Comments on: Pet (dog) insurance question?

By: Katherine G

Katherine G — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 00:16:01 +0000

I have a toy pom.. and she broke her arm a few months ago and it cost over $5000 because their arms are so little they don’t even fit into a cast.. I don’t have much to say about the insurance because i’m not fimliar with it.. but it sure sounds like a good idea to have with a pom since they’re so fragile

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:17:47 +0000

You pay the vet, and the insurance will reimburse you on most cases (proof of price paid and services rendered is required). Some vets work directly with the company and will submit the claim for you, this way you pay nothing upfront (the vet will bill you for what ever the insurance didn’t cover).

By: L R

L R — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:57:57 +0000

I just looked up your 5 month old Pom and yes, you have a $30 mo. premium and that’s for the highest amount of coverage for the site I looked at. It also covered surgeries both major and minor, prescription drugs…almost anything equal to what humans would need.

The average vet bill for a dog is $241 a year. Surgeries (especially those that are most common) are easily $2000 or more. Knee, Hip and joint problems are common. Accidents, poisons, etc. need emergency vet care which is even more expensive. Pet insurance can sometimes help with rising pet costs.

Here Are Some Estimates:
Cost of a kidney transplant: $7,000 or more
Cost of canine cataract surgery: $2,000-$3,000
Cost of cancer treatment: $5,000 or more
Cost of chemotherapy: $2,000
Cost of surgery after animal is hit by a car: $3,000
Cost of diabetes maintenance: $600-$1,000 a year*

I have 4 rescue dogs. I love them dearly and they’re our “children”. I wish I’d have known about pet insurance when we first got them. One has had knee surgery, another hip surgery. They all have had their teeth cleaned which is a surgery itself that requires anesthesia. But I wouldn’t take a million for any of ‘em even though they cost a fortune.

*Here’s an interesting article on pet care/pet insurance in the U.S.

By: Popsfav

Popsfav — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 21:31:04 +0000

It works about like human medical insurance. You pay a monthly premium and if your dog gets sick they pay whatever percentage or dollar figure your insurance policy states.

Please note- Each company is different and some companies have more than one type of policy to pick from. Some include even routine care such as vaccinations. Just like with human insurance, it is very important you read the fine print. Often, some of the covered services have deductibles or co-pay amounts. Some have lifetime maximums. Another very important thing to remember if you find out this is available in Canada (and I think it is) the EARLIER you insure your puppy, the better. As with human insurance, if the dog has any preexisting conditions, the company may not accept your application for insurance OR charge MUCH more than $30 a month to do so. My Shih Tzu has seizures- idiopathic epilepsy. I’ve not found a company that will insure him at all. His bills to an animal neurologist (since traditional anti-seizure meds failed) are now into the thousands. He’s certainly worth it, but I wish I’d gotten insurance. His he registered? Sometimes, before his first birthday, some of the registering agencies will offer you insurance through them at a special discounted rate. That is what CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) did with my registered Persian cat.

By: h Burke

h Burke — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:14:40 +0000

I am a vet tech and normally the insurance require the owner to foot the bill and submit papers signed by the attending vet and a copy of the bill and then reimburse the owner. VIP pet insurance is the best around. Also of times the policies sound good, but there can be a lot of fine print. Also if your pet is having a serious surgery, your still going to pay a good portion, because $ 2000 is nothing. Are these amounts per year?

By: Melissa Alice

Melissa Alice — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 20:26:11 +0000

first things first, it is in Canada because I have it
.. it works like insurance for people(in the U.S)
if your dog gets sick or injured they pay the vets office, now depending on the company you may have to pay first than they reimbursed you.
The amounts you were talking about the $2000 for a car accident and what not is the max. they will pay per term on that type of accident.
your dog may never get sick or injured in which case you payed 30 bucks a month for 15yrs and insurance company wins .. but if god forbid the dog dog does get sick you just saved yourself a bundle
hope it helped

and to all the non believers ..
my dog was very ill he had an allergic reaction that almost and would have killed him if I didnt have pet insurance .. the insurance cost me 25 bucks a month .. the vet bill was 2200 and the insurance payed 2000 of that .. they dog now has to take medication every day for the rest of his life (he’s only 3 years old) that the insurance also pays for …

By: Hailey

Hailey — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:19:06 +0000

you pay $30 a month for insurance.. IF the dog needs medical attention you are covered but of course there is always an excess etc.. basically it’s a rip off, just put some money away every now and then in case something does happen and if it never does you have a bunch of cash saved up for a rainy day

By: Bianca

Bianca — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:02:20 +0000

Don’t you understand the concept of insurance? You pay them $30 every month, and then *if* something happens to your dog they will pay for it. They make profit because most dogs wont ever need extensive surgery or treatment, so they don’t pay anything, but you pay them the $30 every month. They wont give you the money, but they will pay up to that amount of the vet bills.

By: levent u

levent u — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:17:37 +0000

it dosent matter thıs cos dog are goıng to dıe a couple of years for thıs reason you dont have to cost lats of money for thıs just you enjoyment out of that monent ok see you?ıf ı broke your heart sorry for thıs but ıt is real of life

By: I Love Female Cops

I Love Female Cops — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:40:52 +0000

I didnt even no till now, its just another way of companies making money, like the companies that make the clothes for pets.