Pet health insurance

[osiris]

Does anyone know of any good health insurance for pets. Or if it is worth the money?

[BabyElephant]

It's only worth the money if you need it, if you don't then you'd see it as a waste of money. You need to balance what is best for you. I have insurance for Poppy and I'm glad I did because by the time we've got to the end of the treatment for her blood disorder it will have cost me quite a lot. I still have to pay the costs up front and then claim back. I would have still paid for her treatment even if I didn't have insurance though.

I know lots of people don't have it and then something happens to their dog and they wished they had. Some people have it and never, ever use it and then wished that they'd not bothered. I once read an article on this and they said insure your dog for the first two years of it's life (if you get it as a puppy). If you don't use the insurance in the first two years then cancel the policy. Apparently most dogs that need major treatment in their first two years of life go on to need more and more (this doesn't bode well for Poppy then!) I don't know how true this is but it certainly gives me peace of mind knowing that I have it.

You could always put money aside in to a separate bank account for emergencies if you don't get insurance. If you do get insurance please make sure you look in to all the policies carefully. For example some won't cover certain health problems associated with certain breeds - labs are prone to HD and most policies won't cover this but the policy I have for Poppy does. Some will only cover health conditions for a year - well what if your dog has a thyroid problem? That is going to last for the rest of their life but the policy will only pay out for a year. What I'm saying is do your homework

[GSDNewbie]

I looked into it but decided it was not worth it

[osiris]

Originally Posted by BabyElephant

It's only worth the money if you need it, if you don't then you'd see it as a waste of money. You need to balance what is best for you. I have insurance for Poppy and I'm glad I did because by the time we've got to the end of the treatment for her blood disorder it will have cost me quite a lot. I still have to pay the costs up front and then claim back. I would have still paid for her treatment even if I didn't have insurance though.

I know lots of people don't have it and then something happens to their dog and they wished they had. Some people have it and never, ever use it and then wished that they'd not bothered. I once read an article on this and they said insure your dog for the first two years of it's life (if you get it as a puppy). If you don't use the insurance in the first two years then cancel the policy. Apparently most dogs that need major treatment in their first two years of life go on to need more and more (this doesn't bode well for Poppy then!) I don't know how true this is but it certainly gives me peace of mind knowing that I have it.

You could always put money aside in to a separate bank account for emergencies if you don't get insurance. If you do get insurance please make sure you look in to all the policies carefully. For example some won't cover certain health problems associated with certain breeds - labs are prone to HD and most policies won't cover this but the policy I have for Poppy does. Some will only cover health conditions for a year - well what if your dog has a thyroid problem? That is going to last for the rest of their life but the policy will only pay out for a year. What I'm saying is do your homework

Thanx. I'll look into it. Buddy hasn't had any major problems yet. He's a shih Tzu. so far he's only had a yeast infection in his ear other than that he's fine. He's 1yr and 8 months old.

[pung-yo]

Yep, that's what I do. I keep an account just for dog care, much cheaper and covers everything, if you are responsible and make it a priority to put x number of dollars per week or month.

[eno]

I was about ready to post on this but found someone already has. So I know budgeting money is smart for most all life expenses but the money isn't really the problem. The reason for insurance for me would be to cover pricey stuff. So with standard yearly vet visits and say a few problems here or there, do you not think you would break even or save money with insurance? I know no one will know the exact answer but is it a strong chance the insurance costs would get covered with normal yearly stuff that they pay out for.

[sassynan]

It's like car insurance, a waste of money if you never need it. But if something happens and you're not insured, it can cost you a fortune. I've never had pet insurance for either one of my pits...but I wish I had! Both developed different types of cancer in their older years and the bills are out of this world! I would guess that when cancer took my beloved Sadie, we had spent darn near $10,000.00 on various surgeries trying to make her better. Sassy isn't far behind.

[BabyElephant]

Originally Posted by eno

I was about ready to post on this but found someone already has. So I know budgeting money is smart for most all life expenses but the money isn't really the problem. The reason for insurance for me would be to cover pricey stuff. So with standard yearly vet visits and say a few problems here or there, do you not think you would break even or save money with insurance? I know no one will know the exact answer but is it a strong chance the insurance costs would get covered with normal yearly stuff that they pay out for.

most insurance policies don't cover standard vet bills and depending on what the problems are by the time you've paid the excess (i think you guys call it a deductable in the US?) it might not be worth claiming. for example poppy got attacked by two dogs, she needed emergency treatment, the excess was half the cost of the treatment, because the premium will go up with a claim it wasn't worth me claiming for that.

also since my post above i have found out that the insurance might NOT pay out for all the treatment associated with her blood problem and my vet bills have come to more than $1500 US since december last year (i added them up the other day ).

i got insurance to cover major things such as HD developing and her needing hip surgery, her needing treatment if she got hit by a car, cancer and other major problems etc etc... but even i am now considering whether or not it's worth it.

[eno]

Originally Posted by BabyElephant

most insurance policies don't cover standard vet bills and depending on what the problems are by the time you've paid the excess (i think you guys call it a deductable in the US?) it might not be worth claiming. for example poppy got attacked by two dogs, she needed emergency treatment, the excess was half the cost of the treatment, because the premium will go up with a claim it wasn't worth me claiming for that.

also since my post above i have found out that the insurance might NOT pay out for all the treatment associated with her blood problem and my vet bills have come to more than $1500 US since december last year (i added them up the other day ).

i got insurance to cover major things such as HD developing and her needing hip surgery, her needing treatment if she got hit by a car, cancer and other major problems etc etc... but even i am now considering whether or not it's worth it.

Hmmm.. good info. Thanks.