Pet Insurance

[Dr. Gonzo]

Does anyone have pet insurance for their pet(s) and if so, have you had to use it? I am interested in getting a policy for my 4 year old black lab mix but don't know much about what's available;

What insurers are better than others?
Average monthly premium?
Average deductible?
Do they cover regular check-up visits or are they strictly for emergencies?

Any other feedback would be great?

 

[Blackoyote]

From what I understand, just stay FAR AWAY from anything Banfield.

 

[Torch10th]

My wife and I have a pet plan with Petsmart (banfield) and although it was great for when they were puppies, as young adults the plan isn't really worth it. A true pet insurance would be better as it covers vet visits outside of your standard shots and bi-annual exams. The pet plan we have covers those items and provides a small discount on extra services.

Our experience with Banfield has been mostly positive. The doctors have been competent and our dogs have been treated well under their care. The problem as I see it however is that turnover in this company tends to be high, so you never know who your dog is going to be seen by. As a result at the end of our current pet plan in January we'll be dis-enrolling them from Banfield and they will be going to a local vet that can get to know them, their history etc.

I guess you could think of Banfield as the Kaiser Permanente of pet care. They don't do a bad job, but it's fairly corporate and impersonal.

We will be at least putting our female on an insurance plan because she's a lunatic and is constantly hurting herself because she's a spaz with endless amounts of energy. We paid out close to 2000 in vet bills this year after she managed to get her collar caught on a door handle and nearly choked herself to death.

 

[RDJ]

I have a friend that has pet insurance and they are a god send for her. her pup has got a few things wrong with her and it has saved her a bundle. I will get the details from her and post them up here

 

[Dr. Gonzo]

That would be appreciated.

My bitch's vet is nice & straight forward, he doesn't push new products or anything and he's located at a 24 hour emergency vet center which is really nice if, God forbid, I have an emergency; so I'm not looking to switch vets. I'd like to have a policy with a reputable insurer, that isn't going to dick me around if there's ever a claim and will cover anything outside of regular visits, minus my deductible.

 

[Branhammer]

We have the wellness plan from Banfield and, while I know the have a bad rep, the one near us is great. Our dogs have had a lot of ear infections and the plan has saved us a lot on vet visits and ear medication. Pet insurance is different from a wellness plan though. Insurance is what you want for more extensive things like surgeries, although a lot of them will not cover problems that are common in a specific breed, which basically makes pet insurance a scam in my opinion. We have Brittany Spaniels and they only have about a 10% chance of developing hip dysplasia, and that is a high enough risk that we couldn't find a company that would cover that, so we didn't get insurance for them.

 

[Deceptive]

Wife works at a Veterinary Hospital, better than any insurance. Lol

 

[SHOdown220]

I'm interested in this as well. We got the puppy plan from banfield when we picked up our husky and it has been great for covering shots, heartwarm medication and stuff like that. I know that each visit in for the first shots was like $150 or something like that and we paid something like 400 for the year and that includes getting her spayed. I don't think I will continue after the first plan is up though. I would like to find something else. I haven't had any issues with banfield so far, they have been knowledgeable and courteous every time we have been.

 

[Gary101386]

We have a dog that has seizures. Over the last 2 years its been several thousand dollars in vet bills, blood work, medicines, visits, and emergency vet visits. We were thinking that we sure wish we had the pet insurance. Look VERY CLOSELY most everything is not covered. Know your dog breed, if its something the breed has in it, its most likely not covered and say it isn't in the breeds line, they'll cover it to a certain cap usually $2,000. The plans we looked at weren't very cheap either!

to sum it up, insurance is worth if you get it as a puppy, itll cover all the new puppy stuff, shots meds, and anything that can arise from a puppy or it if your dog gets suddenly hurt, but for the breed typical things its not much of a help, from our research, hence why we don't have insurance on our second dog who is completely healthy...

If I were to get a puppy all over again, I would get the insurance for its first 8 months to a year then cancel it...

 

[oldmodman]

A couple I know (only slightly) had pet insurance on their dog. It was a Husky.

Poor dog developed cancer. The total on the various surgeries and treatments was in the many thousands.

