is it worth having pet insurance?

Question

we have an 8 week old puppy and im not sure about having pet insurance or not, could anyone advise me please, or is it not the paper its written on !

Answer 1

I would say a qualified yes - it is worth it if you find the right insurance (and I have no recommendation there). Find out if they will cover genetic problems, though, like hip dysplasia.

I talked to other people about this though and they say no. They say put the money you would put in insurance aside in a pet fund and keep it your self. These are mainly people that did not get the coverage from the insurance they were promised.

Answer 2

Without a doubt................we pay £28 a month for unlimited insurance which covers everything apart from spaying, neutering, shots, worming & de-fleaing, the things every dog needs. We started the insurance when our Alaskan Malamute was 10 weeks old (he is now 11 months) & only last month he became really ill to the point that the vets were checking for lupus, liver cancer & the like, they thought there was a good chance we were going to lose him. The vets sent biopsies away to check for the lupus & cancer & they also sent for allergy tests (which alone cost £400).
The results were he had some allergies & his immune system was attacking itself. He is now on the mend because we could get all of the tests done straight away without having to think about the cost, because of the insurance.

The insurance company have just paid a vets bill to the tune of approx £1500 & the treatment is still on going. The insurance will keep on paying until he is well again. We haven't even paid £250 worth of premiums to the insurance yet.

You might be very lucky & never need to use it, but it is worth having "just in case".

Alaskan Malamutes are supposed to be quite hardy dogs but you can always get the exception to the rule with any dog just like we have.

Look around though, make sure you get the best deal for you & your dog. Some companies only cover up to a certain amount for each illness throughout the dogs entire life while others cover for a certain amount each year or you can get unlimited which although it is more expensive if you have a large dog as we have anything you need is going to cost more than for a smaller dog just because of its size.

Answer 3

It is definitely worth having Pet Insurance.

Vets fees can cost you thousands of pounds if your puppy has a serious accident and whilst, fingers crossed, you hope it will never happen dogs get attacked or knocked down by a car on a regular basis.

Always check to see what you are covered for as some only pay up to a certain amount and exclude known conditions that are common with certain breeds.

I would look at The Broker Portals list of recommended Pet Dog Insurers. Most will offer quotes online, allow you to pay monthly and detail exactly what you are covered for.

Answer 4

If you are talking about health insurance, yes it is worth it. We have a kitten and a dog on it. we pay 40 dollars a month for it and we end up saving a lot. My kittens vet bill every month is about a hundred after her shots and tests. The insurance covers her being spayed and de-clawed. My dog was spayed also. The insurance plan is the wellness plan and it has saved us a great deal of money on out pets in the long run. If that is the kind of insurance you are talking about i suggest getting it, especially if you have a puppy, because he will need lots of shots and stuff.

Answer 5

Hi there,

Yes definitely, I have owned two german shepherd dogs, had they both had Petplan insurance, my first GSD had a big spleen operation at 6 years old and my vet went to petplan for the money, I just paid the excess.

And my second German Shepherd Dog who I had the awful task of deciding to have her put to sleep through her cancer had just come back, 3 months earlier she had an xray and they discovered stomach cancer and operated on her (she was 12 years old) and found not only a tumour but a cyst and a bladder infection. All I paid was £118 and the total bill that the vets claimed for was £2609.00.

So yes, yes, yes pet insurance is worth every penny you spend on your dog, cos you never know when they are going to fall ill, and to know you can get your money back from the pet insurance is good, anything major and they claim from the pet insurance direct without you paying anything at all.

Answer 6

it depends on not only the insurance company itself, but the vets policy on insurance. i used to work at a vet and our policy was not to directly accept insurance. the owner of the practice didnt want the "hassle" of dealing direcly with the insurance company so the clients had to pay us upfront and be reimbursed by the insurance company. many vets file insurance claims for you, just like a human doctor. the insurance company most of our clients dealt with was GREAT on paper, not so great when it came down to the nitty gritty of paying claims. we had a suddenly lame dog that needed lots of labs, referrals,xrays etc. and because there was no definite diagnosis, the insurance company wouldnt pay. it was a really weird case and the owners assumption was "i have insurance to help with these bills" and never got that "help". also look into what is considered a pre-existing condition (something as simple as an ear infection could fall into this category) and find out what hereditary issues are excluded as well. there are probably some great companies out there but PLEASE do your homework. you might be better off putting money away in a savings account for your pets health needs.

Answer 7

i totally advice you to get pet insurance it only cost about 10 pound a month and just think if anything ever happened to the dog you would be insured some operations cost hundreds and if anything happened and the dog got lost you could put a ad in the paper and the insurance covers this and hopefully this doesnt happen but if the dog died you would be insured for that too so yes its well worth getting the dog insured

Answer 8

Without a doubt, YES! We got our German Shepherd puppy at 6 weeks, and insured him at 8 weeks with M&S for only £10 per month, with a £60 excess, which includes life cover (which means they agree to cover him for any illness for life...whereas some companies limit the amount of time they'll cover one illness). When he was 16 weeks old, I noticed he'd gone off his food...after a few days, he had chronic diahorrea, and was nearly collapsing, so off to the vets he went. He had to stay in overnight on a drip, and have blood tests...that cost £200 alone. The illness progressively got worse, and more tests had to be carried out...along with more dietary food prescribed, until after two months of him being ill, he was finally diagnosed with Pancreatic Insufficency, which is basically a disorder, where his pancreas can't break down food's properly, and it leaves him underweight, and with diahorrea if untreated. He was prescribed some meds for the condition for 6 weeks, and then he'll have blood's again to be re-checked...he's nearly coming to the end of the 6 weeks now, and we submitted our claim form a few weeks ago for a total of £900...of which they are paying it all, minus the £60 excess. If after the next blood's, he still has the condition, he will be on medication for life...which costs about £60 every 6 weeks...so £10 per week, for the rest of his life...it add's up to a fair bit!

We can all think "it won't happen to us", but for the sake of approx £10 per month, is it really worth it? If you can't afford the £10, then you shouldn't have got a dog...and even if you think you might be able to afford the treatment should he get ill...why bother, when you can be insured and get it all paid for you?? When you're in the vet's when your dog is ill, or has been injured, your mind should be wholeheartedly on your dog, NOT, on how much it's all going to cost...so save yourself the worry, get insured!!

P.S - M&S are *very* good, I've heard nothing but good reports from them, and they've handled my claim brilliantly. They insure puppies from 8 weeks, so go and get a quote!!

www.marksandspencer.com

Answer 9

After losing a dog to cancer *after* his being hit by a car and surviving, I can't help but think that it is! It also depends on the company you're with, because some U.S. companies reimburse more than others.

We love our policy with pets best, and they do cover pre-existing and hereditary conditions to some extent. I don't think it's a lot, but it's more than the others.

You're wise to buy pet insurance *before* something comes up and it's considered pre-existing. Once a vet diagnoses it (or says that it was there before the insurance was purchased), it's in that pre-existing category and won't be paid at the higher rate. We bought pet insurance for our pup, and I'm so glad we did!

Answer 10

I have houserabbits, and would not be without pet insurance. The premiums are higher than for a dog or cat, but given that they recently paid out over £500 for treatment for one that got sick it was well worth it. Even adding up the cost of the premiums over the year it came to £140, so I more than got my money back on that one. Vet care is VERY expensive, do it!