Who has pet insurance?
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Anyone out there have pet insurance for their B's? I spend about $500-600 per year for both my Basenjis - which covers office visits, vaccinations, some blood work and urinalysis.
I wonder if pet insurance would be a good thing to get, just wondering if anyone out there has pet insurance? How much is it? What does it cover? How much does it save you?
Thanks for any info!
Michelle (and Tayda and Lenny)
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This is a great post, because I've been wondering the same thing myself. I've been considering an ASPCA plan because Banfield (which I believe BDawg recommended) isn't available locally.
When people respond who have insurance, can you indicate which plan you are in.
Looking forward to see the responses. Thanks for posting Michelle! :D :D :D
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At one time Consumer reports did an article on pet insurance.
They concluded that if you put $$ in a pet savings account you would be better off.
That is because a lot of the things are not fully covered.
With the restrictions on some things…the report felt it was NOT a good deal.
BUT that was a few years ago. -
I haven't bought pet insurance, but all things aside, it would probably cost me more than it was worth. I spend about the same on my five dogs per year-aside from the heartworm and flea med. My old boxer developed an afflication that would not have been covered by pet insurance. He did end up going over the rainbow bridge. I've had my old girl tear the ligaments in her legs repeatedly and that would not have been covered either. Personally, I don't know if it's worth it. I guess it depends on the plan you have as well.
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I have VPI on my three dogs and spend $900.00 a year for the superior plan. I only use it for emergencies. I think regular care may add another 100.00 per dog. The b's are younger then Marlowe so theirs are 255.00 a year.
When our first vizzy got a mast cell tumor at 6 yrs old, it was a tremendous comfort to know we were able to do whatever we could to try to save her. It helped pay for 2 ops and 3 months of chemo. My first B was in and out of the hospital the last 14 days of his life and knowing we had the insurance, we never thought twice about doing everything we could for him..not that we wouldn't have anyways…but it definately took some pressure off.
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If anyone here does the Home Again microchip service, you should check into free lost pet insurance. I got something in the mail saying its free because I have a Home Again account. I called and sure enough, they signed me up in 2 min. Its a 3000 reimbursement if your pet is hurt while lost, with a $50 deductible. Hopefully I will never use it, but its a nice comfort to have, especially since Basenjis are so escape prone. As for regular pet insurance, I don't have any yet, I was also debating about it, but haven't come to a conclusion yet.
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I think I only spend about $100 per yr on my dogs anyway; the only thing they see the vet for are annual exams and vaccinations {after the first year}, so it wouldn't be worth it to me to pay for insurance, IMO. I have to take emergencies as they come, but I've not had many of those in my lifetime. Gypsy's illness five yrs ago was the worst ever, and I think I went just over $1,000 for that. Over the course of her {so far} 14 yrs of life that would have been a sizeable amount for insurance in comparison!
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We have a wellness plan- which is not pet insurance, but it's definitely something I recommend. We signed up with Banfield after I learned Lexi was due for her dental. Our normal vet's office was going to charge over $500 for her dental alone. OMG! So we looked around at other options and we found Banfield's plans. They're attached to Petsmart. We pay around $30/month that includes all shots and office visits, blood work/labs, other routine stuff as well as a dental! So we get all that for about $360 a year compared to just a dental at $500. We also get a discount of 10 or 20% because we have Miles on a plan there too– so if there was something we needed that wasn't covered, we at least get a discount. I think Banfield is good for people who have younger dogs who are generally in good health. Wellness plans do not cover chemo or big operations- but I would probably want to go to a specialist for that kind of stuff anyways.
I know Dogster had a recommendation of Pet Insurances. I should try to find the link...
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Around here (No California) I would never use Banfield. The Vets there are not are "qualified" as ones with their own practices. "please note: I did say around here so I am not speaking for other places in the country.. and that said for routine work maybe OK"
My vets are pretty expensive, but since I have had one Vet almost kill one of mine doing a dental and then argue with me on the reason, I will pay the high price for a Vet that will listen to what I have to say… I have never had insurance, can't afford it for multi pack of 4 to 6 B's at a time.. and usually it is in their senior years that it is really needed. I guess all things equal, it might work out to save some money in the end... but not sure...The recommedations of 90% of all Vets is that shots are only 3yrs, not every year.. how does that work with the Wellness program?
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We use PetCare Insurance & considering how many times I've been to the Vet this year with one dog alone :eek: I think it's SO worth it :)
I also think that if (heavens forbid) your dog ever got into a serious injury that required surgery or long term care that would be insanely expensive. And most people would opt not to go through with it at the risk of losing their beloved dog. Like most insurance policies you're paying a premium for the potential possibilities that you'll need it one day…life insurance (I've been paying forever & every year I neve cash in LOL :D), medical insurance, homeowners insurance...etc.
