NFT: Pet Insurance Recommendation

as an alternative and for your peace of mind (financially), I would set $75 aside in a 'rainy day' account. Use that to expense any of the vet bill associated with the pet.

That's $75 per month.

I use Trupanion which is very good. Deductible is $300 per condition, then it pays 90% with no lifetime maximum. I'm paying $180 for a 15 year old dog.

he recommended trupanion.

For my first dog I waited until she was 7 to get it, and now we pay $45 per month or something like that.

we just got a second dog, a puppy, a little over a month ago (he was 12 weeks and a Shepherd/Rottweiler mix) and for him it's $50 per month I believe.

But if you go to the trupanion website you can adjust the premium based on what deductible you want.

Also, you may want to talk to your vet and see if they have a recommendation.

giant scam. Feed the dog Origen, plenty of exercise, and if he breaks his leg or something, makes more sense to bite the bullet. Ends up cheaper in the long run even. Feel like a lot of these dogs of health problems because of the crap their owners are feeding them.

It's a pretty brilliant racket, people get attached to their pets. But even at the end and he's having health problems, it's going to happen again shortly after. These things generally don't happen in isolation. Happen to a lot of people I know. Dog gets cancer, fix the cancer, and then a year later it's something else. And the dog is miserable the whole time.

In comment 15220413 BamaBlue said:

Quote:

as an alternative and for your peace of mind (financially), I would set $75 aside in a 'rainy day' account. Use that to expense any of the vet bill associated with the pet.

This is a good move from budgetary perspective. The best move is just invest the money and pay out of pocket.

we got our first dog just about 3 years ago. We had recently had some sick cats that cost us a lot so my wife wanted insurance on the dog. We went with healthy paws i think (wife handled it). Within the first few months we go thim he got bad pneumonia. Had to stay overnight at the emergency vet and all that. Bill was over like 5K, most of which ended up being covered. And unlike human insurance the company went out of their way to help us, setting up payment with the vet directly, checking on us, etc.. I was pretty surprised.

I mean sure if you put away 50 bucks a month im sure it would work out the same. Its just like any insurance, you are paying money in case something happens, if nothing happens you wasted a bunch of money, lol.

Our dogs are 15 and 13. The 15 year old is having issues; kidney disease, arthritis and old neck injury from a dog fight a few years ago, maybe some dementia and he's hard of hearing. I dread the day when my wife and I have to play God and decide to put him down. For now he still enjoys going on brisk walks and he likes to cuddle.

One thing I grateful I don't have to worry about is vet bills. If we get presented with a bill for thousands of dollars, no problem. Expensive meds ? 90% covered. I would not want to be in a position where I had to weigh the financial hit versus making my dog comfortable or saving his life. Even if it turns out the total of premiums exceed the cost of his care, I don't regret one penny spent on insurance.

any more than health insurance is. by your logic "just don't get cancer".

it also depends if you consider your pet a family member or an animal.

For example when I was growing up if the dog needed medical care that was expensive my step father would have "taken the dog for a ride" and we never would have seen the dog again (mother f-er).

a couple years ago my dog ate a pack of gum one of my kids left around in a place the dog could reach it.

sugarless gum contains Xylitol which can be deadly to dogs. So we took her to the animal hospital - he blood pressure was elevated and they kept her for observation. $1200+ in fees. If I had insurance I'd only have paid my deductible ($500).

is that a scam?

Sure, if you can guarantee no matter what you do your dog won't get in any accidents to jeopardize their well being yeah you don't need insurance or you can decide you will risk it or just "take the dog for a ride"

I don't think it's a scam though.

older dogs at risk definitely in the $75-$100 range.

Our rescue (rescued at 7 yrs old) in his first year with us had a growth on his spleen that was a $7k surgery. We didn't have insurance so we paid oop.

Since then the rescue now 12 was diagnosed with prostate cancer and last year the insurance covered about $8k of treatment and we paid out about $3k in deductible.

So some of it is peace of mind, we never hesitate to get medical visits/treatments.

It's a no brainer.....

it’s just another risk/reward game. I personally wouldn’t pay $7k to treat a dogs cancer or something along those lines but I would pay $3k to fix a relatively young dogs ACL.

