Mom of Mya Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Any recommendations or which pet insurance may be a good one or any that you may have had issues with? I think you need to be a lawyer to read some of these things. Geesh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 There are a couple of older threads here somewhere with some info that may help. I never thought I'd get pet insurance (I've always done a separate dog savings account and an empty credit card) but I'm seriously considering it for Kenzi now. I realized with Kipp that if regular chemo had been a good option, I would have wanted to pursue it and the cost would have been at least $5000. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 There are a couple of older threads here somewhere with some info that may help. I never thought I'd get pet insurance (I've always done a separate dog savings account and an empty credit card) but I'm seriously considering it for Kenzi now. I realized with Kipp that if regular chemo had been a good option, I would have wanted to pursue it and the cost would have been at least $5000. I will try to look into that. I just know that Mya does not walk anywhere, it is running at full speed it seems and jumping like crazy. I have read that these dogs can get a lot of joint and muscle injuries from their love of running and jumping. I thought about the separate savings account too, but I did find one that will pay for the flea medicine, yearly exams, and vaccinations also. It is like 38 a month but her flea medicine is like 20-25 a month (has the heartworm medicine in there also), so really it is only like paying 13 a month and it could take a while of savings at 13 a month to pay for even one necessary surgery if needed. Wished i had checked into it before now, it would have paid for all her puppy vaccinations and spaying that I already paid for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 I just did not know if anyone had any dealings with any of them, like if one refused to pay or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Personally, I would be skeptical of a plan that paid for flea topical treatments for only $38/month. That doesn't seem like it would offer a great payout for high priced emergencies/actual treatments. Personally I would look for something that doesn't cover routine care but offers good coverage for unexpected injury/illness. I'd want at least $5000 in yearly coverage (I'd probably opt for $8000-$10,000 yearly) with no lower than a $20,000 lifetime limit. I'd rather have good coverage for huge bills than coverage for basic everyday stuff that I can budget for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YankeeDoodle Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 I had embrace for Yankee, I will be re-upping it when I get home from deployment. They have different plans you can choose between and they also have a bonus program where you get 200$ a year to put towards spaying, flea/heartworm and routine stuff. They also cover prescriptons which can be a big hit when they get sick depending on what they need. I paid yearly instead of monthly and even with the 200$ bonus plan for routine stuff I think it was about 700$. You get a discount for doing it yearly. I had to use it a few times when he got sick and when he ripped up his carpal pads pretty badly. It is a reimbursement type of plan but they always paid me back in a reasonable amount of time. I just keep the forms in my glove box in case of en emergency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufftie Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 i use www.petassure.com . it is not a true insurance but a co-pay program. you do have to have a participating vet in the program. unlike insurance, where you have to pay up front and wait for the company to send you money, the discount is taken right at the vets office. I bought it and used it immediately for twitch's cruciate ligament surgery. it saved me over $300 more than paying for itself. it covers routine shots and visits. I found it more affordable and useful than insurance. I think $149 covers 3 dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom of Mya Posted April 24, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Thanks guys for the information!! I will check into them. I never had insurance on our American Eskimo but he was not going to get hurt unless you tripped over him and fell on him LOL.. He was the laziest dog I had ever seen, like a big white shaggy carpet on the floor, even as a puppy. Mya is definitely not going to be like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 With 3 different active working/hard playing Border Collies I've always been concened about a major self inflicted injury. I've had it in the back of my mind that a dog could tear or break something and surgery/rehab would expensive. Knock on wood, that hasn't yet happened. What I have dealt with is heart trouble (vet was at a loss as to what caused it) and 2 dogs with cancer. I've also seen other very active dogs remain injury free yet deal with IMHA and lupus. So whatever carrier you end up going with I'd make sure that the plan covered illness as well as injury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 We use Embrace on Duncan, who has already racked up some vet bills - they were willing to cover surgery without any qualms for a medial shoulder instability issue that might have cost us $6-$8K for repair. No idea how he got it. We did opt for conservative therapy instead, and they covered all the laser treatment, hobbles, underwater treadmill therapy, etc. That alone saved us several thousand dollars. They were very good at reimbursing us. We also have it for Ross. I know I've been told "just bank it for their old age", but puppies can also incur some impressive vet bills when they're young - just eating one thing they shouldn't have can cost thousands. Fortunately he didn't need it. Active dogs can injure themselves any time. Even dogs playing together can come home with a cruciate tear. So I don't buy the "just bank it until they're old" model. I don't think we've gotten it yet for Spain. At some point, with lots of dogs, it does become less expensive to self-insure (i.e., don't bother with insurance but be prepared to pay the big bucks). I've heard bad reviews of VPI. (I know someone whose Border collie incurred some whopping bills a year ago when it almost died twice - turned out to be malabsorption of vitamin . VPI turned down their claims. You can check reviews, but it's a bit like checking reviews on Amazon - the devil is in the details. Is someone giving a poor rating for something you don't care about? http://www.petinsurancereview.com/reviewStart.