# Pet Insurance?



## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

I'm thinking about getting this.

How much do you guys pay each month, those of you who have it? Deductibles, premiums, etc, that sort of thing?

Who do you get it from?

I know so little about insurance. I had a horrible time trying to pick my own and that was just my employer showing me a sheet and having me pick between three plans. Now I've actually got to look at different providers and stuff. I don't know what to look for, I don't want to get scammed or anything.

Samson's only problems in the past health-wise have just been a couple UTI's and an ear infection. Nothing else.

I need a plan that would cover end-of-life care, that's mostly what I'm worried about. I would not be able to forgive myself if I had to put him down because I could not afford chemo treatments or some other expensive thing like that.


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## dogluver (Apr 28, 2011)

I also need help with this


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## GSD84 (Apr 27, 2011)

Was also wondering about this. Anyone in Canada (Ontario) know about this? and if it's even worth it?


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## jdh520 (Jun 4, 2011)

I just did a little research b/c I am also interested and I have been studying for my Life and Acc/ Health exam I have in the morning so this interested me. I just googled pet insurance and the first one that came up was VPI. The premium would be about $24/monthly with a $250/annual deductible. Which isn't too bad but but but their policy excluded hip dysplasia treatments/ surgeries and I knew that will prob turn away a lot of GSD owners.


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

jdh520 said:


> I just did a little research b/c I am also interested and I have been studying for my Life and Acc/ Health exam I have in the morning so this interested me. I just googled pet insurance and the first one that came up was VPI. The premium would be about $24/monthly with a $250/annual deductible. Which isn't too bad but but but their policy excluded hip dysplasia treatments/ surgeries and I knew that will prob turn away a lot of GSD owners.



Hmm...that is affordable for me, depending. Does it cover basic/preventative care? Checkups, etc, things like that? What about blood draws? Difference in premiums for altered/intact dogs? (I don't know if they really do that but given that people are unfairly charged higher for car insurance just because of their gender I wouldn't doubt it...)

I guess I didn't specify that. My main worry is being able to provide end-of-life care for him but I don't want to pay a fee every month and never be able to get any benefits from that. I think I can risk the hip dysplasia. Unless another company will cover it at comparable cost.

Vaccines are not a worry because he is not ever receiving another one.


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## malinois_16 (Aug 8, 2010)

Drauger, alot of insurance companies will not cover anything related to him being intact. So if a vet says his UTI's are because hes intact and recommends he be altered then insurance company will not cover them unless hes fixed. 

Of course they wont cover anything related to them being fixed either.

For Lincoln, its not worth it because anything that goes wrong with him will be considered pre existing. For example. If I had insurance before he was diagnosed with Pannus, they would claim his allergies which were pre existing caused and or contributed to Pannus, so therefore they wouldnt cover him. Insurance companies are sneaky. I say its often not worth it unless the dog is signed up as young puppy. 

I know several people who have been screwed by insurance companies and VPI is one of them


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## ayoitzrimz (Apr 14, 2010)

I have PetPlan on the bronze plan - it covers up to $8000 annually and I have a $200 deductible (per case not per visit so if your first visit is more than $200 your follow-up visits are fully covered) and 90% reimbursable so anything over $200 I get 90% of it back.

They've been great and I would highly recommend it. The thing I like about PetPlan is they cover hereditary conditions as well so if (god forbid) my dog has HD (he's still young and hasn't been OFA certified yet) they will cover the cost of treatment.

It costs me roughly $400 per year (give or take - I dont remember the exact quote) which I pay in four installments (one every 3 months). Not a terrible cost considering the peace of mind I get knowing he's covered if something serious happened.

This is a very useful thing to have in case of an accident - surgeries are extremely expensive nowadays) but it's also useful for regular stuff - my dog had a case of allergies and really bad ear infections and the first visit totaled $350 and two follow up visits roughly $100 each. Total cost: $550. Total out of pocket: $250. Not bad...


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## Fiddler (Feb 9, 2011)

I have Healthy Paws for my insurance carrier and have been very happy with it. I chose it because it covers congenital conditions and even 
hip displaysia. Hip displaysia is covered after the policy is one year old. 
I have used it to cover the cost of X-rays and medications and have been very pleased with how quickly they me the check. Within two hours of sending in the form I got a reply that the claim was in process. 

They do not cover the cost of the office visit, exximinations and routine vaccines (which you would pay for anyway)
As with most insurance remember that you have to pay the vet up front and the insurance reimburses you. I got the policy when Gracie was only 
10 weeks old. I pay $30.97 monthly for 80% coverage with a $250.00 deductable. You can choose your own coverage.

