Pet insurance - experiences, recommendations?

[CJ2008]

Anybody have pet insurance? I heard about petinsurance.com and been meaning to look more into it.

Anybody here have pet insurance? Does it seem worth it?

 

[Miscka]

I do! I have Embrace pet insurance, and I love them. I have had to use it 3x in the last year. 2x for eye surgeries, and once for an emergency xray due to illness.

They are completely responsive and awesome. The coverage is exactly what they say it is, and they reimburse quickly. They haven''t ever tried to deny anything, and their employees are friendly and pleasant. One even called me at like 9pm one night because the check they sent me got returned, and she was worried and wanted to double-check my address so that it could get to me.

Anyway, that is my experience, hope it helps!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

I think petinsurance.com was the one I looked into a few years back, and a close examination of the math made it a terrible deal. Perhaps they''ve increased their benefits since then though?

 

[Miscka]

I wanted to add that I think my policy is 24/month for my chihuahua (got it as soon as I got him, when he was 12 weeks old), and I have been reimbursed I think over $1000. Not sure if I will always carry it, but for now I will keep it.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

D and I talked about getting pet insurance when we got our first dog 5 years ago. There was only one company (VPI) that covered pre-existing conditions (we have newfies, so my main concern was his joints) and that was around $90/month at the time, so we would have paid over $5k by now if rates never went up. Our annual vet expenses average around $500 with the exception of one year when it was $1K due to a surgery, so we''ve saved around $2K by not having insurance. Plus we have the money set aside in an interest-earning account, so that is a factor. When we got our second dog this year, we didn''t really consider insurance again. That being said, one torn cruciate or a bad hip due to dysplasia could easily cost $5k alone to treat, so there is always a risk.

 

[Allison D.]

Date: 8/28/2009 1:58:09 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis
I think petinsurance.com was the one I looked into a few years back, and a close examination of the math made it a terrible deal. Perhaps they''ve increased their benefits since then though?

I had found the same thing when I looked into it a few years ago. We can swing the little things and the occasional unexpected bill, so I was looking at insurance as a possible way to mitigate what we''d have to pay for a significant event.

When I looked at the caps and the exclusions and considered what we''d have to pay over and above coverage caps on the big things, it wasn''t really a good deal for us. The insurance didn''t pick up enough of the cost to make it worthwhile.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

DH and I are looking into this right now, with the impending arrival of our new puppy!

From our research, it looks like Trupanion is the best. It reimburses 90% of your vet bill, and it DOES cover hereditary/congenital problems (which many others don''t). Also, your premium does not increase as your pet ages. If you''re paying $40 per month when he''s 12 weeks, you''ll still be paying $40 per month when he''s 12 years! This is a great feature that most other pet insurance companies don''t seem to have.

 

[CJ2008]

Thanks for all your feedback!

It looks like it''s a good idea in some situations...I just have to do the math and see...

I had never heard of Trupanion, so I''ll check that out. And congrats on your new furbaby, Irishgrrrl!

 

[Lorelei]

I do have it and like the reassurance it provides.

 

[Thomperchik]

I have the Bandfield insurance from Petsmart and I have to say that it''s perhaps the worst investment of my life. I pay $28 a month and somehow I''ve had to pay so much more for any additional accident Leo has had. Poor little guy got sick with kidney stones and a UTI about two weeks ago. In top of the $28 a month that I pay, and the $50 deposit that I put in, I still ended up paying $500 for everything else he needed. At the end of th year, if he doesn''t get sick, I have paid just about $1k. Not sure if that''s a good deal, or if I''m saving anything. Once it runs out, I will shop around for better insurance. Hope my answer helps!