Pet Insurance???

ALBERTA REEF · #1 04-30-2010, 05:16 AM

I suggest getting pet insurance. When I bought my golden retriever Tobias 6 years ago as a pup. I had the option to buy pet insurance. I opted not too. Nine months late he got hit by a car broke his rear leg. Took him to the 24 hour media vet. Around $2000.00 for them to look at his leg. Put him down or $2500 to pin his leg. So I fixed him up. Two months ago he was not eating. took him to the vet and found that he had a bad case of Cancer causing liver failure. Nothing I could do. I had to put him down. All that testing, putting him down and cremation around $700. Vet bill are not cheap. Insurance is like gambling. You might not need it but when you do it is there.

Chaloupa · #2 04-30-2010, 06:00 AM

I've had it for my pets, and I worked at a Veterinary Hospital for 21 years. If more people had insurance, less animals would suffer and die because they couldn't afford to fix their animal. I know paying $ a month rather than a hefty sum all at once convinced me.

It's the same sort of thing for your house, you may never need the insurance you have on your house but if something happens, would you rather be covered or are you able to cover it from your savings???

Some of the insurance plans help with routine pet care, like dental cleanings, vaccinations, flea medications, and many other things...so you pay your premium monthly, they help with some routine care, and you NEVER EVER have to consider euthanasia when your pet is hurt, or ill...you just say yes to whatever is recommended.

Sebae again · #3 04-30-2010, 06:25 AM

We have Petsecure and it has worked out well. I agree with Sarah's comments and it is easier to deal with small payments than one large bill. Look at how much we spend on our tanks without even blinking an eye.

kevNnic · #4 04-30-2010, 06:14 PM

Sorry to hear about your pouch. For the most parts vets can really hose people. espically when most people dont have a clue about what could be causing the issues with their pets. I have a couple of my own and they are quite costly. but i take my chances without insurance.

Myka · #5 04-30-2010, 08:06 PM

I have looked into pet insurance a few times, and I also thought it was rather pricey. It's like car insurance...rarely worthwhile (but we have to). Sorry I can't help you choose a company, but I do have an alternative idea that may work for you. Instead of having pet insurance I always keep myself financially prepared for the worst. I call it my Pet Emergency Account. In January I nearly drained that account when my senior dog became ill. I was thankful that account existed as I didn't have to deal with the added stress of how to pay for it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chaloupa

and you NEVER EVER have to consider euthanasia when your pet is hurt, or ill...you just say yes to whatever is recommended.

This scares me sometimes when people put their pets through a battery of invasive tests or surgeries when the most humane thing sometimes is to euthanize. Especially with older pets when the family/person isn't ready to let go. I personally know of a few cases where vets have blatantly taken advantage of pet insurance when there was no hope for the animal. Of course finding a good vet is extremely important!

Flash · #6 04-30-2010, 11:00 PM

my fear with the putting it in my savings is i won't have enough incase something happens soon.. where pet insurance might cost me dinner out once a month!

I would never put any of my animals through any horrible thing if the vet said that it didn't look good. this time she told me he needed it to live.. so why wouldn't you do it?! if he can recover and live... it's worth every penny i spent! just looking to protect my rear for the future!

Goxy · #7 04-30-2010, 11:54 PM

I looked into pet insurance few times myself and I did not find one that would work for me/my pet. Simply vet services are so expensive that plans with $ limit per condition or year are not enough. For example to do blood work, x ray and exam it is already few hundred dollars. One night in emergency hospital for our dog cost us over $2,000/night. So if we had petsecure 2 or petsecure 3 insurance would cover just for night or two. Petsecure 4 has unlimited coverage, if you can afford payments of close to $100 per month.