Talien Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Hey everyone, I was wondering what people's views were on pet insurance? I am getting a puppy golden retriever in December, and I want to be prepared for any event. What pet insurance do you have/recommend, if anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mason_Gibbs Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I have insurance for my 2, the older 1 has allergies and it costs me quite a bit each year. 4 trips to dermatologist a year plus immunotherapy vaccines, antihistamines, vet visits and antibiotics for hot spots - all ads up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dju Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I don't have pet insurance and I don't see myself needing it, because I always have a lot of money saved up (I don't pay bills, don't have a credit card, spend very little, and I am employed). I put $50 away every month since Hugo was born, and have $600 sitting in his piggybank at the moment if something ever happens to him (that amount of course keeps growing). Nothing bad has happened yet, I have never really needed to pop off to vet visits other than for innoculations and the time he developed some sort of infection on his tummy. Fingers crossed it stays that way, but I always have backup money to take care of him in case something really bad happens. However, I have a well-bred, healthy, hardy and long-lived breed that doesn't have a lot of known genetic faults, so of course I don't see the need for pet insurance. For a different breed that is known for having several genetic problems for example, I'd be inclined to insure the crap out of it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suziwong66 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 After thinking the same issue through we decided not to invest in pet insurance. Insurance companies exist because the odds are in their favour that most pets won't need a great deal of veterinary care over their lifetime. There are always going to be exceptions to the rule and Mason_Gibbs is one example of the exception. If everyone who insured their pets were the exception then insurance companies would go broke. I've decided not to let emotions rule my decision regarding pet insurance; rather basic chance & probability guided my decision. The chances of no large vet bills is on my side...if by chance Wilbur does need expensive care, we'll just cough it up. Over the lifetime of both of our previous dogs we've never had vet bills over $1000. Depending on what level of premium you pay eg $50 a fortnight you'd be coughing up $1,300 annually and then any gap for treatment on top of that. I'd be more inclined to put $50 away fortnightly that hand it over to an insurance company. JMHO for what it's worth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I agree with suziwong66. Unless your are someone who has a hard time saving but is good at paying bills, you do better to save the money for a bad day than to pay petcare insurance. Also note that the cheaper programs tend to include all the regular stuff. Essentially it's gambling. If you think your pets are healthier than average . . . and people who do proper health checks etc. and follow good diets/exercise regimes/training routines will, on the whole, have dogs who are healthier than average . . . you will save money by self insuring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Saving money for a bad day only works if your dog doesn't get injured/ sick for the first 5+ years. I have pet insurance and it has paid fir itself and then some. My healthy boy got severe gastro on a weekend. The symptoms mimic an obstruction. All up it cost me over $4000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Very much worthwhile, unless you have always have a couple of thousand in the bank that you can get out at very short notice, or you have someone that you can reliably borrow a couple of thousand off at very short notice. Plating a seriously broken bone, surgery for a GDV or obstruction, chemo or surgery for cancer - these things can easily cost $1000 - $2000, sometimes even more. My pet insurance is about $40 per month, so $480 per year. Definitely worth it for me at the moment, since I have very little free cash or savings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MsKatie Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I am another owner who has pet insurance - I originally got it because my kelpie is pretty full on and I thought if anyone will do something unfortunate she will - but it has been the bloodhound that has needed it - emergency surgery for a riverstone ingestion is not cheap - especially on the Sunday of a long weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris the Rebel Wolf Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I'd be more inclined to put $50 away fortnightly that hand it over to an insurance company. I am of this mindset. It would be nice to have the comfort of pet insurance, but to my mind it's not worth it on the offchance that you have a huge vet bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Is it an offchance, though? I'd guess that nearly every dog will have a big bill for something at some point if it lives long enough. The only question is how you'd prefer to pay for it. Although, perhaps my judgement on the matter is clouded by the fact that most dogs I meet these days are ill... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smooch Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I am a pensioner without pet insurance Smooch wouldn't been here with me today. A month after taking out pet insurance Smooch got a nasty gash over his eye lid that needed vet attention, few weeks later he got kicked in the shoulder by a horse and a few months later suffered a spinal stroke, this ended up in nearly $10,000 vet bill as he had to spend 2 months at a specialist vet. All this money had to be paid before Smooch could come home and without pet insurance I just couldn't do it. With pet insurance I now have peace of mind and never have to think twice about whether I can take Smooch to the vet or not. I also have a fantastic vet who allows me to pay Smoochies bills when the money comes back from the insurance co. