Billy and I are considering getting pet insurance for our new pup, Fritz. We’ve heard about Petplan.com and Healthypawspetinsurance.com, but our vet says he doesn’t necessarily recommend pet insurance. What are your thoughts? Thanks in advance!
My OPINION is pet insurance is just like an extra warranty for a car get it and you won’t use/need it don’t and your left wishing you did. We are in the wishing we did category.
I think the best $$ you could spend now is to buy the book:
“How afford veterinary care without mortgaging your kids”.
It is a common sense summary of what you need to consider to keep a pet healthy and it describes many common things that you can avoid that are not necessary(such as insurance). Bigsby is the author and he is an old school, common sense type guy with a lot of experience. You can find it on Amazon.
We have a policy for Floyd with VPI. Most years, we about break even (i.e. get reimbursed for about the amount of our premiums). We carry it for for the big things, though. Cancer, surgeries, etc are thousands of dollars. It’s easy to say you’d never spend $4K on a surgery for your dog till your dog is dying in your arms…then, money is no object.
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We have a policy for Floyd with VPI. Most years, we about break even (i.e. get reimbursed for about the amount of our premiums). We carry it for for the big things, though. Cancer, surgeries, etc are thousands of dollars. It’s easy to say you’d never spend $4K on a surgery for your dog till your dog is dying in your arms…then, money is no object.
Been there. It sucks. It hurt more than I thought it would. Long story short……., to each their own.
There are a lot of ways to cut vet bills and have healthy, long lived pets without sacrificing their well being at all. I highly suggest reading the book. It will pay for itself($20) on your first annual visit. Seriously, get it read it.
IMO it’s like any warranty and you are further ahead banking the premiums for a rainy day. The amount that I would spend on my dogs would depend on their age and how many more years of hunting I will get out of them vs. just getting another dog, they are dogs not people.
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IMO it’s like any warranty and you are further ahead banking the premiums for a rainy day. The amount that I would spend on my dogs would depend on their age and how many more years of hunting I will get out of them vs. just getting another dog, they are dogs not people.
You’re a stronger man than me. I will take most dogs over many people. A dog’s unconditional love has no bounds.
It’s a very personal decision. Take into account the propensity for expensive problems (it can be very breed specific), the types of activities your dog will do, your financial situation, and your willingness to put money into a dog versus getting a new dog. In the end, it’s your money, so do with it what you will.
Possibly helpful for orthopedic injuries such as a broken leg, however treating cancer cancer? If my dog had cancer I would aid in allowing it to pass peacefully. I couldn’t imagine treating cancer in a dog is ever a really good option.
I am sure posting this the contrarian will have some story about a miraculous treatment and cure…. certainly would be the rare exception.
I know this is an old thread but have the same question for a lab. I got my last lab when I was much younger and wasn’t nearly as expensive as the new one. Honestly dont even think I knew about pet insurance at the time… She also just never seemed to be at the vet.
Anyways. New dog coming. Any new recommendations on this subject? Seems like its almost a chevy/ford debate…..
I’ve long been an advocate of insurance, but I’ve recently been toying with dropping our policy (Healthy Paws) as the premiums just keep going up, and coverage isn’t what it used to be.
Man, this is an old thread. Kind of eerie that about a month after these original posts, Floyd, our great dane, was diagnosed with bone cancer. He made it till July 2014. RIP to one of the greatest!
That VPI policy we had for him was really good, but nothing I have seen recently is anywhere near that good.
We offer pet insurance thru Trupanion, and it’s worth a quote at least. IMO based off some of the quotes I see just on the financial side, you are probably better off just setting whatever you were quoted aside, but there is something to be said about the peace of mind of having it. And if something happens early on, you will come out ahead financially.
Call me cold, but I’m not going to take out insurance on a dog. Partly because dog owners should have money set aside for expenses associated with owning a dog, and partly because they are an animal. Any dog we get in the future will be a rescue special, and nothing more.
The insurance piece that’s rarely talked about with dogs is your policy that covers liabilities associated with a dog. We have an umbrella policy for that specifically includes issues related to pets/dogs like bites, harming other pets, being on the road leading to a crash, etc. A local guy’s German Shepherd bit a teenage boy in the leg who was on the dog’s/family’s property without permission riding dirt bike. It was a loud 2 stroke bike riding laps around the guys driveway and shed near the dog. The dog bit the kid’s leg and he needed quite a few stitches. The dog owner told me he was still fighting it in court as of this fall and couldn’t get the the family of the boy to agree to the dog owner paying $12000 in “damages”
Awww look how young my Fritz is! 
An old post indeed!
We had pet insurance for both Fritz and Remi for a number of years. After a while you start adding up the cost of premiums and at some point based on the dogs’ age and activity levels, it might not be as cost-effective. Fritz had the expensive ACL surgery on both knees and when we totaled up costs with and without pet insurance coverage against the premium we paid (factoring in the deductibles and co-pay), we broke even. Not really worth all that paperwork IMO.
I agree with just placing the average premium cost into the bank each month to save up for future vet bills. Most pet insurance companies run on a reimbursement system so you usually still have to pay the full vet bill upfront anyway.
I have a Wellness Plan through Banfield Pet Hospital on my dog. Its sort of like pet insurance, but primarily covers the preventative-type health a dog needs such as vaccines, blood work, fecal analysis (barf), etc. It covers a percentage of accidental problems too. My dog needed surgical staples in her leg from pheasant hunting last fall and it covered about 35% of the 200 dollar bill.
This plan covers a routine comprehensive visit twice a year when they do the work stated above for $30/month which comes out to $420/year. Its $35/month for the first year when they are classified as a puppy, and also covers complimentary spay/neuter within the first year as well. They use laser-guided instruments for their spaying and neutering. No tools whatsoever, so there is no risk for infection. I see the bill every time I bring her in for a health visit, and if I paid out of pocket it would be a lot more, so to me its worth it.
