Is health insurance for a dog really worth it?
We have a new puppy, an English mastiff female. While we aren’t ever going to get acupuncture for the dog or anything outlandish, we certainly plan on taking good care of her and giving her reasonable vet care. We got a flier for animal health insurance from Iams. I know there are several plans out there, is there a comparison or review website for me to use for research?
It is not true that once you claim something you can’t claim it again. So long as the incident occurs after your pet is enrolled, it will always be covered.
Check out petinsurancereview.com which is a great third party site with ratings and reviews from actual customers.
Pet insurance is definitely worth the peace of mind if you can’t afford big vet bills. I’d personally recommend to skip out on routine coverage no matter what company you pick. This is because you usually end up paying more through the middle-man than if you were to pay the vet directly for shots and checkups.
I have my dog insured with Trupanion and I really like them. They pay 90% of the bill no matter how big, and they don’t have claim limits. Definitely worth checking out! Also you can get hip dysplasia coverage if you enroll before your puppy turns 1.
Good luck!
December 25th, 2009 at 2:35 am
I used to have VPI Pet Insurance but i rarely evere used the benefits. For about $20 a month i didn’t think it was worth it. You can get upgraded plans that cover vaccinations and check ups but of course you would have to pay more. I would only get it if you have the money to spare or if you think your dog can get easily hurt. Heres the website for the insurance i had. They give you a free quote on there too :
http://www.petinsurance.com/
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December 25th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Look at it this way… Dog insurance is like any other kind of insurance… When you don’t use it, you don’t use it… But when you need it, it’s best to have it. Getting insurance as a puppy and keeping it for her life is the best way because the insurance company knows from the start that the puppy is healthy and as she grows you will get better coverage with your chosen company. It will come in very handy as she gets into her older years, because that is when things start to become very expensive.. But it will help you cover shots, exams and her spay if you so choose to do so. As far as a comparison site, you’re best to decide on a basic plan that you want and make phone calls and speak to an actual representative and get your best deal.. VPI is the best known, but not always the best plan when it comes to what you get back. Good luck.
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Veterinary receptionist/technician (large, small, exotic), dog owner
December 25th, 2009 at 3:47 am
It is very expensive to insure your dog, once you have claimed for something the insurers remove it from your policy so you can’t claim again, they make it so difficult………..I stopped insuring several years ago and instead put the money into an account so if I needed vet treatment money was always there to pay for it, my vet also knows I am not insured and cost of treatment is about 20% less than he would charge if I was insured and he doesn’t do all the unneccessary things and tells me" no point in doing that unless you are insured and the insurance is paying"
It has always worked for me.
References :
Animal behaviourist