What is the best route to go for pet insurance?
Saturday, January 21st, 2012 at
7:58 pm
My German shepard mix constantly gets into things and develops skin conditions and such. I was looking into getting pet insurance but I dont know if 1) its worth it 2) what would be the best option and 3) if I should just try to find some other way to afford it.
It is not that I do not watch him. I take very good care of my dog and dont feel he needs to be crated all the time.
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Filed under: Pet Supplies
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I have frequently read on this forum that it is advisable to have a pet savings account or take on an interest free debt in the form or a credit card or loan and it that purchasing insurance is a scam, but in has been my experience that not all policies are the same.
I have insured with Petplan for years and it is worth every penny.
In December my b*tch was diagnosed with septic peritonitis and the cost of treatment at a veterinary referral hospital and local practice was £13,768, 19. My pet insurance policy covered £12,000.
How many people have that amount saved or would be willing to take on a debt of that magnitude?
The cost of a hip replacement is £4,000, knee surgery £2,500, treatment for cancer thousands of £ and these are a few of the health conditions that can be treated if the owner can finance the treatment or has a pet insurance policy to pay all or part of the cost.
Pet insurance will cover health conditions that are diagnosed after the policy it taken out that the owner was not aware of, not to pay out on a known problem, so the skin condition would be excluded.
1. The right policy is worth it.
2. The best policy is one that covers a dog for life.
3. How a person chooses to finance veterinary treatment is personal preference.
NOT….scam.
*&* will NOT cover any pre-existing conditions.
It’s much cheaper to better supervise the dog and to crate it when you can’t supervise. And run this dog a couple miles a day.
Putting the dog on a raw diet usually cures skin problems, and insurance doesn’t cover pre existing conditions.
I recommend not getting insurance. The best quote I’ve gotten was like 32 per dog per month and after the first year you never spend that much. You’d be paying into something you most likely would not use, especially if you are getting a dog from a good breeder who has health tested the puppy’s parents. I just keep a high yield savings account with ING direct with a large amount of money in it just in case of an emergency surgery. I am my own insurance policy b/c I keep a close eye on my animals to ensure they don’t get into things they aren’t supposed to and they are never outside unsupervised so I know they won’t get out. The money is my second policy in case they need care that was unavoidable
Rather than pay an insurance company, set up a savings account that is only to be used for the dog. Put into the account what you would pay an insurance company.
Pet insurance is good for unexpected accidents and illnesses. They can get expensive quickly, so it’s nice to have insurance to cover the costs. Pet insurance does not cover pre-existing conditions, so if your pet is already sick or injured, it is unlikely that pet insurance will cover the costs to treat it.
For other costs like regular exams and vaccines, it’s best to self-budget since these costs are expected. Some pet insurance companies offer coverage, but it is typically not cost-effective. (Imagine paying an extra $200 per year on your premiums for $200 worth of routine coverage…)
A few good questions to ask when researching pet insurance are:
1. Does the policy cover everything? Hereditary and congenital issues?
2. What are the payout limits? Will it be enough money for my worst case scenario?
3. How much does it cover for each condition?
4. What are the pricing and deductible options?
5. Is it an ongoing policy? If my pet has an illness during my first policy year, will it be covered the next policy year?
Be sure to do thorough research – Some plans don’t pay based on your actual bill, but have lists of predetermined dollar amounts that they will pay for each condition which can be shockingly low in many cases. I would recommend getting an actual insurance plan that covers based on your bill so that you are never faced with a difficult and expensive situation when you *thought* you were covered.
We cover 90% of the actual bill for diagnostic testing, treatments, surgeries and medications including emergency and specialist visits. Trupanion is also the only provider to offer a $0 deductible option.
Feel free to give customer service a call and get a no-obligation quote to ask all the necessary questions and find out what’s best for you.