Health Insurance for Dogs

The wife and I are looking to add a pup to our household. Do any of you guys carry Health Insurance on your dogs, and if so, could you recommend a good company to work with?

Only time I've ever had it was when I had my English Bulldog... That was five or six years ago. I don't remember what company it was through, but I'll find out. It was well worth it for me. Fairly cheap, and with a bulldog it got used.

I've never had it. I'm ahead of the game.

Most of the guys with high dollar retrievers use Pet Plan. I haven't purchased it even though I looked into it a few times. There are many stipulations in all pet policies.

Why would the pedigree matter?

Not saying Pedigree's matter at all. Just saying they feel its worth protecting their investment. I am sure they sell it for mutt's too.

I use Pet First with my Lab pup. Wish I'd gotten it last year.

No way.

Not even a chance I would consider it. Best option is to find an honest, reasonably priced vet.

There are several of them out there. I really haven't heard of too many negatives. They have their place I guess. Seems like they were more common when my wife worked in Dallas - doesn't see near as many in her rural setting now. Then again - the majority of "country folk" don't spend money on pet health care like city people do.

Like The Point said though - best is to find an honest reasonably priced vet.

When you have a well pedigreed animal that has completed tests and is valuable as a stud or breeding female it's an investment and if something comes up you want to be able to afford the care reasonably.

To others the animal is a family member and they want to be able to give it the best care they can afford so the insurance becomes a reasonable investment.

In the past I've always felt just find a good country type vet, and keep side money for unforeseen vet bills. When I get a new puppy, I'm going the insurance route.
In 2016 I spent around $13000.00 on vet bills. If you have something happen to a dog that requires them to be monitored 24 hours a day. Your regular vet can't handle the intensive care, nor do most have all the bells and whistles needed. $11000.00 was for 2 surgeries at ER, ER care for 5 days, plasma, more tubes than a marionette. A last and final exploratory (3rd)surgery to confirm it was the colon again, and not a gall bladder rupture that time. The vet pulled $1500.00 off his fees. We were all in on saving her, as long as she had a chance. I don't know what amount I would have stopped at, if her odds were better.

We each decide what a dog is worth to us. I don't tell anyone else, what they should, or shouldn't spend on a dog. This one was just special to me.

It sounds crazy to have a policy, but I took one out on my lab when he was about 1. I had over $1000 into him and knew that an ACL or some other serious surgery would put me in a tight spot. Insurance was about $30/mo when he was that age (it gets slightly higher as they age) and i figured i was financing trouble that may never come. Two years ago when he was 7 he ate a sock that got stuck in his small intestine. I had the operation and all bills added to $6500. Pet Plan paid me $4925 when I filed the claim. These plans are not for normal maintenance vet bills, they are for catastrophic things. I am very sad to write this, but I lost my lab 1 1/2 weeks ago (age 9) due to another consumed foreign body. We don't know what he ate because he had a heart attack while they prepped him for surgery. I told the vet not to worry about an autopsy, but the X-Ray showed blockage. I am in the process of filing a claim on this visit, in addition I had a $1000 death benefit that came with the plan which will pay a new pup maybe this year.

Bottom line is that if you have the money to pay for these type of surgeries, then this type of thing may not be for you. I never wanted my financial situation to dictate whether I repaired an injury or made an attempt to save his life. We are still reeling from losing him, but Pet Plan was a good decision for me and my family.

VPI
Have had it on all my labs.

My thoughts exactly. I've had my dog on a Healthy Paws plan since she was a puppy. The monthly premium isn't a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. I'm sorry for your loss.

I've always had two or three dogs. The monthly premium could add up to around $1,000 per year. That's $50,000 in my lifetime. Double that invested three times and see what you would have. That's the math I've always used. I've been lucky. I've never had a big vet bill. I'm not arguing with you who have it. Just giving my logic.

No question pet insurance isn't right for everyone. I added it up and over the 8 years I have spent $3840 on premiums and received $5925 in reimbursement plus $2000 out of pocket on the big things. I call that breaking even and basically allowing me to pay out the bad things that can happen. Even if I hadn't had the claims I was prepared to pay for that security knowing I wasn't concerned about affording his health care. Good looking dogs Bill!