Of course it costs more to insure an older dog. If yo go to their website 
you can look at the options.


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## Heidigsd (Sep 4, 2004)

I have Petplan also and am more than happy with them. I pay $38 a month and have a $200 deductible and I get 100% reimbursed after the deductible is met. I signed up in Jan 10 and so far they have paid out around $10,000 :shocked:

Their customer service is great and claims get processed quickly, I haven't had any problems with them at all. You would need to check on what they won't cover since you have some pre-existing issues. http://www.gopetplan.com/pet-insurance-comparison

Here are some other posts about insurance:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/take-poll/146558-pet-insurance.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/157728-there-need-pet-insurance.html

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/159747-health-insurance-opinions.html

Michaela


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Here is my research, just because someone is happy with what they have doesnt mean anything until all the fine print is read. Might be great but if it was never utilizied you wouldnt know. 

I hear this way to much with the human insurance companies like Kaiser _permanente_. That company has restrictions people have no clue about. I wouldnt sell that to anyone.

I never heard of Healthy Paws so I would need to see an actual policy to rip it apart.

I will research it today and see if I can add that to my link.

VPI is garbage, keep away.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/159747-health-insurance-opinions.html

I picked petplan


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

From what I'm reading of petplan, it seems like the UTIs/Ear Infections could be covered (after a certain length of time) since they are curable conditions. Maybe not the UTI though - I treated it twice, but I think it was the same infection that came back after I discontinued the antibiotics too early. So maybe maybe not on that one.

I don't much care for the "per condition/injury" deductible, though. I can see how that could very easily be used to rip a policy holder off.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Draugr said:


> From what I'm reading of petplan, it seems like the UTIs/Ear Infections could be covered (after a certain length of time) since they are curable conditions. Maybe not the UTI though - I treated it twice, but I think it was the same infection that came back after I discontinued the antibiotics too early. So maybe maybe not on that one.
> 
> I don't much care for the "per condition/injury" deductible, though. I can see how that could very easily be used to rip a policy holder off.


per condition/injury ded isnt to bad since the deductibles arent to high like in human insurance. It maxs out towards an ongoing issue, so $200 towards an ongoing huge bill is not something that bothers me. Its the max per incident we need to be worried with, thats what VPI does. And Im still not sure about Healthy Paws, they are a brand new company since 2010. Not much feed back on them.


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## Fiddler (Feb 9, 2011)

Here is some info on Healthy Paws insurance from an independent site. 

Compare Healthy Paws Pet Insurance


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Fiddler said:


> Here is some info on Healthy Paws insurance from an independent site.
> 
> Compare Healthy Paws Pet Insurance


Thanks, saw that already this morning. I still need to see a declaration page and it seems the reviewer didn't see one either. That would be the final determination for me. First look, it looks very good.


I already added this to my topic about Health Insurance options.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

I just got an email from my human health insurance, that they are now promoting pet insurance.... Pet Insurance - Pets Best Insurance

I have considered it, but since I feel that a lot of what is wrong with healthcare is caused by health insurance, I refuse to be a part of bringing it into veterinary medicine.


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## Draugr (Jul 8, 2011)

kr16 said:


> Thanks, saw that already this morning. I still need to see a declaration page and it seems the reviewer didn't see one either. That would be the final determination for me. First look, it looks very good.
> 
> 
> I already added this to my topic about Health Insurance options.


Do you have a link to that topic? Which board is it in? Sounds like something I need to read .


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

gagsd said:


> I just got an email from my human health insurance, that they are now promoting pet insurance.... Pet Insurance - Pets Best Insurance
> 
> I have considered it, but since I feel that a lot of what is wrong with healthcare is caused by health insurance, I refuse to be a part of bringing it into veterinary medicine.


 
WOW an Aetna company, hmmm, gotta look at this one. 

And if your on Aetna they are the most expensive one out their, Great company but really high rates and some of their plans are tricky to understand.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/159747-health-insurance-opinions.html

Im a licensed human health insurance agent, dogs fall under property and casualty, lol. So I am basing my thoughts on my knowledge of general health insurance.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

kr16 said:


> WOW an Aetna company, hmmm, gotta look at this one.
> 
> And if your on Aetna they are the most expensive one out their, Great company but really high rates and some of their plans are tricky to understand.


I was certainly surprised.

With horses, we had "loss of use" which included competing (can cost a LOT of money to replace a top competition prospect) as well as reproductive loss of use. 
I have not found a policy like that for dogs.

As for Aetna and people insurance..... I have primary and secondary coverages, and still can't afford to go see a specialist. 

