| I bought it for my dog soon after I got her. She is about 16 months now. It’s an accident/Illness policy- pretty much meant for major medical expenses should she have an accident, illness… swallow things that become an obstruction… she eats way too much crap that she is not supposed to. I pay $358 annually and the deductible is $500. I personally think it’s a small price to pay in the event she has a major issue. |
🤔 We’ve had our dog for a little over a year, and she’s already had two visits for ingesting foreign objects and a surgery on obstruction. She is otherwise very healthy and energetic with no genetic issues. |
NP here The PP is like many people. Not everyone is prepared to spend 10's of thousands on something they bought for less than $5000 or in some cases got from a shelter for a couple of hundred bucks. Don't jump on me. I'm just telling it how it is for many pet owners. |
I'm the PP who does not want pet insurance. I come from a country where no one has pet insurance (I'm not even sure they exist), yet every dog I've known has lived a long life and has never cost their owners an arm and a leg. My 50 lbs dog has had no medical issues in the 4 years we've had him. I am very careful with him. He's a picky eater, and never eats stuff he shouldn't. He's generally calm and even looks before crossing the street, not that he's ever off-leash or ever runs away. The vet charges me what, $100 annualized, to scrape his teeth and administer vaccines every few years? Preventatives are affordable. Food is my biggest expense. Once he reaches a point where his quality of life is reduced, no, I will not spend tens of thousands to buy him a few more years. If he needs an urgent fix in the prime of his life, yes, I will spend the money out of pocket. I believe insurance would cost me more. |
Hmmm, maybe it’s a cat/dog difference? I have two cats and after one of them had a urinary blockage resulting in a three day hospital stay and a cost of about $4000 total I looked into insurance. What I found was that I would have paid several times the $4000 in premiums over three or four years (and this was a seven year old cat) and it covered none of my regular preventative care or dental work. Since I have saving that can withstand the odd few thousand dollar emergency pet care, I prefer to add to my savings rather than pay an insurance company. But I think strictly indoor cats are maybe less likely to have accidents and emergencies than dogs and the math might work out differently if I had a dog. |
This is on you. You're the type of hare-brained person that would rather pay (insurance or out of pocket) than watch your dog, so obviously don't complain about the price. The pandemic has spawned many such owners. I'd be infinitely sympathetic if it was a breed-associated condition, something out of your hands like cancer, etc, but obstruction due to eating crap? Totally on you. |
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I have Trupanion which covers 90% of accident or illness veterinary care. I have a $1000 deductible (I’ve got this in savings) and pay $30/mo. My dog is a 3.5 year old mixed breed - border collie and a bunch of other things.
I have the insurance to cover surgery for accident or illness and other stuff that runs into the many thousands. I chose Trupanion because they pay veterinarians directly, many pet insurances will only reimburse you after you submit paid in full vet bills. My dog’s coverage doesn’t include routine veterinary care because I budget for that - two checkups a year, heartworm/flea/tick prevention medication. My dog has had all her vaccines in puppyhood but I don’t do yearly vaccination beyond the rabies vaccine required by law. I’ll have her titer tested at 5-7 years of age and see if she requires any boosters - that’s in keeping with newest veterinary research on vaccinations in the last two decades. Over-vaccination especially in older pets causes serious health issues in too many dogs and cats. |
No, the insurance payers just want to reassure themselves they haven't been taken for a ride. Although I guess the irresponsible owners like a PP above who lets her dog eat whatever DO need insurance! |
Don't think you understand how dogs work. |
Bloat, carcinoma, leg fracture, cardiomyopathy, allergies- all common. All expensive. |
Not *that* common. But some of those can be expensive, I agree. |
Ah right. All the dogs I've ever cared for don't count. Sure. |
Why so snarky? And why blame another person so quickly who you know nothing about? I personally know more than one owner of labs and goldens who confessed their dog could have died from eating Halloween chocolate, grapes, and who knows what. They are responsible owners, and they consider themselves lucky. |
This is exactly right. Insurance companies make a profit on your premiums—otherwise they wouldn’t be in business. If you can save the money and invest it until needed, you’ll be ahead. Insurance companies exist because most people don’t save for these somewhat predictable events. |
| I'd rather spend the insurance premiums on better quality food for my cats. Too many cats are overweight with bad teeth because they eat crap cat food. |