Pet Insurance

[fabsroman]

Anybody out there have health insurance for their dog? I am seriously thinking about getting it, but haven't looked into the particulars yet.

What does the insurance typically cover? Is it only "emergency" stuff, or does it cover shots and checkups?

How does the claims process work?

Are you happy with your insurance company, and if so, what is their name? Likewise, if you are unhappy, what is the name of the insurance company so that I can stay away from them.

[Hawkeye6]

Interesting question. I've heard of this stuff before, but have not looked into it. We've got one dog right now but will be getting another this spring.

I presume that this stuff does not cover the 'regular' stuff like exams, heart worm medication, etc?

[Mil Dot]

www.petinsurance.com

This is the VPI that huntingdoc was referring to. I did a quick quote scenario for my yellow and it came up at just under $50/month. I have no idea what exactly that all covers as just did it in a couple of minutes out of curiosity so you would need to research their info.

[McPat]

$50 per month per dog = $600 Per year per dog. How much do you spend on health care per year?! I have 3 dogs (and 2 cats) and have never spent that kind of money. Incidentely, I have a 17 year old dog.
McPat

[huntingvet]

I'm sure most companies will send you an informative brochure when asked. I am confident that VPI has a plan just for catastrophic care that is significantly cheaper than $50 per month. I know they have other plans that cover some preventive care, therapies for cancer, etc. Just make sure you know what you are buying.

[fabsroman]

This past emergency visit cost me about $500, but sans emergencies I usually spend about $150 on preventitive care.

Regarding health care, here is another issue. How many people have their pet's teeth cleaned. Nitro's teeth are pretty clean, so I haven't had to deal with this issue, but the ex-fiance had her dogs' teeth cleaned and they had to be knocked out for the procedure. Is this something that is normal, because it cost a decent amount. Just trying to see if the Gucci vet pulled one over on her.

[TreeDoc]

That's normal, Fabs. That is if your dogs teeth need to be cleaned. I had Jack's done about 6-8 months ago. I wanted to do it a couple years ago but my Vet suggested that we wait because he wasn't real bad on the tarter and he prefers not to put a dog under for just that procedure alone if he can avoid it. When he finally did Jack's OFA radiograph at 69 months we went for it then since they had to knock him out.

The reason I was concerned about Jack's teeth is that he will not chew on things. He's obviously trained as a retreiver and when I buy him those Kongs, Nylabones, and the like, he will only bring them to me and will never sit down and just gnaw on it like he should. He's a Kook!

[huntingvet]

Couldn't have put it better than that Tree Doc.

The AVMA and other organizations report that dental disease is the number one illness in our pets. It can range from mild plaque to full blown dental infections, tooth loss, pain, and health risks for the lungs, heart, liver, and kidneys.

An effort is being made by the profession in general to be more proactive in addressing this concern to try to prevent more serious illnesses.

Dental prophylactic cleanings are best done while under general anesthesia. There are some groups and veterinarians that provide "anesthestic free" dental cleanings. I consider these less than optimal and some argue that it may actually put the pet at risk by injuring them during the procedure or delaying proper diagnosis and treatment of dental disease. In some states, these "anesthetic free" dental cleanings are illegal for anyone to perform without the direct supervision of a veterinanarian.

There are many things that you can do at home to keep your pets teeth healthy. Ideally, pets would get their teeth brushed daily using pet toothpaste, have oral/dental evaluations by their doctor every six months, and have dental prophylactic cleanings peformed when indicated. Practically, however, this can be difficult to keep up.

My personal opinion is that if we wait to perform dental cleanings only when their is major infection or tooth loss, we've waited too long. How early is too early? That is difficult to say because I think it depends on each individual case. However, the benefit of a dental prophylactic cleaning needs to be carefully weighed against the potential risk of general anesthesia.

[jcfowlplay]

My Weimaraner just turned two last friday and had his 3rd big surgery on that day. (One of them was getting fixed). He has a pension for getting himself in trouble in odd ways. This time he had a thorn under is skin. Scar tissue was building up and the whole thing was swelling up with fluids. Bottom line is that I laughed at my girlfriend for suggesting the insurance when we got him at 8 weeks old, but it has literally saved me thousands. It does cover routine vaccinations. Also, when he was under last friday we did have dental work done. We heard the same things about how it is a great thing to do. It may not be practical for all but for 27 bucks a month it has been great for me.

[TreeDoc]

jc, welcome aboard! Hey, tell us which policy you have, who's the underwriter. I think that would be helpful to those considering it.

[rick savage]

i would be glad to pay 50 bucks a month, but i have 29 hog dogs, that would be less than one visit