dog insurance

[jodyce]

I heard that there are insurance that you can purchase for you dog. I would like to know where? who? and number or wed site if possible? I would like to learn more about the insurance plan.


Thanks in advance for your replies.




Louie's mom

[Rott-Wiley]

AKC is selling health insurance policies for dogs. They are at: http://www.akc.org/news/index.cfm?article_id=1725

[TrishB]

www.petcare.ca
www.petcareinsurance.com
www.vetinsurance.ca
www.petinsurance.com
www.ppins.com
www.petplan.com

There are many more - if you do a search for "pet insurance". It's all dependant on the type of coverage you want, your budget and your personal situation. Best of luck.

[k&s]

I've always wondered if pet insurance is a good idea, especially since having spent alot of money on one of my rotties who has lupus. However, an article in this month's consumer reports (on how to save $$ on veterinary costs) suggests that it is really no better than socking money away for possible veterinary expenses. In other words, you wind up spending a fair amt of $$ on the insurance 'in case' something bad and expensive happens. By the time you pay for the insurance, you wind up not saving much when (if) you do have a big expense. Consumer Reports suggests just having a savings plan for possible scenarios where you might have some big veterinary bills.

I know alot of people have this insurance and like it. I was very interested to read the Consumer Reports findings on this topic, and thought you'd be as well.

[Greg_1111]

I saw news clip, or read an article recently(can't seem to remember) that discussed pet insurance. A study was done to determine whether or not over the course of an average dog's life it was less or more expensive to pay the premiums, or deal with health problem (cash) as they came up. The study surprisingly showed that most people would save thousands of dollars over the course of the pet's life by paying cash without insurance. This included at least one major event such as a double hip replacement procedure. I was very surprised by this. I have had insurance for mine for about a year now, and she is about to have a cruciate operation (hopefully a TPLO) I worked it out that six years of premiums would pay for the TPLO,, so in my case, for the short term at least, I am ahead with insurance. But I am going to look into the findings of the study a bit further

[H-B]

What You Should Know About Pet Health Insurance by: PetPlace Staff


Pet Health Insurance

It’s a pet owner’s worst nightmare: Your cherished pet is suffering in pain and you’re faced with the agonizing choice of facing huge veterinary bills you can’t afford or putting your pet to sleep.

Fortunately, more pet owners are learning that reasonably priced pet health insurance is readily available in the United States. This is especially good news since so many treatments that were once confined just to humans are now readily available to pets.

It is now possible, for example, for veterinarians to do hip replacement surgery, kidney transplants or surgery for bone cancer. (Dogs and cats are three times more likely than people to contract cancer, and 45 percent of dogs die from it, said Alejandra Soto, spokeswoman for the non-profit Insurance Information Institute in New York.) These advances in veterinary medicine mean that pets can live longer, more rewarding lives. But they can be expensive and pet owners need to be prepared for the expense.

Few Pet Owners Have Insurance

Even so, not everyone knows about pet insurance with only 3 percent of America’s pet owners having enrolled their dog, cat, bird, rabbit, reptile or other exotic pet. “They don’t believe their pet will get sick. And, to those people, if a pet did get sick or ill and cost too much money, they would simply have it put to sleep,” said Dr. Jack Stephens, a veterinarian who founded Veterinary Pet Insurance with 750 independent veterinarians, America’s largest licensed pet health insurance company.

Like human medical insurance insurers of humans, pet insurance companies charge premiums and there are deductibles for the different policy plans offered. They offer different levels of coverage depending on how much you pay. Routine veterinary check-ups may not be covered in the base plan but offered as an endorsement. There might also be exclusions for older animals, pre-existing conditions and breed-related problems may be excluded. Be sure to examine every policy closely to make sure that you understand what you are buying and call the pet insurance company with questions.


Key Issues to Consider

The age of your pet. Premium costs rise as pets grow older and enter the years when they are more likely to suffer serious illness or injury.

Levels of coverage. Pet health insurers offer basic policies and upgrades.

What’s covered. Basic policies generally cover treatment for accidents, injuries and illnesses. Beyond that, there are variations. For example, VPI’s basic policy also covers acupuncture and chiropractic treatments. However, VPI’s Vaccination & Routine Care Coverage endorsement includes spaying and neutering along with dental and other routine care treatments.


H-B

[H-B]

Pet Health Insurance -- Is this an option for your pet?


Pet health care insurance isn't a new idea -- it has been around for 15 - 20 years, but many people haven't been aware of it. The availability has been limited and the policy restrictions have been prohibitive in many cases.

The last few years have seen changes in the pet insurance industry. Some say for the better. Pet owners with insurance are now able to provide levels of care that previously were cost prohibitive. Others aren't so sure. Some fear that adding insurance to veterinary medicine will follow the path of insurance red tape and problems found in human health care fields.

Veterinary medicine is one of the few health care professions that is not financially based on insurance. Unlike most medical, surgical, dental, and pharmacy cases in human medicine, veterinary patients (OK, the owners thereof) are responsible for veterinary costs incurred -- including preventive/routine care, emergency and disease conditions.

Pet health policies are similar to human insurance policies; annual premiums, deductibles, and different coverage plans based on what the owner chooses. Plans are based on species, age, pre-existing conditions and in some cases, lifestyle of the pet (i.e. indoor vs. outdoor cat).

Most companies start policies at age 6-8 weeks, some have no age limit, and of the others I researched, one had a limit of 27 years, others had a limit of 8 years of age (if the animal was insured when less than 8 years, coverage would continue beyond 8 years).

As for pre-existing conditions, some companies will allow coverage if the animal is stable or controlled (usually after a waiting period of 6 months), other companies will refuse animals with current conditions or terminal disease.

The current overall average for annual deductibles is around $100.00. The policy costs vary widely, depending on the animal and the different packages that the owner can choose. Some packages are comprehensive, including such things as: annual checkups and vaccinations, routine care, preventive medications (like Heartworm preventive) and spay/neuter surgeries. Other plans cover only accident and illness. Most plans offer immediate coverage for accident claims, and 30 days for illness claims on new policies. Additional pets are usually covered at a reduced rate after the first policy-holding pet.