I dont know if you have been following my little girls snakebite from this past weekend...... but after 2 days in the Vet ER, we racked up a $3,300 bill. Antivenin being the largest expense. Going forward...... my dogs will have Pet Insurance.
My girlfriend has had Pet Insurance on her 2 dogs and really see's the value.
Here are some important questions when shopping around:
1. Does the policy cover hereditary conditions?
Most U.S. pet insurance companies automatically exclude hereditary conditions Hereditary Conditions Close Genetically transmitted diseases found predominantly in purebred pets. These are diseases that your pet has inherited directly through breeding and include conditions such as hip dysplasia. Petplan policies cover hereditary conditions so long as they were not apparent prior to the purchase of the policy. or offer very limited coverage. Petplan will cover such conditions with no time or dollar limits per condition
2. Is there a time limit for treatment per condition?
Some pet insurance companies will only pay for an illness for a maximum of 12 months, and on renewal classify the condition as pre-existing. Petplan offers a Covered For Life guarantee that means that any ongoing illness that your pet develops after you have taken out a Petplan policy, will be covered in subsequent years provided that you renew your policy with us each year.
3. Is there a dollar limit per condition?
Beware of some policies that will only pay up to a specified amount in veterinary fees for any illness or injury. Check the maximum benefit for veterinary fees and whether this amount is reinstated yearly, or whether there is a running total per condition. Most of the pet insurance companies in the U.S. offer maximum benefit policies maximum benefit policy Close A policy that is restricted by dollar limits on illnesses and injuries. This means that over your pet's lifetime the policy will only pay up to a set figure per condition regardless of the total cost of treatment. Should your pet's treatment exceed the limit for that condition the company will simply stop paying claims. , which means that you may run out of cover.
Petplan offers simple annual limits that replenish each year - so you never have to worry about running out of cover.
4. Is there a choice of coinsurance?
Some companies only cover up to a maximum of 80% of claims leaving you to pay the rest. Petplan offers you the choice of whether to accept a coinsurance option or whether to opt for 100% reimbursement
I ran a quote on my 19 month and it came back at 23.00 per month.
I dont know if you have been following my little girls snakebite from this past weekend...... but after 2 days in the Vet ER, we racked up a $3,300 bill. Antivenin being the largest expense. Going forward...... my dogs will have Pet Insurance.
when clients ask about pet insurance I like to give the correct (or best) answer, VPI is the longest tenured, certainly veterinarian friendly with a simple form to sign with the diagnosis
Essentailly I had a bill for around $2000 or so and they didn't pay all that much....I want to say less than $500. It was my first claim I had made and I had the coverage for 5 years...no pre-existing condition either.
Am calling Pet Plan for quote. Too many dogs to do it online. Would still like to hear from someone who has actually made a claim and been satisfied before making a move from PetsBest.
Help me out here. I to am interested in pet insurance.
I didn't see the $7000 per incident. I did see a $2500 per incident. You must have been quoted a more expensive plan than the Basic.
I saw no cruciate coverage until the policy has been in effect for 12 mos. No parasite coverage except what's provided for usually a minimal amount. No preventable diseases which could be anything they deem preventable. No hereditary diseases, hip dysplasia, elbow dysplasia etc.
These all seem to be things we would want insurance for.
I got PetsFirst through PetsBest which has $7k limit, as opposed to Pets Basic which has $2.5k limit.
From experience Buffy - cruciate $3k to 5k Buffy - splenic torsion $3.2k Mootsie - splenic torsion $2.2k Zowie - variety of urinary tract ailments over $30k, maybe over 40k over time
I want insurance for the big ticket item, so I pick higher limits.
I have Petplan. You can get a quote online. I have $20K with a $200 deductible and 80% and I paid $256 a year. The forms look simple enough for the vet. I have not had an incident, but after my last dog, I will have the insurance.
something everyone should consider with the cost of sophisticated diagnostics and surgery, one of my training partners has a 5 year old with 2 TPLOs and a bout with pyothorax, he estimates he has about 20K in medical expenses for the dog (not including routine care)
I checked PetPlan out. Pretty good coverage. I feel dumb for not giving it much thought before. For Gold coverage, $200 deductible, and 100% coverage is $285 a year. For single dogs, there is a only small differnce in price between the least and most coverage at the $200 deductible level.
I have a friend who had to put down his dog due to money. After spending $4K, he was tapped out. Less than $1 a day is worth the peace of mind I will not have to face a similar situation.
The funny this is now my insurance which covers my wife cost the exact same as the dog's!
How much , in general, do premiums vary depending on the age of the dog when you take out the policy?
And do they generally increase as the dog ages?
Thanks,
JS
They probably do vary depending on the age of the dog. I've only taken out my policies when they were younger.. the oldest being 2. My premiums have not gone up very much with VPI. Don't know about Pet Plan.
But, do some online quotes. After a certain age, I know they won't take them...
Great information! I have been kicking this around for some time and just been too lazy to follow through on it and do the research. Thanks everyone for the motivation!!
I wished I have taken one for my GSP six months ago. It cost me $1300 when she broke one of her hind leg playing and jumping around the patio stairway.
I switched from VPI to Petplan 12 months ago, just got renewals for the 7 dogs on it, have not had to use it yet. The oldest dog on it is 6.5, she's a couple dollars more a month than the younger dogs. Did not see a rate increase this year on any of them. In comparing a bunch of policies, Petplan offered more coverage for less, including hereditary conditions, cancer without a separate rider, complications from breeding, whelping, nursing. I hope I don't have to use it to find out how well they actually pay, but VPI at my vet's wasn't top notch in that department. At age 8, Petplan will require an annual checkup including bloodwork, nothing stated about how much the premium will go up.
If anyone is planning on going with PePlan or switching to PetPlan ...... I have a promo code that will get you a 10% discount, if your dog isnt already micro-chipped, if your dog is chipped, you automatically get the 10% discount.
Shoot...now this thread pops up! Argghhh..I just got signed up, through open enrollment at work, with VPI. They offered it this year for the first time and since I wanted big ticket item coverage, after about 4K in vet bills this year, I decided to try it. VPI, with three dogs and there top end coverage is $94/month.
Has anybody had any good experiences with VPI?
We're trying them for a year and then figured we'd make a decision next year as to whether it was worth it or not...of course, the dog with the TPLO is not covered next year if she blows the other one...but it covered after next year.
Sue Puff
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