pindrop Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 As I have already written, we are adding a new family member to our household on Nov. 19th. We are extremely excited and have already posted pictures of the litter at 10 days old. The reason I bring up this question is because we just lost our baby Westie "Molly" on July 2nd at 8 1/2 years old. She was our world and is sadly missed. (just this past weekend, I had to go through all her toys and came across her favorite goose - more tears.) Unfortunately, at age two she started to develop skin allergies and over the next 6 1/2 years, we spent quite a lot of money ferrying back and forth to our regular vet as well as a allergist specialist - she was on numerous medications, special medicated shampoos, weekly shots, eye and ear medication etc. etc. We expect that over time, we parted with about $4,000. We never complained as we would have done anything to keep her comfortable. Now, I hope to goodness this new addition to our home will be healthy, as we have tried to take extra precautions in selecting a bona fida breeder. The breeder has guaranteed that she will back up her puppies up to the price I am paying for it should it require anything out of the norm in the way of medical bills. So now you will understand my concern over whether we should look into insurance on our new addition. It would be greatly appreciated if you could offer advice on this delicate issue. Thank you, in advance, for any advice you care to give. Husband and dog missing ...25 cents reward for dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Cairns Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 I would love to help but I have never carried this kind of insurance on my dogs--I am anxious to hear the responses you get having been in the insurance industry for years--what is the cost like and what is the coverage like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
remltr Posted September 28, 2010 Share Posted September 28, 2010 Some people say put what premium you would pay into a savings account and use that for medical expenses. Works great as long as you don't have any expenses for a long period of time allowing you to build up the bucks. But if those expenses come early then that plan falls apart. Then of course with insurance what don't they cover and what about deductibles per incident? You may still spend $4,000 and not have enough or any of it covered by insurance to make it worth purchasing in the first place. If you choose to purchase it, then now is the time to do it as the premium will never be any cheaper. The older they are when you purchase the higher the premium. It's a gamble no matter what you do. Buy it and never need it, don't buy it and get hammered with a big bill. I chose to purchase it through Trupanion. Costs me $42.24 a month. Pays 90% of what is covered with a $500.00 deductible and no lifetime limit. Didn't buy it until Sassy was over 5 years old. Sassy Jan 22, 2005 AM. CH. THARRBARR LITE MY FIRE ZOMERHOF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dempsy's Mom Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 I vote for putting money aside in a account for them. Elsie, Max, Meeko & Lori Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairy_Putter Posted October 3, 2010 Share Posted October 3, 2010 We have carried pet insurance on our dogs for many years and will continue to do so. We are very pleased with VPI in California. Our previous dog, Oscar, became very ill and had several specialist and within a five-day period, physician and hospital charges totaled over $5,000. I submitted the bills and fairly quick got a check for little over $2,800. Three weeks later, I received a letter in the mail explaining that they had done a second review of Oscar's stay in the hospital and upon recalculation, enclosed a check for an additional $1,300. Do you really think our human health insurance companies would do something like that? We are strong believers in pet health insurance. Hairy's dad Hairy Putter www.HairysBlog.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted October 4, 2010 Author Share Posted October 4, 2010 Thank you all who have so far responded. Hairy - that was an incredible situation and I would have to admit you are right - no human insurance company would have reviewed the file, let alone agreed to pay additional dollars. This is obviously something that my husband and I will definately look into and determine if it is feasible. Thanks to all once again. Husband and dog missing ...25 cents reward for dog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnandTuk-tuk Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 I had insurance through my work, United Pet I think, and when Tuk was diagnosed with his tumor it was not particularly helpful. I only purchased it since it was the year he was due for all shots and those were covered. When he got sick and needed to see a neurologist, the network covered dr was 200 miles away. When I was considering purchasing insurance, I had worked it out and what my cost was for the insurance was for the year equalled out to what I saved in costs for the shots and a reduced rate for the office visit...so I figured if he happened to get sick/hurt over the year it would pay for itself. I didn't expect Tuk to get a tumor. However, it did pay for itself the way I figured out. But in our crisis it was not helpful (nothing was covered cause we were out of network) and I ended up with an excruciating bill. So for us, if it had not been the year for his shots I would not have purchased insurance. For our crisis it was not helpful. I would read your plan's coverage very carefully. If you can get good coverage like some of the other posters I would definately consider it. Tuk was only 5 yrs old when we received his diagnosis of terminal brain tumor and it would have been very helpful and comforting to have had insurance that would've covered (most of) his MRI, hospital stay, emergency vet visit, multiple blood work ups, valley fever test, etc. Planning for the unexpected is why we all carry insurance on ourselves, but we wouldn't do it if it wasn't cost effective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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