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NFT: BBI dog owners: Pet Insurance?

V.I.G. : 2/12/2019 4:08 pm
Puppy comes home Friday!

Do any of you folks have pet insurance and if so which one?

Consumer Reports had mixed reviews...

Thank you in advance!
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We've had it for our dogs.  
TheManUpstairs : 2/12/2019 4:13 pm : link
Basically, we knew that if our dog needed serious surgery, he would have it, because that how we felt about him. So, we had insurance for him. I'm sure if we sat down and did the math, it wasn't a great deal, but it was peace of mind. He just passed away last month, and there were some last-minute attempts to help him make it -- and Nationwide (who carried the insurance) covered them all.

The cats . . . either they make it, or they don't.
I use Healthy Paws and highly recommend getting pet insurance  
Strahan91 : 2/12/2019 4:13 pm : link
It's not too expensive and for awhile it seemed like a waste. My dog will be 3 at the end of May. The first 2+ years we got at most $25 back here or there because of the deductible on the plan we're on. 2-3 months ago she started to have accidents every 45 min and couldn't drink enough water. We were back and forth at the vet a number of times and finally she got diagnosed with diabetes insipidus. She has to be on medication that costs $100/month for the rest of her life, not to mention the $2k of vet bills from the whole ordeal. These things are rare but we pay like $25 a month and it was well worth it to start when we first got her.
we do not...  
I Love Clams Casino : 2/12/2019 4:15 pm : link
but our dog is a genetically diversified mutt

we'd lose money if we insured her....that and she's only 19 lbs.

Both of those should figure in on whether you DO or DO NOT purchase insurance for your puppy
I got wellness care  
Hazlet Giant's Fan : 2/12/2019 4:30 pm : link
at Banfield in Petsmart not insurance but wellness care I pay a reasonable monthly fee and all hi checkups and shots and unlimited vet visits are included along with discounted meds.
Trupanion  
gntman : 2/12/2019 4:39 pm : link
We use trupanion with a deductible for each type of illness over the pet's lifetime. We got it to avoid having to my any financial decisions over her health. Trupanion works great with our vet and I don't even need to file claims, they handle everything.

Some may say that it is 700/year wasted but I think we all spend more than that to insure each of our cars, so it was no brainer for us.
RE: we do not...  
Strahan91 : 2/12/2019 4:41 pm : link
In comment 14294739 I Love Clams Casino said:
Quote:
but our dog is a genetically diversified mutt

we'd lose money if we insured her....that and she's only 19 lbs.

Both of those should figure in on whether you DO or DO NOT purchase insurance for your puppy

Mine is too and is exactly the same weight and see above. I'm not calling you out, just think it's important for the OP to know.
Financially you are better off self insuring  
KeoweeFan : 2/12/2019 5:24 pm : link
especially if you intend to purchase insurance for every pet your family will have in the future.
For us, the value is that given that the cost is "sunk" we do not have to agonize over whether it is "worth it" to save an animal that we love.
RE: Trupanion  
Ron from Ninerland : 2/12/2019 5:24 pm : link
In comment 14294764 gntman said:
Quote:
We use trupanion with a deductible for each type of illness over the pet's lifetime. We got it to avoid having to my any financial decisions over her health. Trupanion works great with our vet and I don't even need to file claims, they handle everything.

Some may say that it is 700/year wasted but I think we all spend more than that to insure each of our cars, so it was no brainer for us.
+1 We use Trupanion for both our dogs. They're 13 and 11 now. We just now got back from the vet for our 13 year old who is guzzling water and peeing in the house. The initial blood and urine screen alone is costing us almost $400. The deductible for our plan is $350 so we don't expect to get anything back just yet, but we have the peace of mind knowing that the insurance will pay the lion's share of anything else that comes up, including drugs. If this gets expensive we don't have to ask ourselves "are the medical costs worth it?"
FEEDBACK IS VERY VERY MUCH APPRECIATED  
V.I.G. : 2/12/2019 5:26 pm : link
thank you!
RE: we do not...  
Ron from Ninerland : 2/12/2019 5:28 pm : link
In comment 14294739 I Love Clams Casino said:
Quote:
but our dog is a genetically diversified mutt

we'd lose money if we insured her....that and she's only 19 lbs.

Both of those should figure in on whether you DO or DO NOT purchase insurance for your puppy
I'm not sure I understand your comment. Medical insurance should depend on the breed except that some purebreds that are prone to certain problems may cost more or have specific exclusions. Are you talking about insurance for the cost of the dog ? Thats a different matter.
The vet herself was the one who convinced me not to get  
jcn56 : 2/12/2019 5:31 pm : link
the insurance. She said that the premiums over the years added up would probably not exceed the cost of any end of life care for the dog, even in extreme circumstances. She specifically told me that so long as I could afford and didn't have to worry about the financial aspect of end of life care, that it didn't make sense financially to have the insurance.

