PetPlan and Petsmart ins?

[Margie Payne]

So I've been looking up information about pet insurance and it seems like Petplan is the way to go, but...it also seems like doing Petsmart for the first yet would also be a good idea? They would be $35 a month for the first yr and that covers immunizations, neutering, and a discount for any needed mess. Does anyone have any thoughts on this or experience doing something like that?

Also, I'm still debating on the microchip (get a discount on that with Petsmart plan as well). Is it safe? Why can't they just tattoo a number on him? Seems safer.

Thanks!
Margie

[Marcia & MoneyPenny]

Can't comment on the insurance but definitely do the microchip. It is very safe. The chip is placed just under the skin. It is the current standard method of identification. Dogs not only can become lost but dog theft is a problem. Microchipping would be the only way to identify your dog. Do it & hope you never need to use it.

[Joan, Louie and Mila]

We have Embrace let insurance and have been extremely pleased that we do! They have a wellness program also that includes immunizations . Embrace also has a deductible decrease if you don't use the insurance the previous year and there have been no increase in rates when we renew as many have complained about with Petplan. Claims are paid promptly

[Sue and Buddy]

The information on the microchip is easily accessed. Vets, shelters, rescues all across the country have readers and then can look the owner information up on  line. I'm not sure getting the owner information from a tattoo is that easy. I know tattoos were used before the microchips became available. I would choose the microchip over the tattoo. My sweet Buddy came with his microchip. Our other dog was chipped in the vet office. She didn't even flinch.

If the Petsmart Plan means you have to go to Banfield clinics then I would not use it. I've heard too many complaints about Banfield to ever use them.  Also what they offer is a wellness plan, not insurance. To be honest the wellness plan makes them lots of money. Once you sign the contract on the wellness plan you are committed for the full year's payment whether you continue to use them or not. They are a large corporation that is in it for the money. I would rather go to a independent vet clinic. If I don't like them, I can change clinics. A good vet will require blood work before any surgery to make sure the animal can handle the anesthesia. Some cheaper spay and neuter clinics skip that part.

I bet there are many good vet clinics in your area that will provide quality, personal care for your sweet puppy.

[KLN]

Hi Margie,

Because of the recent pet insurance discussion, I have re-investigated getting pet insurance. When I looked at it years ago, none of them covered hereditary issues so a lot of potential illnesses were not covered, making it useless except for accidents. Things have changed though, and the coverage is much better. I've done hours of research this week and it came between pet plan and healthy paws. The cost was pretty much the same but the big differences between the two are what they will potentially pay out...healthy paws does not have an annual limit (pet plan does depending on which plan you use) and pet plan uses a schedule of "reasonable cost" to re-emburse you. Healthy paws pays 80/90/100 on ANY bill except pre-existing conditions, no matter what your vet charges. Pet plan also only pays 80% of emergency costs and some other costs, no matter which deductible amount you have chosen. There is thiugh, a slightly higher deductibe with healthy paws ($250 vs $200). Overall, these are the best two on the market but in my opinion, for relatively the same cost, healthy paws offers a little more coverage. Here is a review on all the companies (incase you haven't seen it). If you visit the healthy paws website, they also do a side by side comparison on their plan vs others. Good luck! This is achard decision!

http://www.petinsurancereview.com/dog.asp

[Margie Payne]

Thank so much to those of you that replied so far!  I'll be looking into that website that gives reviews.  My thing with PetSmart is that its more like a "payment plan" for 1st yr vaccinations and neutering.  That to me is a big plus.  Does/did anyone have another idea or used something specific for that?

Thanks again!

[Julie and Charlie]

I don't see why you couldn't do it yourself. You probably aren't going to spay or neuter right this moment- so start "saving" now. Maybe even save $40 per month...

That said, the first year in vet care for Charlie is over $1,000-- and he's not even chronically ill- he's just had normal puppy issues.

Three vet visits with vaccines, fecal exam: approximately $200

Trifexis: $250 (approximately)

Emergency Vet Visit/X-ray for vomiting when he was small: $300

Bacterial Conjunctivitis vet visit, with special eye exam and eye drops: $100

Giardia: 3 fecal tests, Panacur, Metronizadole, 1 vet visit $250

Canine Papilloma Virus, 1 vet visit $56

I am not sure what's typical and what is not for number of visits per year, but I would consider the vet visit the smallest portion of the costs- the medications and lab tests were the expensive parts, IMO.

[KLN]

I would agree, if you are wanting more of a payment plan then you might consider putting money aside each paycheck. And I would agree with the others that you for sure want to stay away from banfield. If you paid for immunizations you are probably (depending on your vet) looking at between $200-$300 for the year and your neuter (with bloodwork) shouldn't run you more than $250-$300. So if you are paying $35/month, that is a total of $420, the above is only going to run you $450-$600, not a huge difference and you are not stick with banfield (if that's the case). You might want to consider doing your own type of payment plan with yourself for the wellness portion and look at an insurance plan like pet plan or healthy paws for the illnesses and accidents.

Such a hard decision, I know, you want to make sure you are doing the right thing for the little guy! ;0)

Oh, and for sure on the microchip! Both mine got theirs done while I watched and they didn't even squirm. And you are now able to register any of your microchips (no matter the brand) at the following website. It is a one time fee (vs the annual fee that home again charges) and provides a centralized registry. I found out about this site through my breeder.

http://microchipregistrationcenter.com/

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I just did an evaluation on PetPlan (which I've had for over 3 years) and Healthy Paws when I was getting insurance for our new little girl.  The thing about Healthy Paws that bothered me was that they do not include the office visit fee reimburseable and it also is not counted into the deductible.  So in the case of going to a specialist where I've had $100 consultation fees, those would not be reimbursed and they wouldn't count towards the deductible.  I wasn't thrilled with that.  I opted to continue with PetPlan.  I would add that I have filed many claims with them and they have also reimbursed what the vet charged.  I've not heard of anyone with PetPlan that wasn't reimbursed what was charged as reasonable and customary.

[Jassibeth Weaver]

I have both pet insurance and banfield petplan. I love, love our Doctors at Banfield. They always allow enough time for questions and are very, very thorough with their examinations. The petplan allows you to visit the vet an unlimited amount of times, neutering, vaccinations, discounts on other services. I think it's a pretty good deal! Our vet also recommended insurance because we are a very active family. We take our doodle everywhere and try to include him in as many outdoor activities as we can. I worry about our doodle getting hurt and not so much a medical condition yet since he is only 13 months.