CharlieandGus

Thanks for this info - I wanted to ask a question as Im thinking of getting a Chow - so cute and such unusual tempraments! However we have kids coming in the next two years ... are they okay with 'new arrivals..?'

I think that is riduculous some pet insurance premiums have gone up by double ... how that can be justified I do not know. I have two dogs - a golden retriever and a staffy and went with 1300insurance.com.au for both because I got a discount for insuring both at the same time. While I see there is merit keeping money aside yourself, I just dont have the discipline to do it and this was easy to sign up online! I compared with Medibank Private pet insurance and Pet Insurance Australia and 1300 Insurance offered a better deal on my needs. I have only very clumsy dog and one very street smart dog so this was the most sensible way for me to do it!

This is very unfortunate and I agree that $800 seems a little excessive for hot spots! Some dogs are more prone to them than others and getting rid of them is a pain. I am with 1300 Insurance and they have been fantastic so far. I had to put a claim in for my Golden Retriever who needed an operation on his hip, and that made me pretty happy (and my pocket happy too!) that I had pet insurance

It may end up being worth it - we had the examination tacked onto a regular visit with our Vet ;)

Speaking generally - Golden retrievers are great dogs and lots of fun to be around. From my experience (2) they are gentle, loyal and want to be one of the family. We had a female and she was quite anxious but very intelligent, and a male who we still have. I think they prefer others of the same breed for company but get along okay with other dogs. Our female had a couple of health problems (hips) and it was at this point we were glad we had pet insurance, as golden retrievers can be quite costly animals! Very rewarding though.