I have dogs of course but also several horses. I "self-insure", or set aside enough to cover medical expenses in an emergency.

I have had several horses and other pets for 25 years and have, in the long term, saved money. I have paid several vet bills over $10k, but still cheaper in the long run.

for a person with little emergency fund and one pet, insurance often makes sense. For me it doesn't. (4 horses, 4 cats, 1 dog).

Most companies won't insure an older horse at all (over 17). Perhaps they will a dog but it will be pricey. Be very careful to read what they cover and what they don't. Most policies will exclude something after the first claim regarding it. Starting to insure an older pet? I would probably euthanize before incurring enough medical bill to make insurance make sense.

If you are a "will do anything to keep alive" owner, go insurance. I factor quality of life in highly.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even for young dogs, the insurance does not pay off. It only covers unexpected conditions, not regular vet care. You're better off taking whatever money you'd spend on insurance, and putting it in a savings account reserved for dog care.

Don't generalize. My dog was 6 months old when he caught something viral on his daily walk in Great Falls, ended up in the ER, had to stay there, plus meds, etc =4K. We had insurance. I would not own a dog without insurance these days, medical care is very expensive.

New poster. That's exactly the PP's point. The insurance pays off for extremely rare occasions like yours with young healthy dogs. It does not pay off for mature dogs with ordinary vet care needs.

NP - I thought I didn't need insurance for my healthy adult dog. But he's had a couple of random issues (including a virus) that ended up costing a lot at the vet. The whole point of insurance is that you can't reliably predict medical care needs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Even for young dogs, the insurance does not pay off. It only covers unexpected conditions, not regular vet care. You're better off taking whatever money you'd spend on insurance, and putting it in a savings account reserved for dog care.

Don't generalize. My dog was 6 months old when he caught something viral on his daily walk in Great Falls, ended up in the ER, had to stay there, plus meds, etc =4K. We had insurance. I would not own a dog without insurance these days, medical care is very expensive.

New poster. That's exactly the PP's point. The insurance pays off for extremely rare occasions like yours with young healthy dogs. It does not pay off for mature dogs with ordinary vet care needs.

Anonymous wrote:Even for young dogs, the insurance does not pay off. It only covers unexpected conditions, not regular vet care. You're better off taking whatever money you'd spend on insurance, and putting it in a savings account reserved for dog care.

Don't generalize. My dog was 6 months old when he caught something viral on his daily walk in Great Falls, ended up in the ER, had to stay there, plus meds, etc =4K. We had insurance. I would not own a dog without insurance these days, medical care is very expensive.

Even for young dogs, the insurance does not pay off. It only covers unexpected conditions, not regular vet care. You're better off taking whatever money you'd spend on insurance, and putting it in a savings account reserved for dog care.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most plans have an age limit, around 7 in the ones we checked.

are you grandfather if you have since they are very young ??

If the policy was started when the dogs were young then they will continue into old age. The premiums may keep rising with age. But you typically cannot start a new policy for the dog if it is over the insurance company's age limit.

Anonymous wrote:Most plans have an age limit, around 7 in the ones we checked.

are you grandfather if you have since they are very young ??

Most plans have an age limit, around 7 in the ones we checked.

Most plans won't cover senior dogs, or at such a premium it may not be worth it. I'd research specific plans.

What does it cover and how much is it per month?