Health Insurance for pets?

formerlyGDaisy09

We have 2 Cats (ages 3 and 4) and a 9 month old puppy. I feel like we end-up dropping $100+ at the vet every month.  as I've shared in other posts, one kitty developed issues with trichotiomania (hair pulling) in October, so far we've treated with anti-depresants (prozac/Flotuxane) and an allergen free food.  She is headed back to the vet on wednesday because she has more alopecia and has dragon breath and major tartar build-up on her teeth, I'm wondering if something is causing her pain, leading to anxious hair-pulling. 

Pups, of course, has the usual puppy care, plus she's had a few ear-infections and some bouts of lower GI-irritation, I also just scheduled her spay.  she's an active dog, we take her hiking, out on cross country ski trails, she does agility, and she'll be my running partner once her growth plates have fused...so she will be doing things that potentially increase her risk of injury. 

The other cat, has not been using a lot of care recently, but last year she injured several of her teeth (likely during a mouse hunt) and needed to have those two abcessed teeth removed. 

Have any of you invested in health insurance for your pets? was it worth it? what plans did you use?

Thanks!!

duckie1905

We have insurance for all three of our pets (5 year old cat, 2 year old doxie/lab mix and a 3 year old lab/shar pei mix) and have been very satisfied with Pet Plan for our insurance.  Our vet recommended them because he hears the most good things about their costs, plans, reimbursement, and customer service.

Our yearly premium for all three is just under $800 with a platinum plan, $50 deductible and a 100% (I think, might be 90%) reimbursement with a year maximum of $20000

I will say, it hurt to write that $800 check but then when my doxie got hurt and we were faced with a $3000 surgery, it was nice to know that we would get get that money back.

I'm sure every year it won't pay for itself and it doesn't cover routine exams but it covers emergencies, illnesses, and medications related to those things.  I'm also not sure if I would pay for it if we only had one pet but having three can cost a lot and I like that we won't go bankrupt if one gets seriously injured.

We'll continue to renew every year.

formerlyGDaisy09

That's great info, does it cover things like Revolution? I think we spend $400-500 a year on that alone. 

Dental care seems to be the other thing that we pay for, $300 for the abcessed teeth, and I'm afraid Kitty #1 with the dragon breath is going to need a $200-$300 cleaning. 

Does it cover the fee for a vet visit, if it's over $50?  I know around here walking into a vets office for a "problem visit" will cost $55 before the vet even touches you animal. 

I'm definietly considering this, even if its just for accident coverage for the dog. 

duckie1905

To my knowledge, our plan does not cover any sort of flea/tick/parasite preventative.  I'd have to read my policy to know about dental but I would imagine it would be covered.

Basically, if your pet is ill or injured you pay everything up front.  Then, you or your vet submit the bill to the insurance company and they reimburse you based on your policy.  There are no copays but there is a deductible which you can set for $50, $100, or $200 for the year.  After that they reimburse based on your percentage of coverage for covered illnesses.  There are also varying percentages of reimbursement that will raise/lower your cost, along with the size of your deductible.

Visits to the vet that aren't preventive checkups (which you are required to do and have documented) or are a result of pre-existing condition are covered just like any medical treatments or medications would be.

There are exclusions.  I believe they post a sample policy on their site, gopetplan.com if you want to see.

IdigDirt

I have Pet Plan as well. I have actually never used it because all my one dog's medical conditions were preexisting but I keep it in case something horrible happens. My plan has a $200 a year deductible so I have actually never even used it for the other dog since she is pretty healthy but I like to know it's there. Mine is about $600 for 2 dogs. It does not cover yearly visits or any meds. Pretty much I keep it for if they eat something and need surgery or get a disease of some sort (if there are any left that my dog doesn't already have).

crystaldbl

We have a wellness plan for our cat. It's through Petsmart. It's $27.95 per month & covers basically everything. All office visits, vaccines, spay/ neuter, & gives discounts on any meds that aren't covered. I think it's worth it. Any little sneeze or funny behavior & I can take him to the vet without having to worry about coming up with the $.

ranzzo

I have a Care Credit card dedicated to the pets.  You can also use it for your needs as well.  If you pay off the balance w/in 6 months, there is no interest, which is what we do.  It does not cover flea/tick prevention our heartworm meds for our dog.  

LuckyAngel07

crystaldbl said:

We have a wellness plan for our cat. It's through Petsmart. It's $27.95 per month & covers basically everything. All office visits, vaccines, spay/ neuter, & gives discounts on any meds that aren't covered. I think it's worth it. Any little sneeze or funny behavior & I can take him to the vet without having to worry about coming up with the $.

This works fine, if you're okay taking your pet to a Banfield vet. Personally, I've found individual vet practices much better and more attentive to my pets' needs than anyone at Banfield was (I had a pet plan and took my cats there for a couple of years).

ranzzo

I have a Care Credit card dedicated to the pets.  You can also use it for your needs as well.  If you pay off the balance w/in 6 months, there is no interest, which is what we do.  It does not cover flea/tick prevention our heartworm meds for our dog.  

formerlyGDaisy09

I just got Care Credit! so far it sounds like it's great for those surprises that end-up being ofer the $200 mark for 0% interest. I just dropped kitty at the vet this morning to have dental work done (at an estemated cost of $480). I know the vets in this area would work with us in the event that an emergency exceeded our care-credit limit. 

ranzzo

We had to use ours on Sunday, our puppy got a hold of H's computer cord.  Luckily, there is no obstruction and he should pass it.  He is fine now but having that card is a life saver.  Just make sure you pay it off w/in the 6 months to avoid the fees.  

formerlyGDaisy09

Ugh, we made good use of our care credit on Monday. Kitty had two teeth pulled...and then I ended up back at the vet later that day with Puppy, who's been itching her eye...the vet says since this is her second itchy-skin incident she must be allergic to something...so we're now exploring food allergies and fighting off the current itchy face with antihistamines and steroids. 

ranzzo

Our cat has had to have 3 bronchoalveolar lavages over the last year.  She had two different infections in her lungs because her previous owners left her outside.  (Please keep your cats indoors people!)  As a result, she has chronic bronchitis.  Care Credit helped out quite a bit.   

formerlyGDaisy09

ugh, so glad kitty is doing better. my kitty had Chronic URI's for two years after I adopted her from the shelter, it's so hard to see them sick. So much better for cats to stay inside, I think theres some psudo-research that shows that keeping a cat indoors doubles their expected lifespan. a cat tree and a basket of cat toys and our two kittys are happy to stay indoors.

lfk2013

I have VPI for my dog.  Since he has no pre-existing conditions, it has been a lifesaver, since he likes to eat things he shouldn't (such as dead things that upset his tummy).  The only thing I wish I had elected to cover for him was dental.  Right now, that's OOP, but when his renewal rolls around in July, I am upping it to cover dental.  He's a much happier (and better smelling) dog with clean teeth.