Pet Insurance: The General Consensus

[Guest Labradork]

Hi all,

Need your opinions, experiences and advice! Sorry to cover old ground. I know that Pet Insurance has been discussed previously, and have been reading up on prior threads about people's experiences. However, had a few questions of my own I wanted to ask, as well as to explain my own situation.

I have 2 purebred male Labradors (one is 2 years, the other 6 months), both whom seem to possess some kind of masochistic tendencies, in that they insist on swallowing objects which aren't meant to pass through a canine digestive system. Both boys have visited the 24hr Emergency Centre before, for fear of having a foreign object stuck in their bowels (both were fine, but we ended up losing about $1K each time!!). Our main health concerns for them besides this, would just be the general stuff- dysplasia, cancer, cruciates etc. No major pre-existing conditions: one had the demodex mite at one stage and encounters a few skin allergies, the other has had an ear infection. That's it.

I'm sitting on the fence when it comes to Pet Insurance. I want nothing but the best for our dogs, but by the same token, I don't want to fork out for some policy with a bunch of holes in it such as not covering certain conditions after a certain point etc. In my experience, old age is when the Vet bills really start to soar, so it would make no sense to pay $x per month for years, just to be shafted when it really counts! In addition, it's really only the Vet bills that count for us. I notice that most insurance policies cover things like "advertising for your lost dog" and "refund your original purchase price if your dog is hit by a car". These sorts of extras just aren't relevant to us for various reasons.

Obviously, the most important factor when choosing an insurer has got to be its' provision of a policy with the most inclusions. However, I also think it's very important to invest with a company that is easy to deal with. The last thing you want when your dog is sick and you have a bill for $xx,xxx, is an insurer that stuffs you around. I'm also concerned about how insurers classify certain conditions (that is, if they put certain conditions under the same umbrella so you are restricted in how much you claim), and I'm wary of skyrocketing premiums following claims.

Overall, is Pet Insurance worth it? And if so, who do you recommend as a provider?

(Please feel free to link me to a previous post of yours/someone elses, if you feel this answers my question!)

Thanks so much in advance!!

[Steve]

I think so at least for a period of time.

I send all of my puppies home with a free insurance policy which lasts for 6 weeks

and I recommend that my puppy buyers take out the insurance at least for the first year - simply because its around about $130 a year and if anything goes wrong it costs a lot more money than that. Ive had puppy buyers who have come back over the years where their puppies [ in the first year] have died from ticks, death adders, broken neck from being hit with Dads gold club while he was practicing, got sick after pinching the christmas ham,run over, drowned in the swimming pool and died from eating snail bait.

The first year is when its high risk for accidents, vaccine reactions, its the period when potentially long term health issues will first show up.

Then you can reassess and decide whether you should take out another year or instead of paying money to the insurance company have a credit card or bank account set up which will cover it if anything goes wrong.

[SmoothieGirl]

My dog, puppy and cat are all insured on a budget plan. The company seem ok service wise, although I hear they had some initial teething problems, but I have never experienced this. My dog has skin conditions excluded because she started to experience them (badly) before I insured her, other than that I they provide pretty good coverage.

I'm on the budget plan as its fairly broad coverage as it is and if anything costs more than that I can afford it, but they do have plans that cover more costs if you would prefer to spread your risk.

Well worth doing, when Bronte came down with KC she also suffered mild peumonia and her breathing rate and temp were both elevated. I took her straight to the emergency vet at 1am and she spent the night in there under observation receiving treatment.

I personally like the public liability coverage too.

Edit - Just to add - Steve makes a very very good point - insure in the first year and as soon as you can. If I had insured Bronte when she first came home she would have been covered for her skin condition. Unfortunately I didn't, then the skin condition reared its ugly head and I insured her probably at about age 1. Consequently I have spent thouands on her treatment and will have to continue to spend about a $1k a year just on her maintenance drugs. Now I'm lucky I have a great job, but still if I had of insured earlier I could also have gone on holiday a couple of times over. Oh yeah and she had complications from her desexing too - that also cost a bit. If only, if only, if only....don't be the one to be saying 'if only'.

