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  #1  
Old September 17th, 2009, 12:47 PM
jazzy jazzy is offline
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Pet insurance

I honestly had never heard of it until about a week ago. Growing up I lived out on a farm where animals (sad to say) were replacable. Smokey died? Grab a new one out of the field. Lucky had to be put down? Get another from the shelter.

Now I have my babe who means the world to me. I don't take his life lightly.

Do you have pet insurance? Why or why not? How much do you pay? Where through? Any comments, discussions?
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  #2  
Old September 17th, 2009, 01:34 PM
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doggy lover doggy lover is offline
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Tucker has insurance through Vetinsurance (www.vetinsurance.com) I pay $50 per month I put a claim in the other day for ear drops and received a reply by email saying he was covered the same day and then the cheque will be in with in a few days. Tucker has not been a sick dog so only the odd claim for antibiotics, ear or eye drops. But they are fast with their claim, check out their website for more info.
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Old September 17th, 2009, 01:54 PM
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Macomom Macomom is offline
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I have pet insurance on my two large breed dogs as well.
I saw too many friends dogs go through EXPENSIVE hip and knee surgeries as well as a cat who was diabetic and on insulin for years.
My thoughts are: how committed am I to long term pet care? If something happens, how can I afford it, and for how long?
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Old September 17th, 2009, 04:18 PM
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chico2 chico2 is offline
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I take my chances with my 3 cats,it would be too expensive with all of them.
The Insurance I looked in to does not cover regular maintenance like teeth-cleaning etc...and one of mine have a pre-exsisting condition,not covered.
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Old September 17th, 2009, 04:35 PM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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There's a great site here that compares the different policies and has customer reviews: http://www.petinsurancereview.com/

You definitely want to read the small print. As chico2 pointed out, pre-existing conditions aren't covered, and some insurance companies try to find a way to link every other ailment back to that pre-existing condition so that those aren't covered either. But there are some good policies out there, and if I were to get a new pet some day, it would be something I'd seriously consider (after having spent 10s of thousands of dollars over the years on 2 cats ).
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Old September 17th, 2009, 05:19 PM
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mafiaprincess mafiaprincess is offline
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Some companies won't cover some problems with some breeds.. Like won't touch anything that could relate to hip dysplasia on all GSDs, etc.

Pet insurance companies exist to make money, not to help the consumer out. I've known more than one person who has had coverage for a good amount of time, put in claims and had the company pay out way less than what the policy should have, or not at all.

You still need the cash on hand in most cases to pay the vet, and only then do you get reimbursed so you are at their mercy. Fighting them never seems to go well.

I prefer savings accounts. Putting in so much monthly for the sole use of non-regular vet bills.
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  #7  
Old September 17th, 2009, 09:45 PM
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i agree with mafiaprincess! i had taken out insurance on kiila when she was a baby, only to find out it was a very poor insurance - failed to read the small print, just listened to the advice of a vet. it did not cover regular vet visits - vaccinations, check ups, etc, it did not cover a great deal of common illnesses....it seemed to cover merely accidents (ie/ if she were hit by a car, etc). once i became wise to what it did not cover, i canceled it and merely keep a savings account on hand for any vet visits.
i do not recall what the monthly premium was or what the company was called as it was about 10yrs ago now...
whatever you decide, definitely do your research
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  #8  
Old September 17th, 2009, 09:55 PM
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Frenchy Frenchy is offline
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I also totally agree with Mafiaprincess , what if you pay monthly for like .... 5 years. Then you get to a vet , get this super high $$$$ bill and insurance won't cover it for whatever reason ....

I think if you can afford insurance , you're better off putting that money into a saving's account. It will be there if needed. and if you don't ever need it , the money goes back to you.
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  #9  
Old September 18th, 2009, 07:31 AM
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I too agree.
I know of one instance where a cat needed extensive dental-work,the insurance covered only a smidgen of the cost,saying the cats teeth and gums were bad because of neglect.
If the Insurance company can find a way out of paying,they will,the same as any other Insurance-company.
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Old September 18th, 2009, 09:27 AM
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I used to be a big fan of insurance, until:

a) I did the math, and with five healthy pets it was NOT saving me any money in the long run, on average.
b) I was submitting frequent, large claims for Jaida (the only one who really merited being on insurance), and the insurance company kept increasing my monthly fees and claim co-pay as a result. Suddenly it wasn't even worth it for her. Now we just plan for x$/year in "emergency" money, put it aside, and manage emergencies when we have it.
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