If you have a dog('s) or cat('s) to have medical insurance to cover, or help cover, Vet bills? We are planning on getting a Shih Tzu puppy, or 1 or 2 yr. old. Years ago, when I was in college, I worked part-time for three Vets in So Calif. and do know about dogs and some about cats. We had a dog (3 yr. old female half Malamute/half Siberian Husky) in Colorado. Loved it, but couldn't take it with us when we moved. I'm now retired, but we don't want a big dog anymore, only a "lap dog". That is why we are looking at Shih Tzu. With the cost of Vet services, I thought it would be a good idea to have Pet Insurance this time. We'd have to pay for the services ourselves and the Insurance would reimburse us. All it would take is one serious thing happen and we could be stuck with a large Vet bill. What do you think?
The last time I looked into it, I thought it was too expensive, especially for four cats, which is what I had at the time. Besides, as long as I feed them right, they don't demand a lot of veterinary care anyhow. Maybe, with one dog or one cat, it might be a good idea.
@Cody Fousnaugh, be careful of pet insurance. They are worse than people insurance when it comes to what and why they will pay. We had it for a while, but there was a lot of jumping through hoops and co-pays. We dropped it when our seven month Chorky, (Izzy), developed cataracts. They said that wasn't on their coverages list. He had to have three eye surgeries, at a total of $13,000. We thought that was why we had the insurance.
We will only have the one dog. We are both really vigilant about reading what comes with any type of insurance policy. Like I said, it only takes one surgery to "wish we had gotten it". But, still not completely sold on getting it though.
I dont have it for Pickles...I cant even afford insurance for myself! I have looked into before though with earlier pets and it is expensive....I also know people who are well off and have pets and even they dont have the pet insurance.
You do want to read the policy carefully to make sure you know what is covered and what is not covered by the policy. Medical care for a pet can be expensive, the need for insurance for a pet really needs to be thought out, how having it will effect your budget and how not having it and needing to pay cash for a pet related medical cost will dent the budget. We had a dog get into the trash that had chicken bones in it, one of the bones got caught in her throat, requiring a need to go to the doctor, $500 it cost.
I haven't heard of such insurance for pets. Our recent trip to the vet clinic costs us a lot because Barbie our pekingese was confined for 2 nights in an airconditioned room. And after a few days, the symptoms recurred so we brought her to another dog hospital. Fortunately the vet gave her the correct medication so our dog got well. In total, we spent more than $200 for that. But we don't scrimp on our pets. It's okay for us to spend more as long as our pet gets well.
For pets owners, retired or not, with very good finances, paying for their pets medical expenses doesn't seem to bother them. But, not all pet owner have good finances and when their pet needs medical attention, and they don't have the insurance to help cover expenses.........look out! Friends of ours, retired and financially doing fine, had to spend literally thousands of dollars on their older cat for medically attention and surgery. The entire cost came out of their pocket, but it didn't bother them that much because they had the money. Pet Insurance can cost somewhere around $35 per month, but if the pet need medical attention and/or a surgery, that monthly cost can well worth it. We pay a yearly cost for AAA (Auto Club) and went a number of years without using the benefits, then, last year, we used AAA three times.......three tows and a battery jump. Without AAA, don't even want to know what that would have cost us!
Is it only $35 a month, I thought it was more! My sister has had vet bills of about $5000 and she is not wealthy and im sure she could afford the $35 a month and yet she doesnt have vet insurance that Im aware of.
Average cost of dog insurance is $32 a month, which equals out to $384 a year. That yearly cost is pretty cheap compared to paying out-of-pocket hundreds-to-thousands of dollars for Vet bills.
I agree and that is a price my sister could afford so maybe it's more in Colorado where she lives or there was a high deductible or it didn't cover certain things ...all I know is she doesn't have it and she's the type that would.
I know that pet insurance does exist but I have never had it for my pets. As some have stated it can be expensive, it also may not cover everything. As much as I love my pets I just don't see the value of having pet health insurance. As it is it can be hard to keep a person insured these days.