Dog health insurance?

[Awibrandy]

Do you have pet insurance on your dog?
Which one?
Would you recommend it?
What are the pros & cons with it?

 

[kenconnect]

I had it b4 when I had my American bull dog. It was from pet smart/ banfield .. The young the dog is the cheaper the cost of it.. Save a lot of $ on reg vet visits and shots.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I have heard it was a good investment. I will ask my sister who used to work for a vet and let you know Awilda.

 

[Awibrandy]

I had it b4 when I had my American bull dog. It was from pet smart/ banfield .. The young the dog is the cheaper the cost of it.. Save a lot of $ on reg vet visits and shots.

Thanks dude.
I had looked at their plan a couple of years back. I seem to remember that it is a good preventative insu., but did not cover accidents, nor genetic ailments.
Also a few people on several dog forums were not pleased with the Banfield Clinics.
Need more research on that one.

Thanks Chief, really do appreciate all the help!

 

[DrCooper]

You need to check out Purina's pet insurance as I know it covers more then most. VPI is ok but not great. It all depends on the dog and obviously research the plan. Overall it will pay for itself after one emergency visit!
If you buy a dog like a pug, french bulldog, english bulldog or other brachycephalic breeds then you NEED it cause they are full of health issues.

 

[wimby]

I have VPI and I am very happy with it. It really does help alot. Ask your vet which one is good to get. They will know.

 

[Belwell]

I would recommend it especially after like 4yrs old because of common visits. ASPCA.org has a great option and its very cheap.

 

[NewfiDog]

Pet insurance is good to have. I agree with wimpy if you have a vet you are happy with ask them as they will tell you which one they work best with. I personally dont have it because my wife works part time at a vet, the vet is a good friend and we feed a raw diet which cuts down drastically on vet bills. I hear all the time of some of the bills there very high. The wife says bestcare, aspca, they dont like vip but wimpy says hes happy so it may have alot to do with the vet.

 

[wimby]

The VPI my mother gets a discount on it cause of her aarp this is why I have it. Would like to get more back but hey it's something LOL I just got back half of my bill from the vet. The check from VPI came today. I bet there are better out there you have to look around. I got this one because of the discount.



Kim

 

[Chongpark27]

i used to have aspca dog insurance and i totally hated it. I got the most expensive plan but it was worth crap. After having the insurance for 6 months my dog tore his acl and needed surgury. $2100 for the surgery, $0 covered. Total bs and they told me that it would cover 100% of all vet bill including any surgery minus deductable. Then two years later during his annual checkup, they found out that he had diabetes. 1st year they covered 60% but then the next year 0%.

 

[Awibrandy]

Thanks guys, very helpful information! Nothing like first hand experience advice.

I did ask the vet, but they just answered "some are worth it somewhat, others are a waste of money" LOL
I'm looking in to the Purina insurance Doc!!
Can't get it for my pittie girl, since she is already 6, but since I am looking for another canine companion I fully intend to have her fully covered from day one.
Chong, your input is extremely helpfull. Thanks

 

[lani]

I am new brand new to the site but highly recommend PetPlan (www.gopetplan). I have had it with my dogs for a long time, it paid to cover most of their dentals. It also covers genetic conditions which many other providers exclude. I have a dog breed with a long list of genetic issues (Cavaliers) so this is important to me. Good luck! I'll look for the intro section to post a proper intro.

 

[Belwell]

The reality is that dogs are expensive to have. Unfortunatley pet insurance is not as clear as human insurance. Always need to be ready for a random $x,xxx vet bill to cross your path when your dog swallows a ball, or eats something bad. I just got a puppy, not looking forward to the first big bill. My friends dog has had 3 balls removed from its stomach this year, total bill $8k. WHOMPPPP.

End result. Dogs are awesome and always there for you, so do everything you can for them!

 

[Audi0s]

trupanion.com is who we used for our 2 pits. My gf works at a vet and has had good experiences on both sides of this company. Theyre very quick to pay out, and their plans range from inexpensive to full coverage. Since we put Ollie and Mac on when they were both 6 mos old, they both ran us about 48 a month with no deductible. They even cover one foreign body surgery on each dog, which is a big deal. Check them out

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Awilda, I talked to my sister and she told me there are a bunch of good ones out there now. She couldn't recommend one specific but in the conversation the purina plan came up as one that she had heard was good.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

trupanion.com is who we used for our 2 pits. My gf works at a vet and has had good experiences on both sides of this company. Theyre very quick to pay out, and their plans range from inexpensive to full coverage. Since we put Ollie and Mac on when they were both 6 mos old, they both ran us about 48 a month with no deductible. They even cover one foreign body surgery on each dog, which is a big deal. Check them out

Hearing this though I will refer this one to her for her dogs. That sounds like a great plan.

 

[tentacles]

trupanion.com is who we used for our 2 pits. My gf works at a vet and has had good experiences on both sides of this company. Theyre very quick to pay out, and their plans range from inexpensive to full coverage. Since we put Ollie and Mac on when they were both 6 mos old, they both ran us about 48 a month with no deductible. They even cover one foreign body surgery on each dog, which is a big deal. Check them out

I don't have insurance on my dog unfortunately, but I've read into this plan a decent amount. The foreign body removal coverage is a HUGE plus, since most other plans exclude this and to procedure is usually $1000+. I'm definitely considering this company for when I get my next dog.

 

[Audi0s]

Yea you can get a quote on their website, and use a scroll bar to raise or lower your deductions. An american pit terrier under 1 year with a 500 deduct costs 24 per month, but lower it to 0 and its only 41. So to spend 16 more a month youd need to go once every 30 months to make the cost up in one deductible. Makes sense to have the best plan and not worry when something happens.You can even get hip dysplasia coverage, which gives options if it becomes a problem. Its a crappy situation bc your animals in pain, treatment is expensive, and unfortunatley euthanasias often the answer. A life.Over money.

 

[lani]

I have heard wonderful things about Trupanion from my Cavalier friends as well. PetPlan is similar so you might want to call and get a quote - you can vary your deductible and the percentage of coverage to get a rate you can live with. I called them and got all my questions answers and then went online to sign up and get a 5% discount. They also have a multi-pet discount if you have more than one dog. I'd hope most insurers have that.

I have been very lucky to not have to use the insurance for anything serious (knock wood) but my dogs have had dentals twice and since they have "stage 2 periodontal disease" they paid out for the dentals which was a big deal for me. Cavaliers also are prone to a brain conditions that often requires surgery, Luxating patellas, heart conditions. I'm really involved in the Cavalier community (actually help run a forum that my sister owns) and I've never heard of anyone having an issue with PetPlan or Trupanion.

 

[Awibrandy]

Thank you all for all the info! I've been researching for a few years now, and almost got the VIP for my dogs a while back. Unfortunately hubby wasn't to keen on the added expense since we had always had healthy dogs that passed away of old age without any problems.
But after all we went through with my Nehron he now see's that it is vital to have. Especially if he wants another dog of the Mastiff breed which we both do.

I will be comparing the three: Purina, Trupanion & PetPlan for our next dog definitely. Will look in to insur. for Yava, but seriously doubt she is insurable since she is 6 years old.