# Dog Health Insurance Recommended?



## Bmaez

Is dog insurance recommended? Any recommendations on companies/providers?


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## Muskeg

I've recently decided it is well worth it, despite - actually because- I have multiple dogs. I looked in Pet Plan and I believe it gets some of the highest reviews. 

They do cover dental work, which is important to me. $28 a month for my younger dogs. 90% covered, 100 deductible. I'm going to sign up this week.


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## Lykaios

I have my dogs on Healthy Paws and just signed up recently so haven't had to use it yet, but it gets really good reviews. PetPlan would be my next choice. I would highly recommend pet insurance! I know if I had been signed up for it last year it would have saved me almost $1000 in total


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## Lobo dog

Right now I am looking into possibly getting nationwide pet insurance (or maybe healthy Paws as that seems to be highly recommended on this board). There are soo many insurance companies to choose from and so many different coverage options and prices that I am having a hard time making my decision on who to go with. I have never put insurance on a pet before but Lobo plays much harder than my past dog's and goes more places with me so his risk of injury is higher. 

What really made me decide to start looking for a pet insurance was due to having to sadly say goodbye to my youngest cat a few weeks ago. I came home in the afternoon to find Mister (the cat) laying flat on his side in my bedroom, excessively panting and with completely paralyzed hindquarters. Just looking at him i knew he wasn't going to make it  He was rushed to the vet where they took x rays and told me he had suffered from undiagnosed heart disease which led to a blood clot which led to paralysis and fluid in his lungs (they said that all that happened in just a few hours). Long story short for them to take an x ray, let him rest in an oxygen room for 15 minutes and put the sweet thing out of his misery it was close to $500 (from the time I walked in the office door with him to when I left empty handed was less than 40 minutes). This was a situation with no treatments, not even one hour at the clinic, and with a 9lb cat (it wasn't even an emergency animal hospital it was his regular clinic). I know $500 may not seem like that much but for that short visit to have ended with me having to put down my kitty and the thought of how much more expensive it would have been had there been hope for his recovery, well it shocked me. If Lobo needed an x ray, blood work, surgery, a stay at the vet clinic ect the bills would just be huge and i can easily see the insurances paying for itself over time, and it would give me peace of mind. My reason for getting pet insurance is that I want to make sure that if something comes up in the future that the cost of the procedure or treatment won't need to affect my decisions. 

Here are two other threads about pet insurance I found while researching earlier this week. http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/605962-pet-insurance-worth.html 

This link is a poll listing popular health insurances http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/take-poll/607186-what-pet-insurance-do-you-use.html
and http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/general-information/598953-pet-health-insurance.html


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## Magwart

My issue with Pet Plan is the initial reasonable rate that the policy started at seems to have been a "lure," which was then followed by annual increases of about 20% a year, even with no claims. At least, that's been my experience. I recall that there was a thread in which several others reported similar experiences with very high annual premium increases with Pet Plan. For that reason, I'm not a fan. 

I'm stuck with it with one dog. However, I put the younger dogs on Healthy Paws, as others here reported that they didn't experience the same kind of outrageous annual rate hikes.


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## Muskeg

Thanks for the tip, Mag, I'll look into Healthy Paws. 

I used to think putting away $100 a month or so was enough to cover emergencies, and it might be if I had fewer dogs, but at this point, I'd rather put $100 into the dogs' health insurance, and then if there are medical expenses I won't have to use up all my savings or even go into debt. Well worth the cost.


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## Jenny720

We have trupanion. I like the fact with approval of the vet they will pay directly to vet if needed that gives you an additional option if needed on footing the bill. I also like you have different pricing options controlling your deductible.


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## Jax08

I've been happy with Healthy Paws so far. They've paid all my claims. They kicked one back out, I pointed them to the proper information and it was quickly covered.


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## GSD2

I have been happy with Trupanion. They process claims quickly. The customer reps are very nice, and always show compassion for your ill pet. The rates are reasonable and have not increased much, only this last year they went up some, after 5 years. The year before the premium actually went down a small amount. They have a per incidence deductible, after the deductible is met the condition is covered 90% for the life of the dog.

With any insurance company read the policy carefully! Insurance companies do not pay for pre-existing conditions so best to apply while the pup is young and/or before any medical conditions come up.


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## Muskeg

Pet insurance actually doesn't make financial sense for me, which I found surprising. 

Healthy Paws has an annual deductible of $250. The monthly premiums for my dogs were from $38 to $52. They require an annual well-pet physical ($60 office visit per dog). They do not cover pre-existing conditions.

This means my minimal annual costs, with zero additional vet visits other than the physical would be $3,168 in premiums alone. If dogs need a vet visit my deductibles would add up to a potential total of $1,500, or $250 per dog. Then add 20% of the bill (insurance covers 80%). 

Barring the hopefully rare emergency that costs upwards of $6,000, it isn't worth it. It makes more sense to put away $3,000- $4,500 a year in a special savings account that can earn interest or be invested, and take from that as needed.

I looked into this because one of my dogs had an injury that cost approx. $6,000. I took out an account with CareCredit to pay it off. But without that hopefully rare extreme bill, my overall payments for vet visits and insurance premiums would have totaled an additional $2000 this year, if I had insurance.

It is nice to have peace of mind and be able to spend as much as needed, but insurance is there for the company to make money, not to help out pet owners, and for me it is not a solution that makes financial sense.


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## Findlay

I have healthy paws.
so far so good.


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## Muskeg

Findlay- I think it's a better deal if you only have one or two dogs. The cost of deductible starts getting clunky with multiples. I may consider it, still, but currently the numbers don't make sense.


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## Myrna

I was also considering to buy a pet insurance for my pet. So I did some research online I think it's worth the cost. If you buy the insurance plan that suits you best.


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## Myrna

Reviewing and comparing pet insurance plans lets you find the one that best fits your needs and your budget. I hope the following resources will help you to decide which plan or provider to choose:
How to Buy Pet Insurance: 6 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
https://www.petinsuranceu.com/compare-pet-insurance
https://www.petinsuranceu.com/pet-insurance-reviews


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## Magwart

MANY of the so-called insurance review sites are actually paid advertising placements (that get a commission for referral clicks). I would be very cautious about relying on them.

We have much better resources here on the forum. There's a sticky thread here in which one of our users who's an insurance industry pro broke down the fine print of many, many policies to examine the exclusions. It's the best collection of info I've ever found on pet insurance. Luckily, it's now a Sticky on the forum, so it's easier to find:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/basic-care/159747-health-insurance-opinions.html


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## reggie85

Take it from me. I initially also thought pet insurance wasn't required, but quickly wished I had signed up when I did. 

At 4 months my dog chewed on a piece of plastic and damaged his back tooth. It got infected. $600 for surgery

At 12 months my dog was limping, has some inflammation. Vet bills with xrays and meds ran up $800.

At 14 months my dog got bit by another dog, stitches ran up around $600.


These are expenses that all loving and dog owners would pay in a heart beat to keep their pet happy. But the insurance would have helped.


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