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Timber's insured with Trupanion. Actually just recently submitted his first claim for X-rays, got and email back today that I can be expecting a check to my vet for $218. Which is 90% after my deductible. They offer direct pay to you vet if your vet accepts it so you don't have to pay the whole bill up front. Worked out well for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrecar Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Trupanion here too. They've paid out twice for >$1000 bills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 I have Embrace on all 3 of my working dogs. I have had yet to file a claim (knocks on wood). It costs about $700a year to insure all 3 with basically a catastrophic type policy... I chose Embrace based on information that I read here I believe. They also pay out 80% on items covered (regardless of cost) not a fixed amount based on the type of procedure, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamierenae Posted April 29, 2014 Report Share Posted April 29, 2014 I had VPI Pet Insurance for my 9 1/2 yrs old Lab that just died of Osteosarcoma last year and I was thankful I had gotten it when he was 6 yrs old because he always gotten into food he wasn't supposed to. Anyways last year when he was really sick and I was so devastated trying everything to safe the love of my life I was thankful I had VPI pet insurance. In the end he still lost his fight against Osteosarcoma and Hermangiosarcoma in August but out of the $ 11,000 in VET BILLS trying frantically to give him the best I could I did receive about $6000 back from the Insurance company. So to me it was a good choice. I am debating to get it again for my new dog I just adopted whos a Border Collie Mix that's why im here to find out more about this breed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorro13 Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 Personally, the math didn't come out for me. Most of the plans seemed to be around $30/month. $30 x 12 months/year x 12 year average life span (probably more) = $4320. That seems like the going rate for a major injury/illness if you pay cash so you're basically guaranteeing you have to pay for something major even if it doesn't happen. I think a savings account would be a much better way to prep for vet bills (including having some emergency funds ready prior to picking up a new dog). Obviously there is chance your dog can have more than one $5k incident but I think the chances are low enough that it's not worth paying that much over the dog's life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted April 30, 2014 Report Share Posted April 30, 2014 I have done the savings account in the past (and will continue to do so) but, when I crunch the numbers for actually treating something major like cancer or an injury requiring surgery and rehab, then $5000 is on the lower end. For instance, prices recently quoted to me for a full lymphoma diagnostic work up was $1200 at a vet school (after a decent amount of basic diagnostic work at a local vet) and then a course of chemo treatments is $5000-$6000. I'm still very much ahead of the curve when it comes to cost by doing a savings account, but the more options in care there are, the more expensive treatment will be. For me, when I now look at "what options would I want to take advantage of?", insurance become a bit more attractive to me since, well, I WOULD have wanted to go the full work up and treatment route had my dog been diagnosed with a version of lymphoma that responded better to treatment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patches03 Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 I have Petplan for my three year old Lab. $200 deductible and 80% reimbursement. Up to $10,00 on coverage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Point Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 I wish we continued our plan for Tio. He's only eleven months, tough, and full of piss and vinager.....What could go wrong?? Well,,,everything.. MRI tomorrow, possible/probable surgery and rehab. ka-ching ka-ching.....$$$$$ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 Obviously there is chance your dog can have more than one $5k incident but I think the chances are low enough that it's not worth paying that much over the dog's life. Obviously this is a decision each has to make for themselves. But it's not just the huge bills that insurance can help. I had a dog, who was not insured, who had allergy issues and chronic ear infections. I don't think any vet bill for him was ever over $400 or so, but at least once ever 2-3 months he would have a hot spot or ear infection or would just start itching uncontrollable. His bills probably added up to 800-1000 per year, would have been nice to have even some if that covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumpin Boots Posted May 2, 2014 Report Share Posted May 2, 2014 I wish we continued our plan for Tio. He's only eleven months, tough, and full of piss and vinager.....What could go wrong?? Well,,,everything.. MRI tomorrow, possible/probable surgery and rehab. ka-ching ka-ching.....$$$$$ Oh bummer sending good thoughts for Tio! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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