pet insurance?

[bright eyed]

What say ye about the pet insurance?

We're welcoming a new puppy next week and I'm just looking to make sure I cover all the bases. We hadn't purchased for the last dog, and didn't incur any large expenses, but I have had friends who've had high cost procedures. One friend had a pup swallow a bottle cap the first week she had it so that was a $1500 bill right away - she had insurance and it covered the bill. Same friend also had an older dog previously with lots of medical problems so i can see why she's pro-pet insurance.

Financial websites say it's not worth it - just save money separately for emergencies...

From poking around the net looks like policies are about $150-$200 per year with about $100 deductible for up to $12k in coverage...

Welcome your advise, recommendations on providers and reasons pro or con.

thank you!

 

[Purron]

Congrats on the new puppy! I would love to see some pictures. Here are some interesting points to consider on pet insurance:

ConsumerReports.org - Pet insurance: Policies, coverage

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

We had it for a while years ago and dropped it. In a nutshell it gave you a couple of free office visits a year, some basic tests and the routine vaccinations, a discount on some types of procedures and some coverage for accidents, injuries and illnesses.

But unless you take your pet in a couple of times a year for checkups, it wasnt worth it. I've gone back and looked at what would have been covered for some of the major disasters we've had like eye surgeries, knee surgeries, back surgeries, cancer, etc and the payback wouldnt have been very good.

 

[Achiever51]

First off, congratulations on the new addition to your household!

As for the pet insurance question, we had it on one of our dogs several years ago and like CFB said, it wasn't a good deal financially.

Sorta like passing on the extended warranties, I guess. Self insure...and take good care of your puppy by picking up ANYTHING off the floor that s/he can get into!

 

[samclem]

Congrats on the new puppy!

The pet insurance is not worth it. Definitely self-insure.

...and take good care of your puppy by picking up ANYTHING off the floor that s/he can get into!

This reminds me--grapes and raisins are poisonous to dogs. Most people don't know this. I didn't. My DW fed one to our (dearly missed) dog Katie. She spit it out. DW was sure this was a mistake ("grapes are delicious!" Hello!--she's a carnivore) and this time Katie obediently took it. About a half hour later she threw up everyting she'd eaten for the previous two years. She was none the worse for wear for this experience, but it sure got our attention.

One grape likely won't seriously injure a dog, but a serving of raisins or grapes can kill them. It causes renal failure, and there's no clear understanding of exactly why. Most dogs instinctively don't want them, but some apparently will give them a try.

 

[bright eyed]

ok, thanks for the advice! self insure it is...gives me something to do w/ the hsbc account i left $12 in after moving it somewhere else...!

i didn't know that about grapes or raisins either - we have lots of those around here with the kiddos! we had a chocolate incident not long ago so i'm much more vigilant and will keep the pup in an enclosed area as much as possible.

i'm excited about the pup - but know it will be lots of work! but somehow after having a few human kids, it doesn't seem as much as an ordeal. the littlest one is almost potty trained so i guess i was looking for more poop to clean...

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Yep dark chocolate is bad, onions are bad for dogs, and xylitol gum is also supposed to be very bad for dogs.

On the flip side, some human drugs like pepto bismol and aspirin are quite dog friendly. Whenever one of our dogs gets the barfs or the runs I give them an ounce or so of pepto with a syringe. My in-laws little dogs with arthritis get one of those 80-something mg doses of enteric coated "anti heart attack" aspirin twice a day and they lose their limp...

Some dog and cat medications are also interchangeable, but usually not. I discovered that Rimadyl prescribed for my dog was cat compatible when my 22lb male cat snorked down the 80lb dogs dosage when I wasnt looking. Called the vet in a panic and he said not to worry, while its not officially a cat medication its been successfully tested with cats although it takes them 3 days to metabolize it instead of a day for a dog. Fatcat had a delightful 8 hour slumber and since he's 16 years old and creaky he probably felt pretty good the rest of the week.

 

[Lancelot]

Congrats on the new puppy!

The pet insurance is not worth it. Definitely self-insure.

Most specialized insurance coverages (pet, travel, cancer, etc) are good deals... for the issuing insurer

I agree with SC, consider self insuring. You might keep a spread sheet to compare what you actually paid in vet bills vs. insurave premiums and services not covered by your policy.

Enjoy your puppy