Edited February 25, 2011 by SmoothieGirl

[smooch]

To me pet insurance is well and truly worth it. A month after getting the insurance Smooch suffered a spinal stroke (can't remember the teck term) which cost me about $8000 in treatment. I am with Insuranceline, my monthly plan is $47per month but the way I look at it is that my first claim has already paid this for a few years. I have has several smaller claims as well and they have always been paid promptly.

[lucknow]

Pet insurance has been a winner for me. 9 months of premiums, over $6000 in veterinary costs, I like the maths.

In relation to coverage for older dogs, I am with Pet Insurance Australia and they will renew the policy each year, but will not approve new policies for dogs over a certain age. I think most companies have similiar rules.

[bedazzledx2]

I am currently researching pet insurance. So far I have Medicare Private (discount for existing members) Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance and Pet Insurance Australia. Any comments from anyone who uses any of these? Silver cover seems to be consistant at around $29 per month.

[Adnil444]

Hi, I agree, it is well worth it, but do your research. I'm with Bow Wow Meow and have found them to be good (as far as insurance policies go!!). They also got the 2009 Choice Magazine award for pet insurance. I have 2 dogs covered and I pay $58.25/month which covers accidents, illnesses, ticks etc etc. It doesn't cover pre-existing conditons, but thankfully both of mine don't have anything that is pre-existing. Good luck.

[aussielover]

Some insurers are very fussy and make their clients jump thru hoops to get money back. You may not get cover for any skin conditions as they have already had some allergy issues and some insurers will see this as a pre existing condition.

Insurance is best done as soon as you get the pup, to be able to get the most out of it, but you may still get some value if you get it now, especially if you're only after emergency coverage.

In my experience working at a vet clinic, the RSCPA are actually the best to deal with and seem the most reasonable.

[Aidan3]

9 months of premiums, over $6000 in veterinary costs, I like the maths.

Here's hoping your dog doesn't have $6000 worth of veterinary costs every nine months though!

One of my dogs has incurred more costs than premiums over the last 9 years. Between both my dogs I'm well in front by self-insuring. That would be a difficult strategy for many, though.

[Danois]

I have a RSPCA policy (which is just one of the retail fronts for PIA which is underwritten by Hollard who underwrites the majority of pet insurance in Australia).

I have found them super easy to deal with - never had an issue with a claim not being paid or even had one questioned and I claimed around $6,500 over 2 years from them.

It pays 80% of the claim and I feel this is better than a $100 excess per claim (except where you've already paid the excess for that condition) as the majority of vet bills are under $100.

I pay $56 a month but that is for a giant breed. Previously they did not load premiums for different breeds but now they do as if he was a beagle it would be $47 (for accident and illness cover).

[poochiemama]

I think pet insurance is an absolutely must, especially with labs!!

My labrador, when he was 1 year old, swallowed a massive chunk of bone and had bowel obstruction ; he was extremely ill, to the point the surgeon was kinda preparing us for the worst. He pulled through thank god, but we had to suddenly come up with $5000 as we had no pet insurance.

We learnt our lesson and soon after signed up with Bow Wow Meow.

He was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia and he had TPO surgery for that which I think cost $5500 in total - to our enormous relief Bow Wow Meow reimbursed us the full amount; they were prompt and no questions were asked, so we were very happy with them.

There are certain small things they don't cover eg they didn't cover the physio costs for Charlie after his surgery and I don't think they cover routine vaccinations but we didn't care because they covered the big ticket item.

I think labs are particularly liable to have injury because they are kind of clumsy (as much as I love them) and they put anything in their mouths . Also they are prone to hip dysplasia so if your labs' hips haven't been checked, it might be worthwhile getting the insurance before you have them checked (so they don't count it as a 'pre-existing' condition) because they may or may not need some form of surgery on their hips at some point.

[poochiemama]

I think pet insurance is an absolutely must, especially with labs!!

My labrador, when he was 1 year old, swallowed a massive chunk of bone and had bowel obstruction ; he was extremely ill, to the point the surgeon was kinda preparing us for the worst. He pulled through thank god, but we had to suddenly come up with $5000 as we had no pet insurance.

We learnt our lesson and soon after signed up with Bow Wow Meow.

He was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia and he had TPO surgery for that which I think cost $5500 in total - to our enormous relief Bow Wow Meow reimbursed us the full amount; they were prompt and no questions were asked, so we were very happy with them.

