PET INSURANCE ... I've said it before and I'll Keep Saying it Forever!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

As long as there are new members joining the site I'm going to keep adding this post occasionally.  This is one of the most important things that you can do when you get your new puppy.  Even before you go to the vet the very first time.  This has been on my mind so much lately as between this site and FaceBook and all of the dog friends I have there, there have been so many sick dogs lately with owners with no insurance.

Some people luck out.  They get a new puppy and they go to the vet once a year for annual shots and they all live happily ever after.  However, that just might be the exception.  The advances in Veterinary care have been so great in the last several years that the expense in many cases is so far beyond what many of us are able to take on.  That is why Pet Insurance is so important.  If it weren't for finding DK when we got our Sisters Lucy and Sophie 6.5 years ago we would never have considered Pet Insurance.  I would have just thought it was a worthless waste of money.  It was the first story about CCL injuries and the cost of surgery for that alone that made me start thinking about it.   

There are all kinds of Pet Insurance through all sorts of Companies.  If you do a search here on DK you will find many Discussions are the various plans.  Do a little research and a little sole searching and think about what you would do if your doodle had a life threatening injury or illness.  How would you handle the expenses and then make a determination for yourself about what plans you need to make.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

AMEN!!!!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

SO important!

[Gail and Bailey]

Insurance should be one of the first things a new owner gets for their dog!!

We all hope we never have to use it, but it is a really good feeling to know it is there "just in case"!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I for one am very glad that you keep reminding new members about pet insurance. I've had the same feelings about these posts on FB of sick dogs and owners who can't afford to help them. 

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Agree wholeheartedly!  It is heartbreaking to see people have to make medical choices based upon dollars as opposed to what is best for their pet.

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

In my experience with new puppy owners, it is those that would least be able to afford medical/surgical bills for the "what ifs" that fail to obtain insurance.  I always encourage them to get a high deductible/low(er) cost policy to cover the unexpected surgery/fracture or other high cost care.  Great reminder, Sheri! 

[Bonnie and Kona]

I'm so glad that you continue to post this, Sherri. I have had pet insurance since I joined DK. Thank you all for your wisdom. I didn't use it until this past year. Both Kona and Owen got sick this fall and Kona had an injury and now it looks like he is allergic to something. The vet bills just pile up but with insurance you've got help. Yay!

[Lee Seidman]

We  have two Doodles, the loves of our life.  Lexi is now six and developed Addisons at 1.5 years old.  Billy is five and has allergies. Since 2011 we have paid out $16,524.00 in vet bills not including well visits, rabies shot, flea meds etc. VPI paid out all but $6908.00 of our vet expense. That is $10,000 that they absorbed in less than four years....Thank goodness we had the advice to take out insurance when they were at an early age.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Thanks to the advise here, I signed Yogi up right away. Hopefully we'll never need it, but it gives me peace of mind.
Thanks!

[Jen W]

I think it's a personal decision.  It's not right for everyone, it's not wrong for everyone.  

Consumer Reports has come down against it, saying that it's generally not worth the cost and you'd be better off putting extra money aside in a rainy day fund just in case.

I've been to the vet twice in the past 4 days with Dory, and I still don't regret not having insurance.  But that's what works for me.  It might not work for you and that's the joy of life - you get to decide what's right for you, not me.

[Robin and Libby Louise]

Of course it's a personal decision, but I don't know that many people who put that kind of money away in a rainy day fund.  That's the problem I see with not having insurance.  But I'm not arguing - just saying that for people who can't save like that for whatever reason, the couple of hundred dollars gives peace of mind. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I agree Robin. 

Between November 2011 and September 2012, JD's veterinary bills ran into 5 figures. I wonder how that would have "worked" for many people who don't have insurance. Or rather, I wonder how that would have "worked" for the dog.