For those of you that have had these plans for a dog's entire lifespan, did you find this to be the case?
We have Trupanion  
Go Terps : 2/12/2019 5:44 pm : link
I think we're paying about $50 a month. In our case it's been worth it. We have a very active dog who, if she were a cat, would have gone through about 6 of her 9 lives right now. Despite, that, the actual biggest issue was a surgery to correct a congenital issue that was causing 3 or 4 eyelashes to rub and irritate her cornea. I think that one ran about $3,000. We've probably spent another $3K-$4K on various other issues...we hike her a lot, and our backyard turns into a scene out of Planet Earth about once a week, so there's always something that comes up.

It really depends on the dog. If your dog isn't too active I wouldn't spend the money for it. If you have a lunatic like I do, it might be worth it.
Petsmart  
mdthedream : 2/12/2019 5:50 pm : link
$30 and its great.
RE: Petsmart  
Bleedin Blue : 2/12/2019 9:16 pm : link
In comment 14294821 mdthedream said:
Quote:
$30 and its great.


Same here! I use Petsmart wellness plan, it’s a great investment. They cover dental cleaning, shots and everything! I also have petplan insurance but I’m thinking about stopping it.
.  
arcarsenal : 2/12/2019 9:40 pm : link
I have my pup insured through AKC. He is a lunatic and it is necessary - he's already eaten headphones and a leash and is only 9 months old. The plan I have for him covers a lot of routine stuff and isn't just for emergencies.

I find it to be worth it, personally - but for my last golden, it actually probably wouldn't have been. He was much more tame, never ate anything other than what was meant to be eaten, and never required any surgeries or anything.

So, I'd say it depends on the dog. If you have a more active dog that spends more time outside or gets wild/into trouble, I would definitely recommend it.

If you've got a lap dog or a really tame pup with good genes, you probably don't need it.
RE: RE: we do not...  
I Love Clams Casino : 2/13/2019 8:45 am : link
In comment 14294765 Strahan91 said:
Quote:
In comment 14294739 I Love Clams Casino said:


Quote:


but our dog is a genetically diversified mutt

we'd lose money if we insured her....that and she's only 19 lbs.

Both of those should figure in on whether you DO or DO NOT purchase insurance for your puppy


Mine is too and is exactly the same weight and see above. I'm not calling you out, just think it's important for the OP to know.


Oh that's fine...it does seem rare given the breed (mutt) and weight of your dog. We've had our little girl for 7 years and she must be one of the healthiest animals I've ever seen. She did require a surgery about 3 years ago to repair a (ligament) that stretches over the leg joint we homo sapiens would call a "knee"...which is relatively common. It cost us about $1600 given her weight....that cost easily doubles in a bigger dog. So other than yearly check-ups, and shots for "whatever", that's about it. If I paid for insurance for the past 7 years, I'm sure I'd be out more money than the $1600 for her leg surgery, plus her once a year visits that average around $100.....
We have Embrace  
jv : 2/13/2019 9:07 am : link
It is fantastic. We have a Bernese Mountain Dog so health issues were a concern. We have no kids and don't plan on having any so she is our child. Embrace covers a lot and you can customize your insurance to your needs. You pay money up front at the vet, submit your claim and they can either direct deposit you money or send you a check. We've never had an issue.

Embrace was recommended by a friend whose Lab has had major health issues and they've covered everything.
Ill second healthy paws....  
Italianju : 2/13/2019 9:14 am : link
They have been great. And ill say pet insurance is def worth it. We got a puppy last july and a month later he got pneumonia and we were able to not hesitate when they said they would prefer to admit him and have him stay overnight. He stayed there two days and racked up a couple thousand dollar bill. I mean sure there is a good chance you wont have to use it until they are older and then maybe it wasnt worth it, but to us who had some crazy vet bills on some older cats its well worth it knowing we can just let the vets do what they think is best and not having to be stressing about the cost. We made the choice to spend whatever we needed to on the cats to try to help them, but it def put a strain on our finances.
dropped 20K in a year  
RasputinPrime : 2/13/2019 2:13 pm : link
getting treatment or lymphoma for our 14 year old yorkie in 2017. No insurance. Had to put him down late 2017.

We got another yorkie pup a few months afterwards and considered pet insurance but came away undecided that it would result in a net savings over the life of the animal. Our previous dog cost us maybe 2K in the first 13 years of his life.
'if our dog needed serious surgery, he would have it,'...  
Torrag : 2/13/2019 2:24 pm : link
...'because that how we felt about him. So, we had insurance for him.'

This is why our family has pet insurance as well. God forbid something serious was required to save him and we couldn't afford the treatment.

Now researching policies is another facet. Do your homework. Read all fine print, terms and conditions. There are slippery companies out there looking to exploit caring pet owners. Be informed.
recommend it highly  
bc4life : 2/13/2019 3:40 pm : link
last dog was first one I had with health issues and it would have saved me quite a bit. sometimes Vets have some info but do due diligence
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