They were able to go to their own vet, and then on to an animal oncologist. And the insurance paid for everything after the deductible.

Next time I see them I will find out who their insurance carrier is and bump this thread up.

 

[Uncle Meat]

If I were to purchase another "purebred" cat or dog I would seriously consider pet insurance strictly because purebred animals seem to have a lot of inherited genetic defects.

However I will never purchase a purebred again. Only shelter animals for me from now on.

U.M.

 

[scott_0]

Ill have to get the details from my wife, but we have coverage on our 1.5yr old Yorkie, it is really good coverage and they send out their checks quickly

 

[RDJ]

So I heard from my friend about what she uses. Her dog DIXIE has a few issues that are still being sorted out. I will just paste what she said here and let it speak for its self.

"I use healthypawsinsurance.com for her. I use ASPCA for the cats. Healthy Paws has been so easy to deal with. 35 a month for her size and weight. It's an 80/20 plan. So far the only thing they haven't covered are office visit fees. I get back 80% of every treatment she has received and it has been a god send. Her insurance has more than paid for itself. This year her medical has been over 8k. I submit an invoice online, and typically 8-10 days I get notice check is in the mail. the ASPCA is cheaper; about 20 a month for each cat and it is a 90/10 plan but has a lot of exceptions - for the cat's that's fine - they are healthy as horses. For Dixie I looked a quite a few plans - must watch the exclusions. Healthypaws had the fewest exclusions and.... you get a customer service rep on the phone real easy AND they are here in the US which is good becuase there is no language barriers at all."

bottom line as you take a look at plans ... compare the exclusions and then look at price. it takes some research and Yvonne is one of the best at it.

 

[stmoney11]

I have a policy through Embrace Pet Insurance for my Bulldog, they have many different plans, but the bottom line is they have been great so far. They reimburse for wellness visits(annual shots, etc) and you then can choose your deductible and coinsurance amount for all other care.

 

[Entrenched]

I've got VIP pet insurance through my work. It's pretty inexpensive $30 month for my current dog (yorkie w/cancer rider). We've had it for years. It pays for shots, heartworm treatments, flea treatments, yearly checkups, and spade/neutering. 10 years ago my adult Basset hound got into my neighbors field and got caught up in barbed wire. It slit his throat and we thought he was done. We rushed him to a pet ER and they patched him up after a few hours of surgery and a few nights there he was home fine. The bill was over $3k but we paid only paid the deductable (I think it was $300). A few years ago we had a dachshund puppy that died randomly from liver failure, the pet insurance paid to have him cremated (I thought it was a nice gesture).

It's just peace of mind and keeps us from ever having to decide if we should spend large amounts of money to save the life of a pet. It makes it a non issue.

 

[hoamskilet]

I used to laugh at the concept, but after 2 ACL surgeries for our golden retriever I wished we had it hah

 

[lobra97]

sub'n
we have a frenchie and lot of owners recommend we get ins for him. he has been great so far lol

 

[BrunotheBoxer]

I have an apbt and do not have insurance. She has been extremely healthy since she was born knock on wood and last week I took her for an annual physical. It was over $200 and nothing was wrong. Just simple tests and shots. I should have gotten insurance because at even $30 a month and no health issues it's practically a break even if it pays for the physicals.

I had boxers that got cancer and that was a real low point in my life. Just ****n terrible.

 

[starnsey]

I've got insurance through PetPlan for my shelter dog. Haven't had to use it yet but for like $116/year I figure why not in case something bad happens to him. You just have to provide them with like two years of records for your pet (unless they're a new puppy obviously) and essentially have to have the vet fill out a form for whatever you're looking to get covered. Kinda tedious if you're lazy but most veterinarians will be happy to fill out the forms.

 

[Verde]

We're in the process of picking an insurance plan for our 5 year old cat. He's had minor health issues here and there, but never expensive enough to justify an insurance plan. Last year (the day before thanksgiving in fact) he broke his ankle and was rushed to emergency to get it examined. 2 surgeries and over $15,000 later in repairs, visits, medications, xrays, and emergency clinic trips, he was finally given a clean bill of health 2 weeks ago. A proper insurance plan would have saved us, and will hopefully provide solid coverage now despite his medical history.