type care, but that is not was kills the pocketbook. for that stuff, you could try to put a little aside. what looks good about petplan is they dont have loopholes excluding, for example, conditions that could be considered hereditary (HD for example)

putting $50/month aside sounds good, but after even 4 years of doing that, you have set aside $2400. i have seen too many surgeries/injuries/medications in the health section where $2400 wont come close to covering things. additionally, many problems, treatment and meds can be ongoing for years.

Titus, im not sure what you were talking about regarding any maximum for the knee situation you were describing. i know in the U.S., there is no maximum for hips or any other condition as far as i know, excepts whatever yearly maximum you have, but that yearly maximum renews every year. if my dog has her left hip replaced this yr at a cost of $5000, then the other hip next yr at the same cost, they will both be covered. all i would pay is the first $200, then 10% of what si left.