Pet Insurance.?

Question

I just got a Doberman Pincher puppy, weve had him now for 2wks. He's almost 3 months old.

There a couple of options out there as far as pet insurances goes, but whats the best?

Do yo have pet insurance, if so, what would you recommend?

Answer 1

There are a couple of good pet insurance companies but you've really got to read the fine print. You are smart to be insuring your puppy while he's young, you'll always get the broadest coverage for young pets because they have no or few pre-existing conditions. So many pet owners wait until their cat or dog is 5 or 6 before they get pet insurance and by then your pet often has pre-existing conditions.

Still, you'll want to make sure your pet insurance company covers:

* Genetic and hereditary conditions. According to my genetics book, Dobermann's are susceptible to atrial septal defect, dilated cardiomyopathy, muzzle folliculitis, gastric-dilation volvulus, chronic hepatitis, and others, to name a few.

* Chronic and recurring conditions. Make sure your pet insurance company covers treatment year after year. Some insurance companies will stop paying out on a condition after the first year so be careful. For example, if your puppy gets a stomach illness this year then some companies will consider it pre-existing next year! Crazy but true.

Some pet owners want their pet insurance to cover routine care but I don't think that's a smart choice. If you know that you'll take your dog in for vaccinations and a checkup every year, you can save for it, why go to an insurance company? Insurance should be for stuff you can't plan for.

In general if you choose a higher deductible you can save substantially on the insurance. Of course this means that you'll have to have a little bit saved up yourself. There is one pet insurance company that offers major medical pet insurance too, it's got broad coverage and with a high deductible it's very affordable.

You can visit any veterinarian you like and get whatever treatment you need. There are no PPO or HMO concepts so there is no "network" so to speak. But you do have to pay the claim first and be reimbursed so ask how long the company typically takes to pay claims.

There are three companies I would recommend you investigate:

1. http://www.petsbest.com
2. http://www.gopetplan.com
3. http://www.embracepetinsurance.com

Good luck, you're doing the right thing for your puppy, vet care is incredibly advanced but incredibly expensive. He deserves the best.

Answer 2

I am not a pug owner, but a dog owner with pet insurance. We have VPI. The thing to remember is that with any plan, you will pay full price up front and then submit a claim for reimbursement. I pay around $30 a month for full coverage. VPI does have a set amount of money that they pay for each procedure, vaccine, etc. So they only pay a portion of your total bill. I just had annual shots done, and I paid $150. VPI will probably reimburse me $75 or $80. That said, last year my dog developed a bad bacterial infection and had to go to the Emergency Vet. I walked out with a bill of close to $1500. I was reimbursed $1200 of that. I had had the policy for a year at that point, so $30 x 12 is $360.00. You can see that I made out, big time. All in all, I would recommend it. Just make sure to read the fine print and get a policy that will work for you.

Answer 3

I am going to be getting pet insurance on my dogs that I have because a lot of them are not as expensive every month as you would think. First ask your trusted vet if there is any they would recommend or start researching it on the internet. Some have payments every month as low as 10, 13, 20 dollars which honestly I do not think is so bad. And thats for the basic insurance and a lot of basic insurances cover all lab testing, sometimes getting the animal spayed or neutered, accidents, emergency services, minor surgeries and a big chunk off of major surgeries. I know the one thing that scares me to death is something 1) Happening to my son, and 2) Something happening to my dogs which are also my babies and family and who I love and not being able to do anything to help them out when they have always been loyal and such friends insurance is something that is truly amazing especially since if you dont have money and god forbid a car hits them or they get into something they will be taken care of. I don't have the name of the website on the one I'm going to do right now but I can try to find it and e-mail it to you. That and since he is 3 months your payment every month wont be as much generally since he is still a puppy and it likely wont go up if you start him out now.

Answer 4

I don't have pet insurance for my dog. I figure if I keep up with her shots, get lots of runs in, and be sure to keep down on the table scraps, we'll come out ahead.

In the event of serious trouble, I have an untouched credit card I'd put through the roof to save her.

Answer 5

I don't have pet insurance, but AKC offers it.