Pet Insurance

[Iron Glove]

Bob, when it comes to our mutts, Pet Insurance is one of the least expenses.
Damn things eat better than we do, get all the toys they want, get better health care ........................
When I retired awhile back I rewarded myself by trading in the Ranger on an F-150 with all the extras.
Drive it home, show the Wife thinking she'd be impressed.
All she said was "Molly and Ripley will really like the back seat, it's so much bigger than the Ranger, I'm so happy for them." Ya right, I buy a $55,000 truck just for the dogs.

[BgBlkDg]

That shows that you have a noble spirit, what would we not do for our "fur kids"?

When, we lost Can. Champ. Quean Lily Loveliface, last May 31, large, inoperable abdominal tumour, the costs were minimal and we have never had pet insurance. I am probably done with dogs and cats, due to health and family issues, but, crave a fine PB B&T Std. Dachshund male from Brunners and another PB male Rottgod from Trojan Kennels of Mission.

IF, I can get these dogs, I will buy pet insurance based on your advice here as I consider it a very, very good asset when a person's beloved pet(s) are sick or injured. No pets live better than mine and I agree with your lady, buying the new truck with the pups in mind IS the way to go.

[AgSilver]

...buying the new truck with the pups in mind IS the way to go.

Our last four vehicles have all had strong "how will the dog fit in here?" considerations. Especially for me because I historically took him with me so much of the time.

[M.Dean]

So, pet insurance eh! So, if I was to go into town today and insure my cat for, lets say, well, a new truck, boat, couple new quads, so about 300 hundred grand, and it got accidentally run over tomorrow, well no, not tomorrow, going fish'in, lets say it got squashed on Friday, could I pick the cheque up like on Monday or even Tuesday??? And I loved that olde cat, Really!!!

[Iron Glove]

So, pet insurance eh! So, if I was to go into town today and insure my cat for, lets say, well, a new truck, boat, couple new quads, so about 300 hundred grand, and it got accidentally run over tomorrow, well no, not tomorrow, going fish'in, lets say it got squashed on Friday, could I pick the cheque up like on Monday or even Tuesday??? And I loved that olde cat, Really!!!

That sounds like a Catastrophic loss.

[SignalLight]

Yes, if we had invested the funds over that term we may have done better by investing the premiums however we may also have racked up way more Vet bills, nothing's guaranteed.

Given the requirements for a pet emergency fund (liquid and quickly accessible) constraining your investment vehicle options, the zero risk return you would have realized over the past 12 years would have been negative in real terms so you're definitely ahead going the route you did.

One thing I can't reconcile with these 'I paid x for my dog so I'm not going to spend more than x on it at the vet' types is they aren't attributing any value to any improvements in the animal. Assuming it is a hunting dog, there will be a lot of time and money invested in developing it into a capable animal in the field. Assuming the dog is healthy and structurally sound, using a capital cost approach only makes sense if the dog needs treatment almost immediately after leaving the breeder's on pickup day because that is the point when they have the lowest economic value. If I took this economic approach, I would definitely be factoring in all the inputs like maintenance and most importantly, time which is the largest cost in owning and raising a decent dog.

[Iron Glove]

Given the requirements for a pet emergency fund (liquid and quickly accessible) constraining your investment vehicle options, the zero risk return you would have realized over the past 12 years would have been negative in real terms so you're definitely ahead going the route you did.

One thing I can't reconcile with these 'I paid x for my dog so I'm not going to spend more than x on it at the vet' types is they aren't attributing any value to any improvements in the animal. Assuming it is a hunting dog, there will be a lot of time and money invested in developing it into a capable animal in the field. Assuming the dog is healthy and structurally sound, using a capital cost approach only makes sense if the dog needs treatment almost immediately after leaving the breeder's on pickup day because that is the point when they have the lowest economic value. If I took this economic approach, I would definitely be factoring in all the inputs like maintenance and most importantly, time which is the largest cost in owning and raising a decent dog.

Yup, you get it.
Our last dog was "free" because we agreed on a 3 times stud service so if I took the "ain't paying more than I paid" approach he would've been put down pretty quick.
People tend to look at most forms of insurance as a "win or lose" situation with "winning" being you recover in claims more than you paid in premiums and "losing" being the opposite. They fail to factor in the "I can sleep at nights" aspect. Using the "win or lose" philosophy, I guess my wearing a PFD every time I go boating is a "loss" as I've never had to use the PFD.
With a dog, factor in feeding, vaccinations, training, toys, equipment, liscences, ............................. and the insurance costs are relatively insignificant.

[Ron.C]

I know this is a bit of an older thread, but I just went through this for my puppy and read this thread before I spoke to some companies.

She is a 4 month old lab. I called Pet plus. They took over the PC pet insurance.

2 coverage levels a ($7500 and $15000). You can chose 70,80, or 90% coverage and 100,200 , or $ 300 deductible.

For my pup, the highest coverage , $15000 coverage at 90% with a $100 deductible would be $90.38 a month.

In comparison the lowest coverage, $7500 @70% with a $300 deductible is $60.78

I also asked, worse case scenario " my do gets shot while hunting". I am covered. She eats a rotten seal and gets I'll, I'm covered.

Basically covered from initial visit to completion of rehab up to the max amount at the percentage chosen.

You have to maintain regular vet checks at your expense but if during a routine checkup and the vet notices something that requires treatment, it is covered.

Common breed specific issues are factored in with the quote and covered.

Big item of note, ANY issue that has required vet care before the insurance is purchased is considered a pre-existing condition. So you may be out of luck if you have future issues.The example provided to me was an ear infection. If your dog has had one before insurance is purchased, the insurer will consider all related ear issues as pre-existing.

Premiums are set and don't increase as dog ages. That said, you can increase or decrease coverage and dogs age will be a factor if a change is made.

My brother in law just spent nearly 8k on a two year old pointer to have her knee repaired. And my buddy spent about $4700 because his mutt ate some shit in his shed that nearly killed him.

To each his own I guess. My pup is hopefully going to be my hunting partner and family member for a long tome to come. Am I taking a loss if I never have to use the insurance ? I don't think so, considering some of the stupid crap I waste money on. Just means my dog lived a healthy life. Will my pup get the best treatment I can afford. Absolutely.

Of course, there is law as the fine print. Before I sign Ill be carefully reviewing the policy.

[lorneparker1]

We have pet plus. We pay around $50. We have had nothing but good expereinces with them. I think anyone who has a working dog that is also a family pet that doesnt get insurance is crazy.

[Iron Glove]

Ron, good on you for looking into pet insurance for your best friend.
A couple of comments on the quote:
1. Does the policy exclude the initial examination?
2. Are taxes included or excluded?
3. Are dog "fights" excluded?
4. Are Vet specified foods covered? If your dog suffers from renal degradation and you have to use special foods, that'll be covered. Note that some plans will not pay for the cost of Raw diets.
5. Is the Limit an annual limit or a "condition" limit?
These are a few of the issues that I have run across over the years and they can make a big difference in what, if anything you get back from the Insurer.
Think very carefully about the limit that you take - $7,500 can be eaten up pretty quickly on any serious "incidents".
We are at @ $20,000 on our girl's cancer treatment.
Get a quote from an Insurer that offers "unlimited" to see if the difference in cost is warranted.
Looking at your quotes, I'd take the higher limit with a higher deductible.