A local guy’s German Shepherd bit a teenage boy in the leg who was on the dog’s/family’s property without permission riding dirt bike. It was a loud 2 stroke bike riding laps around the guys driveway and shed near the dog. The dog bit the kid’s leg and he needed quite a few stitches. The dog owner told me he was still fighting it in court as of this fall and couldn’t get the the family of the boy to agree to the dog owner paying $12000 in “damages”
That’s maddening.
Call me cold, but I’m not going to take out insurance on a dog. Partly because dog owners should have money set aside for expenses associated with owning a dog, and partly because they are an animal. Any dog we get in the future will be a rescue special, and nothing more.
A lot of people consider their dog to be part of the family. I’d rank mine on equal levels as my kid, if not higher. Call me cold, but I prefer dogs over kids any day of the week and that includes my own lol
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
Call me cold, but I’m not going to take out insurance on a dog. Partly because dog owners should have money set aside for expenses associated with owning a dog, and partly because they are an animal. Any dog we get in the future will be a rescue special, and nothing more.A lot of people consider their dog to be part of the family. I’d rank mine on equal levels as my kid, if not higher. Call me cold, but I prefer dogs over kids any day of the week and that includes my own lol
X2!
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
Call me cold, but I’m not going to take out insurance on a dog. Partly because dog owners should have money set aside for expenses associated with owning a dog, and partly because they are an animal. Any dog we get in the future will be a rescue special, and nothing more.A lot of people consider their dog to be part of the family. I’d rank mine on equal levels as my kid, if not higher. Call me cold, but I prefer dogs over kids any day of the week and that includes my own lol
Seriously!
My FD and SNL had pet insurance on their last dog. Just lost her 5 weeks ago. Their dog had many, many health issues. Needed special foods, supplements, medications, etc. I don’t know the cost of the insurance premiums but I know they came out way ahead over what their Vet bill charges. It is not for me. I love our dog but when it comes to putting it down it is because my best friends quality of life is the important thing. It tears your heart apart but it needs to be done. 
Thanks everyone! I searched the site and this was the first thread! Figured someone else had to know the question… such a wealth of knowledge here.
Probably worth a quote but I like the idea of just putting that premium aside.
This new puppy comes with a health guarantee where my last one didn’t have anything like that. She never went to the vet outside normal stuff. So with Murphy’s law… something would happen with the new pup.
Glad we could help answer your questions Beardly! Be sure to post some pictures of your new pup!! There’s a fun thread on here dedicated to our IDO family of dogs and we love to see pictures!
http://www.in-depthoutdoors.com/community/forums/topic/dogs_720326/
It all depends on the level of care that you are willing to pay for and the things that the breed of dog may have a pre-disposition for. One of the hardest things that gets dealt with at a vet clinic is a client who can’t afford the level of care that their pet needs. Nobody wins with that one.
One of the veterinarians at our clinic has Spot pet insurance, which has helped her immensely with her Great Dane pup who has had two different instances of GDV. Even with taking radiographs and doing an exploratory at our clinic, she still wound up bring him to an emergency clinic for overnight care just so she could get some sleep and know that he was getting the best care possible. For her, the health insurance has already paid off even before year 1.
Convinced us to get coverage for our shepherd, at least until we can rule out any need for hip replacement and as a precaution for ACL. As with any insurance, there is a cost-benefit to it on premium vs saving for it.
Small animal clinics are shifting away from providing 24hr emergency services and relying upon dedicated emergency clinics. Cost, employee retention, and hiring are all reasons. Generally a trip to an emergency clinic is at least a $1K bill.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
A local guy’s German Shepherd bit a teenage boy in the leg who was on the dog’s/family’s property without permission riding dirt bike. It was a loud 2 stroke bike riding laps around the guys driveway and shed near the dog. The dog bit the kid’s leg and he needed quite a few stitches. The dog owner told me he was still fighting it in court as of this fall and couldn’t get the the family of the boy to agree to the dog owner paying $12000 in “damages”That’s maddening.
Better yet, the guy actually has an umbrella policy on his property to protect against most random liability issues. Somehow dog bites of humans weren’t included, just bites of other people’s pets.
To repeat, if you have a dog that is outside running around at times…I’d be brushing up on my insurance policy before worrying about insuring the dog itself. If you think a few thousand in vet bills is rough, wait until Fido is by the road and a car goes in the ditch with injuries trying to avoid him…or he nips the wrong kid that is over playing in the yard by accident.
A lot of people consider their dog to be part of the family. I’d rank mine on equal levels as my kid, if not higher. Call me cold, but I prefer dogs over kids any day of the week and that includes my own lol
Thats f-ed up. Glad you werent my dad.
Thats f-ed up. Glad you werent my dad.
EPG and Chuck agree with me, even if you don’t.
I simply prefer dogs over kids. Actually I prefer dogs over people in general.
I treat my dog like its my own kid. To add to the topic I got pet insurance on my Golden through Pets Best. The breeder said to keep it till the dog gets to be about 5 years old. I hunt with her so I’m glad I have it incase of accidents out in the field. Also don’t think a kid has a nose like she does for pheasants haha.
Get a PetsBest accident plan. Dirt cheap around $11 per month and covers accidents or catastrophic events. Didn’t have it when my boxer broke his leg for a $4500 bill (ouch). Then I got it and it has paid for itself 4x over on other surgeries/injuries for my dogs. If you have a hunting dog you’d be a fool not to get a cheap accident plan. Even if it doesn’t hunt I think for $120 a year it’s cheap insurance.
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