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melinda10786 Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I have pet insurance for my two, it doesn't cover a lot (they will only reimburse up to $500 for vet bills), but I would rather have it as a just in case. I also put away $50 a fortnight to cover any unexpected vet bills, plus any other costs for them like worming, flea and tick treatment etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Having claimed around $18,000 in 3 years....yes, pet insurance is worth it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest donatella Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I have pet insurance with Real Pet Insurance, cost me $15 a fortnight, i'm covered for all accidents and emergencies and illnesses incurred (ie any illnesses inc cancer etc that the dog was not born with) and I get 80% back on my vet bills for this. So i still pay my routine vet bills (vaccinations, desexing) but absolutely anything else that happens that requires her to need vet treatment is covered and I can claim up to $12,000 a year and this includes 24 hour emergency vet or emergency boarding fees. For me its a little piece of mind that she will get the utmost treatment at all times whenever she needs it no cost determining. I don't even notice $15 a fortnight its automatically deducted from my bank the same day my pay goes in, i'm happy to take that 'gamble', i pay more for my car insurance and i value my pets life over the value of my car a million times more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I am a pensioner without pet insurance Smooch wouldn't been here with me today. A month after taking out pet insurance Smooch got a nasty gash over his eye lid that needed vet attention, few weeks later he got kicked in the shoulder by a horse and a few months later suffered a spinal stroke, this ended up in nearly $10,000 vet bill as he had to spend 2 months at a specialist vet. All this money had to be paid before Smooch could come home and without pet insurance I just couldn't do it. With pet insurance I now have peace of mind and never have to think twice about whether I can take Smooch to the vet or not. I also have a fantastic vet who allows me to pay Smoochies bills when the money comes back from the insurance co. Most of the policies I've looked at have a limit ~ $3000. If you do get insurance, read the fine print. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minxy Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I never expected to need the insurance I took out for Kyojin. But I decided that IF I ever did, it would definitely be worth it. I pay about $250 a YEAR for him and about 5 months after I took out the policy we discovered that he has luxating patellas, and laxity in his hips also. Already in only 4 months we've saved about $2000, and that's just on consults. He hasn't had any surgery yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Black Obsession Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I'm wondering if Choice Magazine (online) do reviews of Pet Insurance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 Yes I think it is worth it. Can you afford up to $10 000 if your dog requires emergency treatment and a few days in ICU? Scenarios I have seen that have cost in the 5000-10000 range include: hit by car, severe tick paralysis requiring ventilation, foreign body ingestion, orthopedic surgery etc I've just been looking into insurance, after just having had a large bill from my dog nearly dying from a bone perforating her intestine, her having to have emergency surgey and 3 days in ICU. Most plans for us are around 30-50 dollars a month and I wouold recommend getting the accident and illness cover which covers up to $8000-12000 a year depending on policy. I haven't decided which compnay to go with yet- Can anyone tell me whether Petplan is actually good or not? I've heard soem very bad review about them, but their plan seems the most reasonable. My othe rchoices are PIA or Bow Wow or Medibank Recommendations appreciated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I'm wondering if Choice Magazine (online) do reviews of Pet Insurance? Yes but you have to pay to view it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staranais Posted September 27, 2011 Share Posted September 27, 2011 I am a pensioner without pet insurance Smooch wouldn't been here with me today. A month after taking out pet insurance Smooch got a nasty gash over his eye lid that needed vet attention, few weeks later he got kicked in the shoulder by a horse and a few months later suffered a spinal stroke, this ended up in nearly $10,000 vet bill as he had to spend 2 months at a specialist vet. All this money had to be paid before Smooch could come home and without pet insurance I just couldn't do it. With pet insurance I now have peace of mind and never have to think twice about whether I can take Smooch to the vet or not. I also have a fantastic vet who allows me to pay Smoochies bills when the money comes back from the insurance co. Most of the policies I've looked at have a limit ~ $3000. If you do get insurance, read the fine print. Sandgrubber makes a great point, read the fine print. When I was insurance shopping, lots of the companies had limits on the amount of $ you could claim for certain conditions. e.g. look at Ellenco's "base plan", $4000 of cover sounds really good, right? But there is a limit of $100 for dentistry (won't even cover anaesthesia!), a limit of $400 for imaging (that will get you one or two sets of radiographs but not a CT or MRI or myelogram), $800 for cancer (will hardly cover lab tests let alone chemo or surgery). Pathetic! http://www.pet-insurance.co.nz/base_plan.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now