My family has had dogs for 30+ years and never has anyone held pet insurance. Nobody has ever needed it. That is until my 3 year old lab got an abscess on her head this past year. It was an expensive process as the vets tried to figure out what it was and eventually the surgery to remove the abscess. Hind sight is 20/20, and had I known we would be walking down that road I probably would have carried insurance. That being said, the amount of premiums paid over 30+ years would dwarf the amount of money we spent last year. Here are some pictures of Covey's surgery:
Swollen head due to abscess

Pictures from MRI


Mid-surgery picture showing walnut size hole left by abscess

post surgery recovery pup

I don't carry insurance on dogs. If the medical treatment costs more than what the dog is worth and what it will cost to get another pup to that point, then the dog gets put down and I start over with a new pup. I look at other things too, like whether the injury will affect performance or could be reoccurring. I've been lucky and have had mostly healthy animals.
I like my dogs and enjoy them. I think when it comes to animals you have to look at them as property and not as a family member.

I agree about the insurance, but a pup is home to stay when they come home with me.

Yeah good luck with that on a Sunday and your dog got injured and needs emergency care. Has happen to me many times, $1,500 is about average cost. I guess some rednecks with a cheap mutt would take it behind the barn put a bullet in its head and buy a new mutt.

I got a new lab pup, and I'm in the market for insurance. She is a fire ball, and I know over the years she will do something crazy and injure herself, probably many times. Plus she is crazy about food, and I'm allays pulling things out of her mouth, and really worried she is going to eat something bad one day. This crap always happens on the weekends or when your vet is closed.

The advice I gave about finding an honest, reasonably priced vet is very good advice. By the time you add up that premium over time and invest that money you will find pet insurance for the most part is a bad investment. They're not in business to lose money and you're paying for the insurers building, salaries, equipment, overhead, profit, etc., etc., etc., etc., etc. As for your cheap mutt comment...Both my dogs were sired by National Field champions and were not exactly cheap. Secondly I also own a stray mutt and that dog gets the same care as the others, not a bullet in the head. When you make a decision to purchase a dog, you commit yourself to providing that dog a happy, healthy environment for the life of the dog.

Yeah, insurance is not an investment to make money, it is to reduce risk. Statistically, you pay a premium (to reduce risk of having to pay a lot more), on average, over average cost, that is how they make money, yes everyone knows that. You go without insurance for yourself? I didn't think so. If you want to take a lot of risk on your dog, then to each their own. I would rather pay $30 a month and know if something big happens and costs thousands of dollars I don't have to stress about it. My hope is nothing bad happens to my dog, and it just costs me $360 a year in premiums.

My lab tore his CCL this fall. Insurance always seemed unnecessary until that happened. He is four, so surgery was needed. It was nearly $3,000 and that was without a board certified surgeon and I'm doing all of the rehab myself. That doesn't include the ongoing medications, either. I realize insurance wouldn't have covered all of this, but it would have helped.

Like you said to each their own. I would rather put the $360 a year times three dogs in my pocket. If something does happen I'll have the money to pay for it because I have located an honest, reasonably priced vet. If something doesn't happen I'm way ahead because I don't buy the extended warranty on my toaster and every appliance, stereo, lawn mower etc etc etc that's available. Insurance purchased wisely is for catastrophic protection only.

It has been a while now. Do you recommend one from your own experience?

Personal experience no. Different strokes for different folks.

I have Pet Plan on my dog Rally.

I got for pretty much only one reason and that's for if she blows an ACL. It's becoming hard to find a competitive field trial dog that hasn't blown an ACL.

[/quote]Like you said to each their own. I would rather put the $360 a year times three dogs in my pocket. If something does happen I'll have the money to pay for it because I have located an honest, reasonably priced vet. If something doesn't happen I'm way ahead because I don't buy the extended warranty on my toaster and every appliance, stereo, lawn mower etc etc etc that's available. Insurance purchased wisely is for catastrophic protection only. [/quote]


We are talking about a $5000 surgery...

Your $360 a year won't go far on much of anything..

