Pet question

LetsHikeToday · March 2012

Does anyone have pet insurance? If yes, can you tell me about it?

kara811 · March 2012

I don't, thought about looking into it but didn't. Now I'm wondering if it would save us a lot of money? We've been spending quite a bit on Riley(shots, he had an ear infection and stomach parasite, and then his heartworm prevention meds) and to get him neutered looks like will cost us around $300! I would appreciate this too!

Sammy0709 · March 2012

Cal is like a pet insurance expert. I have the companies she gave me written down but it's at home

Beachy730 · March 2012

We do not, and honestly haven't ever looked into it.

The people we got our new dog from had her on a program at Banfield Pet Hospital that was $30 a month, and as far as I know it didn't cover any meds. I'm not sure about vaccines. So that's $360 a year plus meds. For us with our dogs already fixed and healthy, that's more than we would spend on regular visits, so it's not worth it.

LetsHikeToday · March 2012

I guess my concern is how big my dogs are and how hard they wrestle. I'm not thinking about meds or visits, just thinking about major surgeries. They chase each other around a play gym in our back yard and will full on ram each other. It's just a matter of time until something bad happens.

Sammy0709 · March 2012

Hike, I know what you mean.

shan87 · March 2012

We have ASPCA, we started at Level 3 because it covered Missy's spay (that was $20ish a month). We have since gone down to level 1 which covers accidents/injuries but not illness. Its <$10 a month and covers up to $20k. ASPCA has a compare tool I believe. We kept accidents in case Missy got hit by a car or all the other what ifs.

We have talked about going back up when she gets older, since her breed is prone to hip/knee and other health problems.

kellieinkc · March 2012

We have the Banfield plan for all three of our cats. I love it. It covers about 2/3 of their "every day" stuff - vaccines, office visit charges, twice-yearly blood tests, a yearly dental for the older ones, check-ups, fecal tests, etc. Pet insurance tends to be more catastrophic (no pun intended), but this covers the stuff you'll need to have done for them on a regular basis to keep them healthy.

it's about $20/month per pet depending on the plan you choose and if their calculations are to be believed, we've saved over $2000 just this year alone. The thing is, make sure you find a Banfield vet that you like. We've been to 2 different ones and the first can eat a bag of d!cks, but the second one is awesome and adores our cats, and I feel they take great care of my babies. I think the difference is the second Banfield is vet-owned and the first one was corporate. But definitely do a test-run to find one you like.

calindi · March 2012

The Banfield Plan is a wellness plan. It covers visits and basic care, but those things are easily budgeted. You can only go to Banfield, so like Kellie said, you better like your local Banfield, but it means you don't have to worry about the cost of running in to check on a potential issue - if it's nothing, you won't have to pay for the visit anyway. However, it does not cover injury or illness, which are often the biggest expenses. And with a $70-something activiation and $30/month, it's probably not worth it for most healthy pets - if you put that much in the bank, it would cover the healthy pet vet visits, vaccinations, heartgard, and flea/tick medication anyway. The only time it's really worth it, in my opinion and according to the rescue group that I've volunteered with, is for a puppy, since it does include the spay/neuter and gives new puppy parents peace of mind to see a vet whenever they want.

For injury and accident insurance, it isn't like human healthcare - you pay up front but you get reimbursed. And it doesn't cover normal expenses, like spay/neuter or vaccines. However, the big expenses like "kitty swallowed a bottle of bug spray" or "puppy jumped off the bed and is limping" are covered up to 90% depending on the insurance. Some are really cruddy, and some are really good. The volunteer group suggested ONLY using Trupanion and then PetPlan, but really Trupanion is supposed to be the most reliable. Most of the online review sites confirm that - they pay usually without much hassle and rather quickly. However, you'll still need to be able to front the money (or put it on a credit card) for whatever treatment up front and apply to be reimbursed later.

We have Trupanion for Sasha and pay around $30/month for 90% coverage. There are discounts for multiple pets in the same household, too. If she gets injured or comes down with cancer, we will be able to get her great help and surgery and whatever she needs without worrying about running through our savings.

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