Anyone have Pet Insurance?

[MassMomofTwins]

I was wondering if anyone has pet insurance? And if you do what company is it? It seems like the vet bills just got so expensive since our last dog. And the ins. companies I checked out seemed like they cover alot of things. Any advice would be great. Thanks

[corgimom]

I personally don't have it myself; but am interested in hearing about what others have to say. I thought that the insurance only covered certain things

[Jeni D]

I thought about pet insurance before too, but was also concerned about the coverage. I know some kind is offered through the AKC that supposedly covers vet visits and prescriptions, but I never looked into that much.
Sorry that I'm not more help, but I will also be interested in watching this thread!
Jeni

[Dillydoodle]

i checked into it and found that some things were considered pre-existing conditions and other things are not covered under their policies. They wont cover anything they feel is a genetic condition- so forget about things like hip dysplasia, DM or anything like that, it worries me that if something did happen, that it would not be covered and i would have paid the monthly fee for nothing. I feel like if you put money away each and every month ( like paying for insurance) that if anything ever did happen the money would be there. This is what i do. We make sure there is money in a special savings account for Dillon, soon Gus and the cats as well. so that no matter what they might need, we know that the money is there for them. that is just my two cents...
Emilie

[ZdogZ]

We don't have insurance on our pets either. My vet will work out a payment schedule for those who can't afford the total cost at once. Do many others do this?

[milosmom]

I've looked into pet insurance and it is very tricky. You really have to read the fine print with a magnifying glass!! I opted to put $5 a week away in an emergency fund. I don't use the fund for routine vet visits...or minor visits. i'm saving it for something more serious and hoping I never have to use it. I hope someone here has vet insurance and can speak to the experience of using it and what they have learned.

[Michael Romanos]

There are many choices available for health and accident and life insurance for dogs in the USA that it pays to look at as many options as you can possibly fit in. If you are based in the USA, I'd go for looking at the AKC-recommended insurance provider as well as those attached to the major insurance firms in the USA that have a excellent reputation. A look at the disaster of Hurricane Katrina will tell you something about the good and bad insurance companies. Dog insurance (or Pet Insurance as it is termed) is very worthwhile in my opinion provided that the deal is a good one and covers most if not all bases and one knows exactly where one stands.

[Dillydoodle]

I used to work for an insurance company and I know how they word their policies to their benefit, and how exclusions work. I read the pet insurance policy and realized quickly that it was good for accident ( like hit by car or something like that) but often didnt cover health things like some cancers, anything they deemed to be genetic. Having had Dillon misdiagnosed with a leg issue as a youngster ( which turned out to be nothing at all, just vets who apparently dont know what a corgi skelleton looks like compared to other dogs) the one thing i learned quickly was that they could not agree if this was a hereditary thing or an accident related injury ( bone trauma caused by jumping off the bed or couch) and in this case HAD i had the pet insurance they never would have covered the expenses as they would have had one of their own medical people read the doctor notes and the second they saw that it was even suspected to be hereditary they would have denied the coverage.. trust me , squirreling away money every month in an account just designed to cover major pet illness or injury is a more sure way to go. The last thing you want is to have an issue with a beloved pet, and not have the money to be able to get them proper medical care.

Emilie

[Chip's Mom]

I just registered Dale with the AKC and he gets two free months of insurance but it doesn't cover anything genetic. Spay and neuter is out unless you choose and pay for the top dollar plan. It will cover some medications but I don't think I will keep it for him either. It does not cover teeth but some of the plans will cover teeth cleaning yearly which is expensive.

[Fluffypants]

I have VPI insurance - with the wellness add on. It's nice to be able to get some money back. It's not as complete as one would hope, but I figured it was better than nothing. I also make sure to put money away every month for an emergency (God forbid).

[Chip's Mom]

Jessica:

Are your returns close to your premium payments? I think it is a little over $500 a year for the one that I was looking at.

[Hayashi_eri]

We have dog insurance in Singapore too but it is really costly & does not cover any vet bills. Only death....which is very sad...

[Fluffypants]

I only pay $29.95/month with VPI, so it is easily justified.

Being in NY though, nothing is ever covered fully. They base their payments on "national averages", which means that we in the $$ states always get the shaft! Oh well - something is better than nothing, right? I have to pay the vet anyway. At least I am getting something back.

[Philbiker]

My wife got VPI Pet insurance for one of our dogs, Newman. It's a ripoff and a racket IMO and I wish she would drop it. They don't pay SQUAT for any kind of vet visit. We send them the claim forms, they send us increadibly measly checks. Massive waste of money. I would advise against pet insurance!

We've had Tucker almost a year and thank God so far we haven't gotten him "covered" yet.

[corgimom]

Philbiker,

Were the reimbursements small for normal routine care, or did Newman have some other issues that the vet had to deal with that you felt should have been covered for more?

By the way, here is the site:

http://www.petinsurance.com/?a=7005D...A667A5EE823894