So the question is, what intermediate stuff can I get covered and does the monthly cost make sense.

In comment 15220445 pjcas18 said:

Quote:

any more than health insurance is. by your logic "just don't get cancer". it also depends if you consider your pet a family member or an animal. For example when I was growing up if the dog needed medical care that was expensive my step father would have "taken the dog for a ride" and we never would have seen the dog again (mother f-er). a couple years ago my dog ate a pack of gum one of my kids left around in a place the dog could reach it. sugarless gum contains Xylitol which can be deadly to dogs. So we took her to the animal hospital - he blood pressure was elevated and they kept her for observation. $1200+ in fees. If I had insurance I'd only have paid my deductible ($500). is that a scam? Sure, if you can guarantee no matter what you do your dog won't get in any accidents to jeopardize their well being yeah you don't need insurance or you can decide you will risk it or just "take the dog for a ride" I don't think it's a scam though.

Health insurance is a scam though the way we have it set up, and I say that as someone that worked in the industry. Unfortunately, we have no choice in the matter. Thankfully, I have coverage from VA. I don't use it and most likely won't unless an accident happens. When pets have health issues, you can certainly shop around. And yes don't get cancer. When you live a healthy life, the odds of getting health issues go down exponentially. And since it mostly comes down to diet and stress, nobody wants to hear it. People that do this don't need to take a ton of meds either. It still blows my mind that people don't understand this. Animals are the same way.

Most people feed their dog crap and don't get it enough exercise. So yes if that's what you are going to do, yeah get pet insurance. To me I'd rather spend a little more on his food, get him lots of exercise (I'm a super active person so this isn't a problem), and if an accident happens I just take what I saved from not having pet insurance.

Like people, if your dog is going to have a problem it's going to be very young or very old. I have a one year health guarantee and why I opted out of getting insurance.

so puppy it is and with that are the guarantees I listed above. I'm inclined to take the wait and see approach.

I'm on Trupanion's site now and their lowest tier is $42 per month with a $1k deductible.

I'd look at the options from the major providers.

I looked only at trupanion since it was recommended to me by a vet.

but check their websites, see what they cover from an ailment standpoint, see what the deductible options are and see if the premium is worth it.

my rescue was covered only for heartworm.

but my anecdotal experience and this is just from stuff I have noticed from my dogs and from fostering is mixes are are less susceptible to many of the hereditary ailments that pure breds are - I couldn't tell if your dog was a pure bred or a mix. And I'm not sure if science supports my opinion but I believe it to be true (something about the inbreeding)

for a dog with cancer, before you get a dog. When that dog has been a member of your family for over a decade, thats a much harder decision to make, especially if the dog's quality of life is otherwise good. My best friend's wife spent over 17K in vet bills on her old sick cat. She wound up charging it to a credit card. Even if you have a fat bank account writing a check for thousands of dollars which may or may not work is an emotional decision.

Dealing with an aging dog is hard enough. Insurance give you one less very important thing to worry about.

its a purebred, and they are susceptible to those ailments which is why the breeder covers it for 2 years. Generally speaking Goldens (especially English Golden's) are very healthy dogs otherwise.

I wouldn't do it. I had to put my last dog down for medical reasons and he was only 7 or so. I wouldn't begrudge someone for doing it but I find the financial and emotional burden on the owner + the stress and discomfort to the animal (depending on what it is) as a really bad mix. Not to mention the ailment has the potential to return in many cases.

I'm open to insurance to offset, but there's simply no way I'd ever pay that with or without insurance.

into the vet many times beyond checkups (usually for severe ear problems, or skin problems) that require medication, and the bill is anywhere from 300 to 500 per visit.


there have been many times I've wished I had gotten pet insurance.

i have a 7 year old Golden retriever that got serious Lyme disease and the bill was like 3 grand. I paid out of pocket and minus the deductable I got most of the money back in less then 30 days. They were very efficient.

