Healthy Paws Insurance or Pet Plan?? I would appreciate any feedback on either company.

[Adrienne]

I am researching pet insurance companies and have narrowed my choices to:  Healthy Paws or Pet Plan.  I like that Healthy Paws has unlimited lifetime benefits but they have a 1yr wait period prior to covering for hip dysplasia.  Pet Plan seems to be comparable to Healthy Paws but has an $8000 annual limit--this seems like more than enough but I do know that in rare instances, it may not be sufficient.  If you currently have pet insurance for your Doodle, I would appreciate any information that would help me decide between the two.  Also, if you have questions that I should ask prior to purchasing, that would also be helpful.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Ava, I can assure you that the major companies are not a scam.  Some people get upset when they don't read everything up front, but if you file appropriately they pay.  I'm living proof with PetPlan.   If I didn't have insurance I would be a one doodle household right now because after CCL surgery for Lucy and Chemo for Sophie in a matter of a few months,  there is no way that we would have been able to purchase a puppy from a reputable breeder.

[Star and Goldie]

I would definitely get it for your new doodle. Hopefully you never have to use it but what would happen if you were faced with a $10,000 condition/treatment? Would you then have to be faced with the question of whether or not you could keep your pet?

I don't have insurance on my older dog and about 8 years ago she had bladder stones that required surgery. The bill went over $2,000. At the time there was no way I could pay it. I had to sell so much stuff. I sold my valuable items to pay for that surgery. Things I didn't want to part with but I could not accept the alternative.

I am so thankful that I have insurance for Goldie. My annual fee is $200 If Goldie lives to be 15 years old that will be $3,000 for pet insurance for her lifetime. Well worth it to me.

[F, Calla & Luca]

The premiums do go up as the pet ages, however.

[Star and Goldie]

About how much do they go up with age? Are we talking double, triple, quadruple or more than that? I think they'd have to go up pretty significantly for me to think it was better to not pay for it but that's probably just because I fail at trying to save my own money in a separate fund for emergencies.

[GBK]

We haven't had any claims, so I don't know if that makes a difference in premium increases.  Buddy is 8yo and Kona is 6yo and they are both $28.00 and change a month.  We have had Pet Plan for 5 years now.

[GBK]

It is $28.00 each.  We have the Silver plan with $200.00 deductable.  You do pay a couple of dollars extra in order to pay monthly, they give you a little break if you pay yearly.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I don't know how much for each age. My two, for whom I had one claim prior to this years increase are $ e300 something a year each. They are 4and 5. But there are o many parameters such as different deductibles, coinsurance, coverage limits. I was really just saying you can't calculate how much over a lifetime based on one years premium.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Jackdoodle had one procedure to diagnose his IBD that cost $3000. Not even to treat anything, just to diagnose it. 

The insurance is well worth it, indeed. 

[Traci -Bexter & Maggie]

I have Pet Plan & have had one claim (well, actually two, but just now submitted the second).  They paid promptly and paid everything I wanted them to (less the deductible of course).  I have been happy with them so far.

[Joyce (Casey & Cody's mom)]

We may be in the minority, but we self-insure. When we found out how much it would cost to insure the 4 dachshunds and 1 cat, we decided to self insure at a slightly reduced rate. We budget that amount monthly that we would have to pay for the insurance. Thankfully, we haven't had to access that budget category very often, and actually had enough excess in the fund to purchase our two doodles - plus pay the cost of a week of emergency treatment for a dachshund with acute pancreatitis. We still have a cushion there in case it is needed. I will say that, this does take a lot of discipline and you can't "borrow" from one category for another. It works for us.

[Adrienne]

I truly admire your discipline.  I would NEVER be able to self-insure because I would be tempted to "borrow" from time to time :)))

[Star and Goldie]

Amen! I would not be able to do that either. I tried to open a savings account SIX months ago and thought I was going to put $100 per pay check in it- which I did start. Guess how much is in it now? $18.00 :( It's all too easy for me to pull money out of an account that I'm managing. I would be a poster child for self-insurance failure.