Just noticed you live in Boca... I used to live on Lake Ida Road!


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

gagsd said:


> I was certainly surprised.
> 
> With horses, we had "loss of use" which included competing (can cost a LOT of money to replace a top competition prospect) as well as reproductive loss of use.
> I have not found a policy like that for dogs.
> ...


Lake Ida road used to ride my jet ski in lake ida, that water is gross. Was afraid to fall and get water up my nose. 

Secondary coverages are usually useless and not needed like Aflac plans. Specialists on individual plans usually go towards your deductible once testing is needed. Aetnas real pricey as is United Healthcare. Group can be better is your employer pays for it.


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## gagsd (Apr 24, 2003)

Both mine are groups through employers.

Sorry OP for the OT!


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## Ellie (Jun 26, 2009)

We are with Trupanion - 90% coverage and there are NO limits! Here is their compare chart: Trupanion vs. VPI - Compare Pet Insurance Companies | Trupanion


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Ellie said:


> We are with Trupanion - 90% coverage and there are NO limits! Here is their compare chart: Trupanion vs. VPI - Compare Pet Insurance Companies | Trupanion


 
Please read my post on Trupanion it has some things to look out for. Your policy is your contract not whats written on anyone's website. Hopefully none of the below pertain to you.

*Exclusions:

*Hip dysplasia, unless waived by endorsement; *endorsement can only be bought before first birthday*

The cost of treatment for bilateral conditions presenting on one side of the body, in which that condition was already a pre-existing condition on the other side of the body, such as luxating patella or anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) weakness;

Parasite control including but not limited to internal and external parasites for which readily available prophylactic treatments are available

Claims in any way arising from the lack of use and/or implementation of preventive healthcare products and/or methods when such products and/or methods would be in accordance with generally accepted veterinary standards. Routine healthcare includes but is not limited to; vaccinations, flea control, heartworm medication, de-worming, dental care, ear plucking and grooming;

*For pets that have not been neutered or spayed prior to their first birthday, no coverage shall apply for illness related to prostate problems, hormonal skin conditions, testicular tumors, perianal tumors, mammary tumors, uterine and ovarian conditions, birthing, or injury due to fighting, collision with a motor vehicle or aggressive behavior. This limitation does not apply to pets that have been spayed or neutered prior to their first birthday, to pets where the timing of being spayed or neutered was in conjunction with their veterinarian’s medical recommendations, or to pets spayed or neutered within 30 days of being adopted*


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## malinois_16 (Aug 8, 2010)

Drauger, and insurance company could argue that reoccuring UTI's could be due to him being intact. They will find ANY loop hole to get out of it. 

I dont like how they dont cover fighting, collision with a motor vehicle or aggressive behavoir. 

So basically, if my intact dog is leashed and some neutered/intact dog comes and rips him apart and he didnt start it they will say the fact hes intact is what caused the fight and they wont cover it...thats bull crap. IMO. I would stay away from any company who had that as a policy. 

That basically says that I can let my neutered dog start fights with other dogs and because he was neutered before 1 year of age anything that happens to him is covered. Thats so stupid. 

Any dog can be hit by a car...any dog can show aggression. Infact I find neutered dogs are more aggressive then intact ones. 

RUN...from the company that has that as a policy...


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## malinois_16 (Aug 8, 2010)

I just called Trupanion and asked this.

"If my intact LEASHED pet is attacked by and OFF LEASH intact/neutered pet will you cover him?"

Answer- No because your pet is intact and sometimes that attracts dogs to fight. 

I then said "So if my neutered dog starts a fight and gets some injuries he is covered because hes neutered?"..

Answer-Yes....


lame.


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## bruiser (Feb 14, 2011)

I went Pet Plan, haven't had to use it yet. Hopefully it will be good.


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## LisaT (Feb 7, 2005)

malinois_16 said:


> I just called Trupanion and asked this.
> 
> "If my intact LEASHED pet is attacked by and OFF LEASH intact/neutered pet will you cover him?"
> 
> ...


If you are interested in a question like this, I would call yourself to verify.


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## Joshherd (Jul 11, 2011)

Have been looking into getting health insurance for Hank but there are so many options. I mentioned it to my agent while I was in paying our car insurance bill and found out that our dog is covered Pet Medical Coverage | Auto Insurance Coverage | Auto-Owners Insurance
through them. In the event of a car accident that is but still the more coverage the better right. Its amazing what thinking out load can do for you! 
http://www.auto-owners.com/our-products/car-insurance/coverages/pet-medical-coverage


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