In comment 15220428 Zeke's Alibi said:

Quote:

giant scam. Feed the dog Origen, plenty of exercise, and if he breaks his leg or something, makes more sense to bite the bullet. Ends up cheaper in the long run even. Feel like a lot of these dogs of health problems because of the crap their owners are feeding them. It's a pretty brilliant racket, people get attached to their pets. But even at the end and he's having health problems, it's going to happen again shortly after. These things generally don't happen in isolation. Happen to a lot of people I know. Dog gets cancer, fix the cancer, and then a year later it's something else. And the dog is miserable the whole time.

What a weird move to push your preferred overpriced pet food in a post about the industry taking advantage of people's loyalty to their pets.

We use healthy paws & it’s already paid for itself. I have a pit mix whose had ACL tears in both legs. We got it covered at 80% after a $500 deductible. Enormous help. Worth it for the peace of mind.

I use Healthy Paws. Very highly reviewed and recommended. Pays 90% minus any wellness visits. Had a friend who over the course of 2 and 1/2 years who paid 35k for their dog in later years. Dont want to deal with that.

In comment 15220583 Gatorade Dunk said:

Quote:

In comment 15220428 Zeke's Alibi said: Quote: What a weird move to push your preferred overpriced pet food in a post about the industry taking advantage of people's loyalty to their pets.

Is there a cheaper option to feed dogs what’s they are supposed to be eating? I honestly don’t know, I’m pretty new to all this. Ground up meat and organs in the proper percentages.

In comment 15220648 Zeke's Alibi said:

Quote:

In comment 15220583 Gatorade Dunk said: Quote: In comment 15220428 Zeke's Alibi said: Quote: What a weird move to push your preferred overpriced pet food in a post about the industry taking advantage of people's loyalty to their pets. Is there a cheaper option to feed dogs what’s they are supposed to be eating? I honestly don’t know, I’m pretty new to all this. Ground up meat and organs in the proper percentages.

There are a ton of options in between a cheap garbage brand like Alpo and an overpriced premium brand like Origen, and the best option will depend on your dog's breed, their specific sensitivities (including grain or no grain), allergies, energy level, activity level, etc.

There is no one-size-fits-all brand that is best for every dog. And Origen is a good brand, but it's not necessarily perfect, and there are other options that are more reasonably priced that can be even better for specific dogs.

We have three dogs, all three have their own food, and all three are different brands. Our 13yo dachschund is on a hepatic diet (previously Royal Canin, now Hill's because RC was unavailable for a long time), our 8yo terrier mix is on a combination of Beaverdam Skipper's Choice + Freshpet Small Breed, and our 2yo hound mix is on Blue Buffalo Limited Ingredient. They're all doing well on their respective diets, after a fair amount of trial and error along the way.

yes we're those people.

Pay the money into a pet account and set a monetary limit on what you are willing to spend on a pet. For some that will be $1,000...others $10,000+. $50/mo with a $1,000 deductable is not chump change. Be prepared to say no when the vet throws out a number of $4,000. You might be surprised how quickly other options emerge.

Nationwide. I would say...they are...not the best.

I adopted a dog last June and she got sick like a month after I adopted her. Turns out she has a case of meningitis (not contagious) that we or the shelter didn't know about.

I was in Massachusetts at the time and took her to an animal hospital in Woburn where they did everything. Tick panel, spinal tap, etc.

I had purchased the insurance maybe a few days before it happened and they didn't cover anything because the policy was still in the underwriting process. 3.5K it cost me.

Then in September she ate some mulch that was treated with chemicals and she kept throwing up. Like 20 times in a few hour span. Took her to Blue Pearl on the West Side of Manhattan and they kept her for two nights. Did an ultrasound, the works. That was 6,100. Nationwide reimbursed me about 1800 dollars.

THEN in January of this year, she starts to throw up AGAIN. This time, we take her to a different animal hospital in Brooklyn (where my dog sees a neurologist for her mengitis) and they did an xray, ultrasound, etc. Find out that she had a piece of ball in her stomach that she wasn't able to pass. That was about 4K.

I went to submit the reimbursement charge and Nationwide gave me back like 250 dollars. So I sent an e-mail to the head of insurance and also the CEO at like 11 AM. I received a call back from an EVP who said she was looking at this personally.

I got 3500 dollars back.