There are certain small things they don't cover eg they didn't cover the physio costs for Charlie after his surgery and I don't think they cover routine vaccinations but we didn't care because they covered the big ticket item.

I think labs are particularly liable to have injury because they are kind of clumsy (as much as I love them) and they put anything in their mouths . Also they are prone to hip dysplasia so if your labs' hips haven't been checked, it might be worthwhile getting the insurance before you have them checked (so they don't count it as a 'pre-existing' condition) because they may or may not need some form of surgery on their hips at some point.

[jrm88]

I think it is essential, but being a vet nurse I probably see more health issues than others and also see the bills that go along with it.

My plan is with PIA and I have a $500 excess as working at a vets I can afford small things, it is the big bills that I worry about. I think I pay $32 a month.

[teekay]

My dog, puppy and cat are all insured on a budget plan. The company seem ok service wise, although I hear they had some initial teething problems, but I have never experienced this. My dog has skin conditions excluded because she started to experience them (badly) before I insured her, other than that I they provide pretty good coverage.

I'm on the budget plan as its fairly broad coverage as it is and if anything costs more than that I can afford it, but they do have plans that cover more costs if you would prefer to spread your risk.

Well worth doing, when Bronte came down with KC she also suffered mild peumonia and her breathing rate and temp were both elevated. I took her straight to the emergency vet at 1am and she spent the night in there under observation receiving treatment.

I personally like the public liability coverage too.

Edit - Just to add - Steve makes a very very good point - insure in the first year and as soon as you can. If I had insured Bronte when she first came home she would have been covered for her skin condition. Unfortunately I didn't, then the skin condition reared its ugly head and I insured her probably at about age 1. Consequently I have spent thouands on her treatment and will have to continue to spend about a $1k a year just on her maintenance drugs. Now I'm lucky I have a great job, but still if I had of insured earlier I could also have gone on holiday a couple of times over. Oh yeah and she had complications from her desexing too - that also cost a bit. If only, if only, if only....don't be the one to be saying 'if only'.

Just wanted to point out that most pet insurance would not cover these after the first year anyway. I have my two insured with Pet Plan as (at the time - don't know if it's different now) they were the only company who covered ongoing conditions for life. Most will only cover for the first year up to your limit, then the following year will not continue cover. Definitely worth checking the small print for that one.

I made various claims with Petplan a couple of years ago when my labrador sadly became ill, aged 5, and died. They were not exactly prompt with payments but ultimately they did pay up all my claims without any real trouble

[Guest Labradork]

Thanks everyone - some really great advice I think the verdict is unanimous in that Pet Insurance is a worthwhile investment, as soon as possible.

I'm still undecided as to who to go with, although I am drawn to Pet Plan considering the point about them covering ongoing conditions for life. Otherwise, Bow Wow Meow, PIA and RSPCA sound like pretty good choices too.

Just in response to a few points...

I personally like the public liability coverage too.

I didn't realise that Public Liability was an add on to Pet Insurance - this worries me because I have separate Public Liability for my work, and often if you have two policies for the same thing, with separate companies obviously, then both will refuse to pay! I will have to research this one!!

It pays 80% of the claim and I feel this is better than a $100 excess per claim (except where you've already paid the excess for that condition) as the majority of vet bills are under $100.

I'm torn on this one Danois. On one hand I really like the idea of an 80% payout with no excess, because you're often having multiple consultations to manage a condition. Also, these "minor" Vet visits are (fingers crossed) a lot more frequent than the very expensive/major ones. That said, if your dog ends up needing a hip replacement for $10K for example, 80% will still leave you a hefty $2K to make up. While all the minor Vet visits might add up over time, it's these big whopping fees in one hit which scare me...

He was recently diagnosed with hip dysplasia and he had TPO surgery for that which I think cost $5500 in total - to our enormous relief Bow Wow Meow reimbursed us the full amount; they were prompt and no questions were asked, so we were very happy with them.

It really sounds as though Bow Wow Meow have been good to you Poochiemama; and I loved your comment about the clumsy Labs. So true!

Just wanted to point out that most pet insurance would not cover these after the first year anyway. I have my two insured with Pet Plan as (at the time - don't know if it's different now) they were the only company who covered ongoing conditions for life. Most will only cover for the first year up to your limit, then the following year will not continue cover. Definitely worth checking the small print for that one.

