Pet Insurance?

[JEFF_H]

little Darmah the shop dog got attacked by a bulldog this week requiring surgery and a bunch of stitches.

When the dog owner brought over the payment for the vet bill, he said that if i had pet insurance it wouldnt have cost anything.
sooo...im looking into it.

anybody have any experiences to share or companies to recommend?
TIA

and pic-

[metallimonster]

We have insurance through Banfield pet hospitals (they are in Petsmart).   20 bucks a month gets us all of her shots and checkups,  half off medicines, no office visit fees, and deep discounts on almost anything they do at the office.  Just using it for the check-ups and shots saves us like $300 a year.  Plus my German Shepard likes to get hot spots in the summer and is there a few times a year.  The good thing is that it is covered at all the Banfields so we have many options to choose from and places to go when traveling.

It does not cover surgeries and things done at a med vet as we found out 2 years ago when we paid 3,800 to fix her when she turned her stomach over. 

[TiNi]

tell Darmah i hope she feels better soon 

[somegirl]

Poor Darmah!  Hope she heals up quickly.

Years ago, I had VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance).  They were the main pet insurance player at the time, although I think there are now a lot more options.

Things may have changed, but I found that they would only cover very limited amounts of my bills (apparently California vets charge more than their standard costs).  In fact, I spent more on premiums than I ever got back in coverage, even with a fair number of vet visits / surgeries / tests.  So I cancelled the policy, figuring I was better off putting aside the money each month in case it was needed.

Also filing claims was a hassle, I had to do it all myself, the vet hospitals would not do it.

I have heard that pet insurance plans have improved since then, but I haven't really looked into it.  Anyway, do your research first.

[hbliam]

When the dog owner brought over the payment for the vet bill, he said that if i had pet insurance it wouldnt have cost anything.
sooo...im looking into it.

Glad your dog is OK.

When the dog owner said that I would have A) reminded him that if he controled his animal it wouldn't have cost anyone anything. And B) if I had pet insurance it would have cost me the monthly premiums and the deductible and the insurance company would have went after him for the cost they covered anyway.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Glad your dog is OK.

When the dog owner said that I would have A) reminded him that if he controled his animal it wouldn't have cost anyone anything.

My first thought.

[Randimus Maximus]

Good looking Boxer.

Hope Darmah heals quickly.

And as a new dog owner, I'd like to kick the bully's owner in the nuts.

[somegirl]

And as a new dog owner, I'd like to kick the bully's owner in the nuts.

+1.  And as a black belt in karate I have a lot of nut-kicking experience.

[TiNi]

+1.  And as a black belt in karate I have a lot of nut-kicking experience.

[Stella]

+1.  And as a black belt in karate I have a lot of nut-kicking experience.

Good grief woman!  Is there anything you don't or can't do?!?   




Threadjack over:
Sorry to hear about Darmah!  Hopefully it will be a speedy recovery for her!

[Triple J]

We have VPI on our lab/pit mix (Gabby). There are a couple levels available, and they spell out specifically what cost is covered for each procedure. You could take that list to your vet and compare with their rates to see if it is worth it.

We opted for a plan which only covers major things...not routine visits or shots. We pay $14.99/month I think...which isn't too bad IMO. We mainly got it because Gabby is pretty crazy when she plays and I was worried about her blowing out an ACL...which isn't all that uncommon. I think they pay $2,000 for that procedure. Hopefully I never have to use it though.

Last summer she ran under a tree at the dog park and sliced open her back...she didn't even notice! We took her to get stitches, which cost us about $150...VPI reimbursed $75 if I remember correctly. Not as much as I was hoping, but again, I have it for the big injuries.

Hope your pup gets better soon. 

[JEFF_H]

Sounds like one of those things were they are going to try to get out of paying wherever they can.
You know like a people insurance company, but with less regulation.

Thanks for the input (and well wishes)

And Darmah's not too happy with me today 

[TiNi]

aaaaaaaaaw  she looks so sad

[Oldfisti]

aaaaaaaaaw  she looks so sad

+1                                                  

[JEFF_H]

she's just peeved we made her sit across the room and used her cone for tennis ball beer pong.