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Ted Shih

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I want to encourage anyone who does not have insurance for their dog to consider buying some.

My insurer of choice is Pet Plan. But, I know from previous threads that others have been pleased with the insurance that they received from other companies.

I retired FC/AFC Freeridin Miss Kitty (Kitty) this summer after recurring issues with back pain/nerve impingement. She was 7 1/2 years old and I didn't want to risk permanent damage to her back. For the past month and a half, I have been visiting the vet and the physical therapist. We have tried rest, physical therapy, medication, etc. but Kitty stills experiences extreme pain at odd intervals. So, I talked to my vet of 20+ years, and we decided that an MRI was probably in order to determine whether Kitty had disc issues - or perhaps cancer.

I went to the specialty clinic for a consult. The neurologist agreed that an MRI was in order and suggested that while Kitty was under anesthesia, they operate if disc damage was observed. The high estimate? $7775. I submitted pre-authorization documents and was informed by Pet Plan that they would cover $6220. $1500 is no small chunk of change, but it beats paying $7775.

Anyway, food for thought.

Ted
 
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#2 ·
I recently purchased a policy through Pet Plan for my dog as well. I hope I never have to use it but I'll be glad I have it if I ever do need it.
 
#3 ·
Sorry to hear Kitty is having this issue and I hope they find and can fix whatever it is. Another good example of the benefits of good insurance as well, unfortunate as the reason. Best wishes for Kitty.
 
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#4 ·
I have Pet Plan and only used once for a relatively minor issue. I was pleased with response from PP.
 
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#5 ·
Pet Plan has been good in my experience too, paying out nearly $10K for an acl repair and rehab. However, their premiums have increased 30% year over year and I am researching other carriers.
 
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#6 ·
Great advice. I have had my boy insured since the day he came home 5 years ago. Never needed it, but it sure gives me peace of mind.
Good luck with Kitty.
 
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#7 ·
I looked into pet insurance a few years back and I recall the cost/benefit numbers didn't look too good. But now, after all we went through with Indy, I'm ready to look again. Is it going to be a lot more expensive to insure a 10 year and 7 year old than if I had done it earlier?
 
#9 · (Edited)
FieldLab said:
Can you insure a older dog 6 years ?
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Yes. You can go to all the insurance sites and do an estimate for the age of your dog. While PetPlan has gone up, every other insurance plan I tried did also. Make sure you understand exactly what they cover. I made sure they covered both legs for a CCl, at least after a year since that is a major injury we have in Labs. If they "allow" so much for conditions and injuries, make sure you know how much say a CCL repair runs. $500 isn't going to get you far. Make sure they don't consider CCL a hereditary issue and will exclude it. In other words, read the fine print. PetPlan includes hereditary issues. If you start the insurance plan as an 8 week old pup, make sure the vet examines the pup and notes in his record, no evidence of ccl or patella problems. I don't get the wellness plans or those that pay for routine exams, I want the insurance for the high dollar problems and I raise the deductible to keep the price down.
 
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#12 ·
ErinsEdge said:
Yes. You can go to all the insurance sites and do an estimate for the age of your dog. While PetPlan has gone up, every other insurance plan I tried did also. Make sure you understand exactly what they cover. I made sure they covered both legs for a CCl, at least after a year since that is a major injury we have in Labs. If they "allow" so much for conditions and injuries, make sure you know how much say a CCL repair runs. $500 isn't going to get you far. Make sure they don't consider CCL a hereditary issue and will exclude it. In other words, read the fine print. PetPlan includes hereditary issues. If you start the insurance plan as an 8 week old pup, make sure the vet examines the pup and notes in his record, no evidence of ccl or patella problems. I don't get the wellness plans or those that pay for routine exams, I want the insurance for the high dollar problems and I raise the deductible to keep the price down.
Click to expand...
If you don't mind Nancy - who is your insurer of choice?
 
#13 ·
Nancy is right on with the puppy policy. I insure all my litters before they leave. I have also had the same experience as Ted. Pet Plan has been excellent and I constantly compare. Still the best IMHO...

Sue Puff
 
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#14 ·
Sorry about Kitty Ted, but thanks for starting this thread. We have Embrace and are happy with our experience. Our dog Gus went through 14 months of expensive chemotherapy. Embrace never questioned a bill and promptly wired money into our account while we were on the road running Gus across the country. I think they paid out near $16,000 on this claim alone.
 
#15 ·
Thank you, Ted, Nancy, etc., This is very important information for one and all.
 
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Discussion starter · #16 ·
JKOttman said:
Pet Plan has been good in my experience too, paying out nearly $10K for an acl repair and rehab. However, their premiums have increased 30% year over year and I am researching other carriers.
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Josie,

I was not happy about premium increase, either. However,

1. Since I have insured my dogs with Pet Plan from the beginning, Pet Plan cannot deny coverage on the basis of pre-existing condition.
2. When I shopped around, I found that comparable insurance was similarly priced

Animal health care, like human health care is growing more and more expensive

Ted
 
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#19 ·
When I first got my last pup I was hell bent on getting insurance, and as we went to different training sessions an hunt tests and heard other folks talk about how much they spent for injuries like ACL, etc., I always crossed my fingers every time we were out running that we'd come unscathed. However, after eventually losing my dog to Hemangiosarcoma and adding up all of the costs for the Splenectomy, Chemo, Blood work and other labs, and also other meds, I promised that with the next pup I was getting insurance.

After looking at the costs through various providers, and narrowing down to what I felt comfortable for a deductible and monthly payment. I compared that to me just putting the same amount back each month, but it would take a long time to save up to cover some of the less complicated injuries.

I found that that Healthy Paws did not look to bad even when I went with a 90% coverage and $100 deductible. They seem like a good fit as they cover a lot items, but not your routine check ups and monthly flee/tick meds.
Pet Plan seemed comparable to that of Healthy Paws (TO me their sites were seemingly very close in how they did things, makes me wonder if they are underwritten by the same folks.

Nationwide had across the board coverage, and it is not bad compared to that of Healthy Paws, but tough to swallow that extra $25/month. although it might be worth it to cover the monthly treatments

I'll be picking my new pup on Friday and when I register him, I'll take advantage of the first 30 days of coverage through AKC health plan and the first free vet visit, but then will decide on one of the above three coverages.

Would love to hear pros an cons of the three I mentioned form those who have experience with them

Thanks in Advance,
ZMan079
 
#20 ·
I considered getting insurance for my dogs incase of severe injury or illness. Dealt with a couple different issues in the past few years that needed specialists, and even with my "referral" partner discount is still a lot of $$$. So I looked at insurance for my now 5 yr old female to add reproductive issues made it very expensive I thought, so I did not et any. We came close to needing a c-section with the litter we had in May, she decided not doing that, and pushed the pups out on her own. But I was quoted $3500 for a section full cost. In 2006 I had one with this dog's grandmother last litter, two pups left and the mom tuckered out. That was $1500, so in 11 years the cost more than doubled. I know my prices have not gone up that much but speciality hospitals seem to be getting more and more high end, and the costs are just WOW. So will be re-thinking that issue for this new pup.

I hear a lot about Trupanion, has anyone had experience with them? They were more expensive but they cover more and have no limits or at least used to have no limits. The rep was in here a couple years ago, boasting about how they had spent $50,000 for a dog, locally, with chronic liver disease. No wonder their prices are so high.
 
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