I made various claims with Petplan a couple of years ago when my labrador sadly became ill, aged 5, and died. They were not exactly prompt with payments but ultimately they did pay up all my claims without any real trouble

Teekay- this is such an important point, and one of the main things I've been concerned about. All's good and well to receive help for the first year, but what about after that?? I have been considering Pet Plan for this reason also, but I'm a bit turned off by hearing that they're a bit slack with claims.

[Guest Labradork]

Just as a follow up comment, having the general reviews for Pet Plan on the internet really aren't great........

[KJ]

I have Henrietta (a nearly 3year old lab)insured with PetPlan. Have never had any problems with any claims, my last claims were paid within a week. I have claimed probably around $18,000 since insuring Henrietta at 12 weeks of age. I pay $100 excess per year per condition and conditions are covered for life. Henrietta has multiple joint issues and all her pain meds and monthly cartrophen shots are covered. I would highly recomend PetPlan to anyone

[FionaC]

Both mine are insured with PetPlan - Morty we've never had to claim anything on (touch wood) but Archie has had several claims to the tune of $5000+ paid out quickly and with no dramas what so ever

Is it worth it - definitely for us

[lucknow]

Just wanted to point out that most pet insurance would not cover these after the first year anyway. I have my two insured with Pet Plan as (at the time - don't know if it's different now) they were the only company who covered ongoing conditions for life. Most will only cover for the first year up to your limit, then the following year will not continue cover. Definitely worth checking the small print for that one.

I made various claims with Petplan a couple of years ago when my labrador sadly became ill, aged 5, and died. They were not exactly prompt with payments but ultimately they did pay up all my claims without any real trouble

Teekay- this is such an important point, and one of the main things I've been concerned about. All's good and well to receive help for the first year, but what about after that?? I have been considering Pet Plan for this reason also, but I'm a bit turned off by hearing that they're a bit slack with claims.

It is worth looking again the policy fineprint, the companies I researched all sounded pretty similiar (in fact their websites all looked pretty darn similiar too, I think they all own a peice of each other lol).

PIA has the following statement :

The maximum We will pay for a single Condition, a Recurring Condition

or a Chronic Condition suffered by Your Pet is the maximum amount

that was current in the Policy Period when the Condition first manifested.

Once this maximum amount has been paid, We will not pay for any

further Treatment of that Condition during the remainder of the Policy

Period or any future Policy Period.

My maximum amount is $15,000 from memory. In theory for a recurring or chronic condition I pay one excess (for that particular condition) per calendar year and insurance will reimburse the rest up to a maximum of my policy limit. There is no time limit as such.

Now just hoping my doofus boy doesnt develop one really nasty immune problem or something!

[Guest Labradork]

I think the issue with "product reviews" is that no one ever thinks of writing them until something bad happens!

I've just done a lot of reading on a product review website and it seems some of the most common issues are in relation to:

- Misclassification (e.g. classing "accidents" as "illnesses" based on technicalities)

- Annual premium increases (even without claiming)

- Exclusions on bilateral conditions (e.g. if dog does a cruciate on his left leg, the right automatically won't be covered)

- Adjustments to the level of cover, without notification (e.g. decrease from 80% to 60% with age)

- Maximum payment limits for ongoing/recurrent conditions (not just a maximum within a year, but within that pet's lifetime)

- Ceasing cover for certain conditions after a certain age

- Requiring the pet owner to pay for treatment upfront, then waiting for reimbursement

- Having to provide very extensive Vet histories

- Paying excesses per claim rather than per condition

- Claim processing times

- Difficulty contacting insurers

- Allergies being classed as pre-existing skin conditions

I also read one review where the owner said the Insurance Company continued to debit their account monthly, after their pet had died!

At the end of the day, I suppose they're all Insurance companies... they're in business to make money, not just to get that warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

I've decided I might type up a generic email asking a few pertinent questions, and send it across to a bunch of companies... then see what the response is. If nothing else, it will give a good indication of which companies have good response rates and are more pleasant to deal with. Based on what I've read here, I'm leaning towards RSPCA, though if I were to ignore all of the reviews I've read, I'd probably be swaying towards Pet Plan or Medibank Private.