Pet Insurance- yes or no?

[cindersellie]

Hi everyone. Cinders will be getting a few things done in the next few months- spayed and teeth pulled. So...I was looking into the pet insurance that AKC offers. Is it worth getting? If so, which have you used or wish you had for your pets?
I was looking at the lowest (18.00 a mo.), but the cost of 75.00 an incident makes me unsure that it's a good value since I pay less than that per vet visit. And the 43.00 one is expensive... but there's a yearly deductible limit of 125.00. I just don't know if I should get insurance or save up for an emergency.
I'd love some feedback about this so I can make an informed decision.



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[rubynrosie]

Im glad you posted in this. I have not gotten Ruby or Rosie insurance but have debated on it several times. Responding to your post so I get notified when responses come in!

[Verbena]

Me too

[rubymoon2072]

imo no..put a monthly amount aside and have a cc for backup.

[cindersellie]

Originally Posted by rubymoon2072

imo no..put a monthly amount aside and have a cc for backup.

Have you used the insurance before? I was hoping the monthly cost would be worth it if I get it. I try to put 50.00 aside for emergencys each mo. Insurance would take away from that amount. Saving up is soo hard to do with all the cute dresses and toys...lol

[Harrysmum]

I keep thinking of cancelling Harry's insurance as he's such a healthy little teapot (I'm touching wood like crazy as I type...)...but I know the minute I do, things will start going wrong.

Slightly different here, but just to give you an example - I pay £11 per month with a £50 excess, with a ceiling of £3,000 per procedure (up to 4 per year).

Thing is, I KNOW what I'm like...I'd put the money away with the very best of intentions - then something else scrummy comes along.... Sally + Harry x

[TxVicki]

I have never had Insurance on mine. I have an account that is especially for the dog's and money is put into it every month. I also have a Credit Card that is especially for the dog's and I also have as a back up Care Credit. That way I am very covered.

[Alfies mum]

I do have insurance however mines is only £13 a month but it covers everything with only a small exces of £50.

My relatives dog went into the vet and it turned out she had a tumor in her stomach so the vet webt to operate her. Sadly she died on the table but the vet still charged over £4000. Imagine if he didnt have insurance. A small monthly cost and a little excess is nothing compared to what you may have to pay

[Verbena]

I have money put away for my cats but I was not sure if I should do the same or get insurance

[Mistymillar]

I have insurance, pretty similar to those of the two other UKers in this thread. It doesn't cover for Alfie's current treatment as there is a 10 day minimum between start date of cover and when you report the condition. As Alfie is so young he was only with us a few weeks before I organised the insurance and it was only 6 days before I needed to have him seen (other than his general vaccine and flea/worm visits) I would not have considered waiting another 4 days just to be covered and that has been ok as we have not had to pay an outrageous amount but he has still been at the vet 5 times since mid November at around £40 a time.
But what if it were something that needed surgery, I have savings and credit cards but it would take me a long time to recover several thousand pounds so prefer to spend the money just in case.

[cindersellie]

Care Credit is the credit card/ credit line the vet brought up before to use for emergencies. I Know the costs can get high if cronic desease decides to show up later. I'm thinking maybe the lowest one would be good to have. Or apply for care credit and have it just incase. Or Have both! All good ideas!

What pet insurance company do you use? The one I was looking at was offered by the AKC. I'm going to search later tonight to see what other companys offer pet insurance.

[cindersellie]

So far, I've looked at 3 good insurance plans. I'll put links in for you guys.

AKC is here

Sorry - AKC Pet Healthcare Plan

aspca has insurance here

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance Plans

and this one looks really good.

https://www.petinsurance.com/enroll/Quote2.aspx


I'm still deciding, but the VPI one looks very nice.

[yorkiemini]

We have Healthy Paws and a saving account. My previous Yorkie had an encephalitis that ran a out $9000 in the end, but she did well for many years. I just don't want to ever have to deny my pup anything she needs for her health and well being. And.... Yes... She is spoiled!

[cindersellie]

Originally Posted by yorkiemini

We have Healthy Paws and a saving account. My previous Yorkie had an encephalitis that ran a out $9000 in the end, but she did well for many years. I just don't want to ever have to deny my pup anything she needs for her health and well being. And.... Yes... She is spoiled!

I haven't looked at Healthy Paws yet, but I will. I feel the same way, I want to make sure Cinders gets whatever she needs health wise. That's why I'm looking into pet insurance. After reading about what others have or are going through, I just want to make sure we can always do that for her. Thanks for sharing. I'm sorry your previous yorkie, RiP little one.

[Teresiana]

I have PetPlan for both of my pups. I pay yearly. $410 for my Yorkie & $293 for my Yorkie-Maltese mix. Personally, I would never NOT have insurance for my babies. The plan that I have pays 90% of my claims & even includes the vet office visit fee. For the calendar year 2012, my reimbursed claims totaled $850. So I'm $147 in the black for 2012. My Yorkie-Maltese mix did have a ton of health issues & was hospitalized this year. I'm not expecting her to have the same amount of health problems in 2013...but you really never know. Both of my pups are rescues. So I feel better about having them insured.

My 9 year old Lab is not insured. He was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma almost one year ago. This is not a genetic disease & can happen to any dog. Between specialists, surgery, radiation, DNA therapy, medications, etc....I can't even count how much money we've spent. The radiation & DNA therapy alone is $2200 every 2 weeks. But he's still bouncing around & seems happy. So I'm not ready to give up yet.

This is what I like about insurance - IF one of my pups is sick, I don't have to worry about options & cost. I can automatically choose the best treatment because I know that I'll get 90% back. I'm also more prone to visit my vet on a regular basis because I don't have to consider the cost.

I have a great relationship with my vet & I actually spoke with him and his office staff before deciding what insurance to go with. Consulting my vet's office staff really helped. After all, they are the ones who process the insurance claims. So they will be able to tell you if they think insurance is in the best interest for your pet.

Good luck!