pet insurance, need some opinions

[frugalman]

hi RFD, i'm trying to look for pet insurance for my dog. can somebody give me some comments about the ones you have? I'm looking currently at getting insurance from president's choice. any feedback is great, thanks

[psiwashing]

ironically, i just got off the phone with my pet insurance people, in the midst of making my first claim. i did some research on the most popular companies, and ended up extending the coverage we got when we adopted the dog. We got 6 weeks of basic insurance from Pet Plan, and then just extended it to their "Standard" insurance package, which is about $35/month and is a good balance between coverage amounts, deductibles, and co-payments.

This mean's we are spending 400/year on insurance, and at this rate, we will probably spend $1000 in the net year on allergy shots if we didn't have coverage, aside from other problems that will come up. It is a bit pricy I suppose, but, also has things like death benefit, reward payout if your pet is lost, holiday cancellation insurance if he gets sick, kennel payment if you are in the hospital, etc. $2000 limit per year per condition.

I've seen plans anywhere from $15-90 per month. all depends on how much you want to cover. some plans at the higher end cover 100% with no deductible, and pay for regular check ups, shots, etc. the low end pays virtually nothing - $100 deduct. for each and every claim, and very limited conditions and accidents it will cover.

www.petplan.ca
www.petcareinsurance.com (they can do electronic claims from your vets office)

[frugalman]

i was looking at the latter of your links. and i found that for illness, they go by category. and there's a lifetime limit on each category. am i right ?

for instance,
http://www.petcareinsurance.com/us/dog-insurance-gold.asp

the limit is 3k, and 6k (depending on the plan) per category. i'm concerned about this condition as it seems it might not be enough for say cancer..

[Cyber6]

I am in the same boat looking for pet insurance. I knew about petplan, but was not aware of PC Pet Insurance.

Anyway here is the link

http://www.pcinsurance.ca/ROCEN/PI_choose_a_plan.asp?referid=leftnav#accident


It seems like PC might be a better bang for your buck.

***** Edit on my last comment. PC won't cover regular checkups on any of their plans.

routine healthcare is up to you

Good preventive care is important to the health of your pet, so you must make a commitment to pay for annual veterinary check-ups and all appropriate yearly vaccinations.

Any other non-essential procedures like spaying and neutering, micro chipping, teeth cleaning and more, are also your responsibility.

[bluemount]

Pets are disposable.
If the old one gets sick - euthanize and get a new model.
Why spend thousands of $ on a critter?

[HughG]

Pets are disposable.
If the old one gets sick - euthanize and get a new model.
Why spend thousands of $ on a critter?


most disgusting comment on RFD in a while :mad:

[frugalman]

I am in the same boat looking for pet insurance. I knew about petplan, but was not aware of PC Pet Insurance.

Anyway here is the link

http://www.pcinsurance.ca/ROCEN/PI_choose_a_plan.asp?referid=leftnav#accident


It seems like PC might be a better bang for your buck.

***** Edit on my last comment. PC won't cover regular checkups on any of their plans.

which company includes regular check ups? i thought those were all by yourself??

[Cyber6]

which company includes regular check ups? i thought those were all by yourself??

I don't know.... but psiwashing mentions it below..

I've seen plans anywhere from $15-90 per month. all depends on how much you want to cover. some plans at the higher end cover 100% with no deductible, and pay for regular check ups, shots, etc. the low end pays virtually nothing - $100 deduct. for each and every claim, and very limited conditions and accidents it will cover.

www.petplan.ca
www.petcareinsurance.com (they can do electronic claims from your vets office)

[CharmyPoo]

I belong to several pet forums and many believe that pet insurance is just not worth it. I haven't decided myself yet but I guess like any insuarance .. you are taking a risk.

I have 5 dogs (no one freak out) and only two of them have ever required extensive vet care which would have made insurance worth it. One had a series of problems and the vet bills were around $10,000 in one year and he passed away. The other is a Shih Tzu who had eye problems which cost about $3000 for the operations. My others never had a problem beyond regular vet care and shots.

[bluemount]

most disgusting comment on RFD in a while :mad:


Why is it disgusting? I am just talking about perspective and priorities. A dog is not family, a child or loved one. Anyone that thinks a dog "loves them" is a nutcase.

The disgusting thing is that North Americans spend way too much money on critters.

Many people have pets as "family substitutes" - women who would rather have cats than children

That is the pathetic aspect of our society

[psiwashing]

With the Pet Plan "champion" plan, which would be 90/month for our boxer, has "preventative care" which includes annual exam, shots, etc, even neuter/spay. That is out of our price range.