I acquired two 6 year old vizsla last year.
Previous vet records, showed nothing that could be considered pre-existing. So I put insurance on them. Eleven months later, one hurt his knee on a holiday weekend. Between the ER trip to A&M, and TPLO surgery there, it would have cost me $4600. The insurance paid 80% of the bill, after the $250 yearly deductible. He may or may not need some rehab to build back up the muscle loss in that leg. If he does insurance will pay 80% of that too.

We haven't had it on any of our animals, but I have a buddy that has bulldogs and has it on every one of them. I guess ACL's and TPLO's are pretty common for that breed and for him, it's a pretty safe investment for things he knows will eventually happen. I will say that after having lost two of our rott's to cancer, I wish we had purchased it for them. Cancer treatments are really expensive.

I just AKC registered a year old pup yesterday. He has 30 days of free insurance. That’s the only coverage he’ll ever have. I told him about it and he’s already acting a little careless!

They don't listen.

After the second major vet bill in the first year I got it on the dog I have now. If something can happen it will with him. I’m on the third year of insurance and he has more than covered the insurance cost every year.

Yep. Works great for some.

Spam

uh, no.

I have very limited experience with pet insurance, but a lot of vets that I know recommend Trupanion.

In most (all that I know of) the insurance is more of a reimbursement plan that what we think of as health insurance for people. You have to pay up front to the vet then get reimbursed from the insurance company.

I personally think its a great thing to have. As more and more advances are made in terms of treatments, prices for these go up as well. Add in that the vet industry is finally catching up on vet and vet technician pay, veterinary care, especially emergency care, can be costly.

I know I'm gonna hear "vets are paid too much" etc. Vets pay pretty much the same amount as medical or dental school tuition and at graduation average about $200,000 in student debt. All while making a fraction of other medical fields. Last data I saw said average new grad small animal vets are making like 90-100k. Good money yes, but far cry from MD salary.

I don’t complain about what my vet charges. He’s reasonably priced, and I know they have overhead expenses.
He used to give me a look, to see my reaction. If he thought one of my dogs needed a specialist. I’ve used him now for the last ten years. I value his opinion, so if he thinks they need to go to a specialist. We go to one.
He’s even came into the office on a day off, when one of my dogs sliced a foot open.
I make sure I send him tiffs treats, and gifts on holidays. So he knows him and his staff are appreciated.

Those kind of things make you an A list client. If all clients were like that, so many problems would go away in our industry. It’s really crazy/scary how some clients treat their vet.

That’s sounds like a great vet. My current vet office quit boarding, only open Monday-Friday 8-6, closed for lunch 1.5 hours, and no emergency call outs. I have a good vet clinic 80 miles from hunting lease that does emergency call outs 24 hours. It’s 1.5 hours from my house, but I’ve been seriously thinking about using them full time.

Does you GP see you if you have an after hours emergency? Most likely not, you'll go to an ER. That is rapidly becoming the reality of veterinary medicine in medium sized and larger towns. Why? Because working 8-6 (and probably longer than that honestly) and then being on call all night is wears a person down. Especially if it's a smaller practice with only one or two vets to cover emergency. When I was in mixed practice, I had many days that I work 7:30-5:30 then get called back for emergency til after midnight. Not to mention the weekends that I spent all day at the clinic seeing one emergency after another. It played a big role in why I left the practice.

I know it's hard for clients too, but the veterinary industry is changing. It will continue to change and more and more independent clinics are bought out by large corporations.

I see emergencies now for my current clients only. I do this for a host of reasons, but a big one being I like to see my kids and wife in the evenings and help get the rugrats in bed.

People complain about vet bills or dont pay em and leave animal behind. Dentists probably have it best as they can get away with saying "you dont pay, I wont do the work"
It is true the lifestyle and cost of school and pay of a vet and the corporate takeover of practices. I have couple friends that are vets. Starting pay for a vet in a corporate practice can be $80K. Some UPS drivers make more. Its also harder to get in vet school than medical school. It really is a calling and I have great respect for vets as a whole.
I took ez way out and went to medical school.......medicine aint what it used to be either. Cant complain overall but medicine has seen its good days as a profession.
On the topic, however, I did get pet insurance for first time recently for the new pup.