February 16th, 2010 → 12:18 am @ admin // 2 Comments
I recently adopted a pug, and after spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on him and crates and lessons and food, he got into some pills (we assume, we searched the whole house and couldn’t figure it out) and died in the vets office, and all in all tallied up quiet the expense.
It was all very traumatic, I cried for days. My defeatist side told me that I should never had tried to make myself happy with the dream puppy in the first place. My more cynical side hates me for spending all the time and money on it. And of course I blame myself. If he were anybody else’s he’d be munching on Kibble’s ‘N Bits right now or pestering the cat. A lot better than the month we had with him. Most of all I just miss my puppy.
Of course, after all this I realize I shouldn’t have been putting off buying pet insurance until I started taking him in car rides and introducing him to other animals and what not.
Definitely buying it first thing next time.
How has pet insurance helped you? What all does it cover, how much does it cost, any info you can give me. For when and if I can have another pet.
..Stacy.
1 year ago
Very sorry to hear about that whole ordeal, that must have been very tough for you. But I’m glad you’re still willing to give a new animal a loving home.
I got my dog from a shelter about 8 months ago, and got pet insurance for her about 6 months ago with Trupanion. I have only used it once for a minor issue. She was vomiting 2-3 times a day for about 4 days so I decided I should take her into the vet and she was diagnosed with gastroenteritis. They paid their promised 90% of her $25 medication, and I received the check in about a week, so everything went as expected. However, they don’t cover the vet exam fee (which was like $50) just to prevent them from going broke because of hypochondriacs which I suppose makes sense.
I chose a $0 deductible so that all of my bills will be covered 90%, though they allow you to choose up to $1000 deductible which would be a lower premium. My premium is $35 a month. What I like about them is that they don’t increase your premium when your pet reaches each age bracket, like most other companies. You essentially get to keep your premium for the life of your pet except for inflation increases.
Trupanion covers all diagnostic tests, surgeries/procedures, and medications 90% and also emergency vet visits and specialists. I have found that some are more restrictive on how much they pay if you go to specialists.
I would recommend to avoid benefits schedules because sometimes these flat rates are far less than what your vet charges you.
I also recommend to avoid routine coverage (regular exams, vaccines, etc), because you are just paying the costs through higher premiums thus not saving any money, but in most cases, losing money.
Also find out if the company covers hereditary conditions, chronic conditions, and if they have breed restrictions.
Some companies only cover chronic conditions for the first year and then consider it preexisting after that!
Find out if they have limits per claim or per condition.
Pet insurance is definitely a good idea, and definitely for puppies.
Just be sure to do your research (check out http://www.petinsurancereview.com) and read the policies and ask lots of questions!
Virginia S
1 year ago
First of all, I am so sorry for your loss. I recently lost a beloved pet and know how you feel.
Pet Insurance. Well here’s our family’s experience. My daughter has 2 bunnies and 2 cats. She had insurance on all 4 until she realized that the coverage that she really needed which was for routine care is not covered until you are paying the maximum premium and that was proving to not be cost efficient. Jessica Bunny needed surgery for an impacted tooth and she ended up paying nearly $2k even with the insurance. Her vet agreed to work with her on a payment schedule which works out fine for her and he’s discounted her rate a bit because she has 4 pets in his office.
So when you figure the monthly premiums on top of the expenses, because they don’t pay 100%, you have to consider your income level.
My suggestion in general is to spend as much time at home with your puppy before you introduce him to the “rest of the world”. Learn his little peccadilloes so that you can head off other potential hazards in the future.