Donnalee Posted January 24, 2006 Share Posted January 24, 2006 Hi I'm considering getting pet insurance for my pup and am undecided on wether it is worthwhile or not? Would love to get some advice and feedback on this? Can anyone reccomend a pet insurance company? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gone Grey Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Hmmm, can't give any advice but I'd be interested in the answer to this one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaywoman68 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Try doing a search. I considered getting pet insurance myself after I had to pay a hefty bill for my girl (she had an abscess). I decided not to get insurance in the end. Most people say they put away a little bit of money each week/month into a separate account (the doggie expenses account) and that goes towards anything the doggie/s may need in times of emergency (injuries, short of cash etc). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 We looked into it after we spent huge amounts of money on surgeries for our pup. RSPCA have a link on their main web page about it and who does it, costs etc. I do know that your dog has to have no preexisting health issues etc etc - but the RSPCA website will tell you all about it. Its a good idea if you have the spare cash - or even just open a separate bank account and put a little away when you have it - thats what we are going to do from now on!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnalee Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 I actually was veterinary nurse for some time and we would often get reps in that would offer the clinic insentives for promoting their particular insurance so althhough i have reccomended insurance companies in the past (about 4 years ago so really can't remember which ones they were) It was for the wrong reasons. There's alot of things they don't cover genetic/congenital problems which is understandable i guess, but after reading through several information brochures i felt more confused because they all seem very similar. So if somebody has one they use and have been pleased with i would lean towards that. They seem to average in cost at about $400 + pa so if i didn't use it in the first 5 years i would have wasted $2000.00... difficult decision.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnalee Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 Thanks malleer Posted my message before i read yours I will give the RSPCA a call and see if they can offer any advice. I do have a savings account which i would dip into if the need arose but still though insurance might be a better option.. Thanks for advice everyone :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malleerr Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 (edited) They seem to average in cost at about $400 + pa so if i didn't use it in the first 5 years i would have wasted $2000.00... Thats why we are thinking of just opening a seperate account. As then its not really wasted money. But then again i suppose if its a reallly big op or something like that insurance would be a good thing... you are right it is a hard one!! Edited January 25, 2006 by malleerr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnalee Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 I think i'm leaning towards the same thing now .. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BasTyra Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Does a spinal injury that has pretty much healed count as a pre-existing health issue? Say Griever ends up recovering from his injury 100%, would I be able to get insurance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curlyking Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 We offer a free 6 week insurance plan with our pups. This covers them for the first 6 weeks they are in their own ome. The company then contacts the buyer to see if they will purchase a policy. In the case of our last litter there were 8 pups. 1 new owner opted not to take up the free policy each of the others did not take up the full policy but were not hassled by the company. As for myself with 4 dogs the cost would be far too prohibitive to make it worth while and I am in the fortunate position to be financially secure enough to afford any emergencies that come along. www.petplan.com.au I think in the Uk pet insurance is a big thing but in Australia I'm not too sure it is. You also need to check the age of the dog the policy will cover. Some stop at 8 or 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Hi Donnalee, They seem to average in cost at about $400 + pa so if i didn't use it in the first 5 years i would have wasted $2000.00... But then what if you have had to fork out $3000 for just 1 operation like I did ? On top of that there was ongoing physio and follow up x-rays, all up at least $4000. It is so easy for a pup to break a bone which can lead to further problems with development. I so wish I had taken out pet insurance for my boy, he did his leg at just 5 mths old. Cheers, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimjm Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 There is a new plan out and for the life of me i cannt remember the name(will check it out if you like) I have contact daily with people that have spent thousands of dollars on surgery for there dogs but not many have insurance and most of them wish they did. This new plan has a range of things they cover for including most if not all surgerys they do not exclude certain breeds for certain procedures (e.g rotties with hip and elbow probs)will cover rehab costs, will cover a certain amount if you were planning to travel and have to cancel due to dogs illness or injury. I will certainly be looking into this when i get my new rottie baby. Learnt the hard way when Khesah got sick and had to scrape up money for vet bills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hazz Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Some people do some people dont - if your interested in a particular insurance company read thoughly on what it excluded. Many people open a new bank account for their dogs and put in a weekly deposit - this seems like a good option too, nothing's excluded though there is a risk of not having much $ when first starting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnalee Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 CurlyKing - My vet offered the same 6 week pet insurance when i got my pup's second vacc which we did take up and was part of the reason i wanted to compare it to others. If you think PetPlan insurance is a good policy i will def take that into account when choosing. Bastyra - from my experience with pet insurnace companies, even though Griever may recover 100% from his spinal injury i would be inclined to say this does count as a pre-exsisting injury and they would not cover him.. Thanks again everyone for your advice - I have loooked up and contacted several pet insurance companies (including chatting to RSPCA and several friends who are vets) and will let yu know when i have made a decision and why. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydlaw Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I didn't do much research but i decided against it. From what i've read most insurance companies would only remimburse you after payment has been made to the vet. i figured if i was going to have to pay anyway, why would i bother with insurance. it would only be good if my dog ended up getting hit by a car or jumped out of the windo or something. my dog will primarily be an inside dog and will be leashed when outside unless in a gated area. Its not good for pre existing conditions, so i figured why bother. I'll keep my eye on this thread and if someone posts otherwise, i will consider it again but i doubt it. i may as well just save up myself rather then have someone save it for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Hi Jaydlaw, From what i've read most insurance companies would only remimburse you after payment has been made to the vet. i figured if i was going to have to pay anyway, why would i bother with insurance. I'm sorry but your post has left me rather :D ;). Yes you might have to pay the vet first but the insurance company would reimburse some of the costs, that's the whole point of insurance. Cheers, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fido666 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Hi Jaydlaw, From what i've read most insurance companies would only remimburse you after payment has been made to the vet. i figured if i was going to have to pay anyway, why would i bother with insurance. I'm sorry but your post has left me rather :D ;). Yes you might have to pay the vet first but the insurance company would reimburse some of the costs, that's the whole point of insurance. Cheers, Corine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirra_Bomber_Zeus Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 I thought about pet insurance when we got Kirra - but did some research and decided against it. In all the policies I researched there were so many exclusions (based on pre-existing conditions, 'breed specific' likely conditions etc) Basically, I figured that it would be good in case of an accident, but not much else. Also, now I couldnt get it anyway as I dont vaccinate my dogs. Must say I found it very interesting that all the policies I researched wouldnt cover you if you didnt vaccinate every year (even if the claim was not related to disease) BUT also wouldnt cover you for any injury / illness caused by a vaccine reaction! I put money away each week for Kirra - there has been several times we have had to add substantial amounts to this little kitty and we have spent thousands - but none of the things we have had to pay for would have been covered under insurance. Jen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now