Pet Health Insurance

[Gina and Finn]

I am really enjoyiong reading all the various discussions and am sure this is going to be so helpful when we get a puppy. I was wondering if most people carry pet health insurance? Is it expensive and do you think it is worth it?
Thanks for any thoughts!

[Jenn&Bruce]

150% worth it. I pay about $40 a month, and have a wonderful insurance provider that covers behavioral therapy, teeth cleanings, right down to the regular check ups to a maximum of 80%. Petsecure, it's Canadian.
do some research and compare deductibles, and read all the fine print. but my advice? get the insurance the same day you get your puppy, I waited 3 months, and I regret it everyday.

[Gina and Finn]

Thank you!! I will start looking into it now -it does sound like it would be worth it as it seems everyone visits the vet alot. Conscientous dog owners :)

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Just as an alternative option, we opted not to buy pet health insurance although we do set aside money as an emergency fund for Whopper. From what I've heard, you have to be very careful in selecting your insurance provider to make sure they cover everything that can come up. Also, the more you hope to cover the more expensive it can be monthly and it's obviously everyone's hope that you never have that expensive emergency. We just set a certain amount aside monthly so should she get sick or injured we have the resources to cover it but if not, we still have that money.

[Lynne B]

I bought Beck a policy with petplan. I'm very happy with them. They don't offer any coverage for routine care, I checked the prices of the ones that do in the US and basically the rates for that end up being just about what the annual coverage for preventative care is, in other words expect to pay $200 a year more for about $200 in well dog coverage. Petplan covers up to $8,000 a year. You can adjust the deductible and the percent they pay; for $27 a month I have a $50 deductible and 90% coverage. I spent a long time comparing plans, and one thing to watch for is a plan that will only cover a 'chronic' illness through the current year, then they consider it pre-existing. That can be a huge problem and negate the value of the insurance. Here's a good site to do your own comparison:
http://www.petinsurancereview.com/reviewStart.asp

[Linda,Yankee & Finn]

I did not get insurance and wish that I had, especially in the first year. The first year was a learning process dealing with chronic ear infections which are now under control. It cost me a lot of money in vet bills, way more than insurance would have cost me.

I will definitely get health insurance for my next pup.

[Lee Seidman]

We have used VPI pet insurance for the past year and have been pleased with their coverage. I have gotten back way more then the premium; it seems that our Doodle has had her share of ear aches and cut paws. It now seems as if she has outgrown her puppy problems and we hope that in the future she will not need to see her vet as often.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

I have PetPlan Silver. I pay $251.23 annually with the coverage of a $200 deductible per illness.
They pay up to $12,000 annually.
I don't care about the routine and the ear infections. My daughter's friends pup cost her $4,000 for an ACL surgery. That is what I want it for.
I know me - I promised to put the money aside every month for my daughter's wedding if I colored my hair myself instead of the salon - well, guess what, not a penny saved. Hence, the pet insurance!

[Lindsey, Lee, Whopper and Simba]

Yea...I hear ya. We have the money for our emergency fund automatically withdrawn from my paycheck into a separate account to avoid that problem! We also would have only gotten the insurance to cover major expenses and not the routine stuff but so far this alternate system is working for us.