Note, the premiums are in part based on the breed. Some breeds are about 25% higher. these include:

Alano Espanol; Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog; Alpine Dachsbracke; American Bandogge Mastiff; American White Shepherd; Appenzeller Sennenhunde; Azawakh; Basenji; Basset Hound; Berger des Pyrénées; Bernese Mountain Dog; Boerboel; Boxer; Braque Francais Pyrenees; Bulldog; Bullmastiff; Cane Corso; Caucasian Mountain Dog; Central Asian Outcharka Shepherd; Chinese Shar-Pei; Dalmatian; Deerhound, Scottish; Doberman Pinscher; Dogue de Bordeaux; English Mastiff; Entlebucher Mountain Dog; Estrela Mountain Dog; Fila Brasileiro; French Bulldog; German Shepherd; German Shepherd, King; Great Dane; Great Pyrenees; Greater Swiss Mountain Dog; Greyhound; Griffon Vendéen, Grand Basset; Irish Wolfhound; Italian Greyhound; Landseer; Leonberger; Mastiff; Neapolitan Mastiff; Newfoundland; Old English Sheepdog; Perro de Presa Canario; Peruvian Inca Orchid; Pharaoh Hound; Rottweiler; Saint Bernard; Sloughi; Terrier, American Staffordshire; Terrier, Bull; Terrier, Miniature Bull; Terrier, Pit Bull; Terrier, Soft Coated Wheaten; Terrier, Staffordshire Bull; Tibetan Mastiff; Tosa.

I'm not sure if petcare insurance has the preventative thing, if it does, check under the gold program.

[psiwashing]

Why is it disgusting? I am just talking about perspective and priorities. A dog is not family, a child or loved one. Anyone that thinks a dog "loves them" is a nutcase.

The disgusting thing is that North Americans spend way too much money on critters.

Many people have pets as "family substitutes" - women who would rather have cats than children

That is the pathetic aspect of our society

Although I am not a *huge* animal guy, I have to disagree completely. First of all, I didn't pay $1500 for a reg'd dog. I adopted this boxer when someone decided they didn't want him anymore. I have spent over a grand on getting him what he needs, including vet help, and have no problem doing so.

What about the pathetic people of society? There are alot of bottom of the barrel characters out there, and unfortunately, tax payers like us prop them up. To me, dogs, cats, whatever pet you want to insert here, can offer people much more satisfaction in life than the scum of the earth people that occupy our jails for example.

My dog gives me more than Paris Hitlon ever could. Yeah she's hot, but she's famous because she's famous and provides us little more than the odd grainy video on a torrent site. He's happy when I get home from work and whines when I leave. I don't think its rediculous to think he has some attachment to me. He asks for nothing, which is way less than any girlfriend (including current) ever requires.

Disclaimer - I do think its a bit over the top to have a dog carried around in a louis vutton bag and all dolled up. But I have no problem giving him better food than what I buy for myself and cool toys.

[brute33]

Hey bluemount,

The subject of this thread is pet insurance. If you want to discuss your views about north american dependance on animals why don't you start a new thread and stop insulting per owners here.

It shows you are not an animal person. That's ok. I find animals are like camping...you either love em or hate em.

[brute33]

sometime in 2006 consumer reports did a story about pet insurance. even compared companies and prices and coverage. check your library.

[Cyber6]

sometime in 2006 consumer reports did a story about pet insurance. even compared companies and prices and coverage. check your library.


Not the consumer report, but a good read ...

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/P76008.asp


Beef up your savings. A Consumer Reports analysis found that pet owners with insurance may actually spend more over time on their animals than those without.

Another quote from another site:

It Might Not Pay

The July issue of Consumer Reports compared five popular pet insurance plans. The report found that if a hypothetical dog's owner in Oakland, CA, filed nine claims over 11 years for common ailments, such as a broken leg and ear infections, the owners would always end up paying more through insurance than if they just paid the veterinarian directly --- sometimes more than $3,000.00 more. When the same dog had major ailments over 11 years, such as hip replacements, only three of the five plans left the owner better off than paying directly. Still, on the slim chance a pet does get seriously sick with an illness such as cancer -- which can cost more than $5,000.00 to treat -- insurance could save thousands of dollars experts say.

[frugalman]

Not the consumer report, but a good read ...

http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/Insurance/P76008.asp




Another quote from another site:

that article is interesting, i shall have a good read, thanks cyber6

[Bullseye]

Why is it disgusting? I am just talking about perspective and priorities. A dog is not family, a child or loved one. Anyone that thinks a dog "loves them" is a nutcase.

The disgusting thing is that North Americans spend way too much money on critters.

Many people have pets as "family substitutes" - women who would rather have cats than children

That is the pathetic aspect of our society

Sounds more like it is you who is the pathetic element in our society, and I'm not even a big pet person. You're attempting to use moral relativism, which is always a no-win argument. Companion animals are considered family to most owners, not disposable play things.

[frugalman]

Many people have pets as "family substitutes" - women who would rather have cats than children

some of those women may have problems with fertility and cannot have children.

[Bullseye]

some of those women may have problems with fertility and cannot have children.

And even if they didn't, what business is it of anyone else's if they didn't want to have children?

[frugalman]

And even if they didn't, what business is it of anyone else's if they didn't want to have children?

yes i agree.