Pet Insurance?

[Our03z4]

Anyone on here pay for pet insurance and have filed a claim? If so how'd it go and who do you use?

We're thinking about getting insurance on our two guys. Our last pair wound up costing us a pretty penny near the end of their lives. One had blood cancer which caused an $8k surgery and the other had Lupus. One of our current pups has had two random vet visits in the last two years which cost between $1 - 2k each visit

I'm just wondering how good they are at paying and if they try to get out of it like using a cars extended warranty.

Thanks!

[RickFLM4]

We use Nationwide and they are good about paying. If all you have are routine vet trips, it will be a net cost out. If you have anything significant (like my dog having 25 teeth removed), you will probably come out ahead. The rates do increase over time and the benefits have caps on them, which are too numerous to really memorize. We just submit the claims and take what we get. For example, one of the dogs is on heart medicine and they paid for 3 mos. worth, but I think that is all they will pay. There are some posts about it in the Pet Thread.

You need to start when they are pups as any pre-existing conditions are excluded - and they will go through vet records before binding coverage.

(FWIW, I also have very good experience with extended auto warranties from Fidelity as well.)

[Marmugmotleocay]

I bought the AKC trial version when I bought my Rottweiler puppy I was being a good parent. We took him to the vet during the trial period. He was diagnosed with chronic diarrhea. I bought the full year pet insurance after that thinking it was a good idea. I spent $8000 on his diarrhea. We were at the vet every Friday. We went to a specialist. We got a second opinion. They did barium studies and all kinds of tests. Then we find out because he was seen for it under the trial the limits were significantly lower. I canceled it after the year.
My boy was a champ about it. We put him through hell trying to get him better. He wound up with all kinds of issues probably from us trying to fix his diarrhea ( diabetes , pancreatitis,). We had to put him down at 6 years old.
I haven’t bought any insurance on any puppy since.

[XutvJet]

I'm sure it will be an unpopular opinion in this thread, but Y'all are crazy spending that amount of coin on the health of an animal. I get needing to throw some money at it, but thousands and thousands? Lots of times, vets are just going to throw darts at an issue and usually high cost to you.

I did spend $1500 to cut the back leg off our prior cat because the feline leukemia vaccine gave him cancer in that leg, but that is all the work we were willing to put in on him. He lived another 4 years before the cancers showed back up and took him out. We also spent $800 on our current cat to figure out her asthma attacks. Vets had no clue, ran all sorts of wasteful tests, lots of speculation on their end, and them wanting more money to run more tests. On a whim, I monitored pollen types and counts vs when she got the attacks. It turned out when nettles pollen counts were high, she had attacks. I started giving her Claritin and no more attacks.

I do think vets prey on people's crazy bonkers love for their animals.

[Our03z4]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

I'm sure it will be an unpopular opinion in this thread, but Y'all are crazy spending that amount of coin on the health of an animal. I get needing to throw some money at it, but thousands and thousands? Lots of times, vets are just going to throw darts at an issue and usually high cost to you.

I did spend $1500 to cut the back leg off our prior cat because the feline leukemia vaccine gave him cancer in that leg, but that is all the work we were willing to put in on him. He lived another 4 years before the cancers showed back up and took him out. We also spent $800 on our current cat to figure out her asthma attacks. Vets had no clue, ran all sorts of wasteful tests, lots of speculation on their end, and them wanting more money to run more tests. On a whim, I monitored pollen types and counts vs when she got the attacks. It turned out when nettles pollen counts were high, she had attacks. I started giving her Claritin and no more attacks.

I do think vets prey on people's crazy bonkers love for their animals.

Well I'm not for the $8k we spent on our one, the vet even advised not to since they cost and only a 50/50 it would work, plus a 1-4mth outlook after that. He lived almost a year after thanks to her research and care.

My wife decided she wanted to move forward with the surgery and she never asks for much so we did. Him and her were best friends, that dog loved her till the end of the earth and never questioned anything she asked of him. He was an agility and dock diving dog so they had a pretty tight bond. It's been 2 years since he passed and she still isn't over it.

A few K here and there isn't world ending. We don't have children so it isn't a big deal, if we did I think the situation would be different. I also feel like we have weird luck getting dogs that have unusual personalities, almost human like. One of them we have right now is very odd, everyone says he's like a person and I agree. Our other feels like just a good dog. I know people say those without children usually feel a more human connection to them, but I could be fine without any, so for me to say that is something.

[Our03z4]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

We use Nationwide and they are good about paying. If all you have are routine vet trips, it will be a net cost out. If you have anything significant (like my dog having 25 teeth removed), you will probably come out ahead. The rates do increase over time and the benefits have caps on them, which are too numerous to really memorize. We just submit the claims and take what we get. For example, one of the dogs is on heart medicine and they paid for 3 mos. worth, but I think that is all they will pay. There are some posts about it in the Pet Thread.

You need to start when they are pups as any pre-existing conditions are excluded - and they will go through vet records before binding coverage.

(FWIW, I also have very good experience with extended auto warranties from Fidelity as well.)

Thank you for your response, that's what I was wanting to know.

Originally Posted by Marmugmotleocay

I bought the AKC trial version when I bought my Rottweiler puppy I was being a good parent. We took him to the vet during the trial period. He was diagnosed with chronic diarrhea. I bought the full year pet insurance after that thinking it was a good idea. I spent $8000 on his diarrhea. We were at the vet every Friday. We went to a specialist. We got a second opinion. They did barium studies and all kinds of tests. Then we find out because he was seen for it under the trial the limits were significantly lower. I canceled it after the year.
My boy was a champ about it. We put him through hell trying to get him better. He wound up with all kinds of issues probably from us trying to fix his diarrhea ( diabetes , pancreatitis,). We had to put him down at 6 years old.
I haven’t bought any insurance on any puppy since.

Thank you for your response as well. Sorry to hear you had a such a rough time with your pup and sorry it didn't work out in your favor. It's hard when they can't tell us what's going on.

[zx10guy]

I had VPI which later turned into Nationwide. Same level of coverage when the shift happened. I bought the higher package that included coverage for annual checkups and routine vaccinations. I got the insurance on my cat (deceased now) when he was a kitten. So what Rick says is very important in getting coverage early. I got my insurance coverage through an employer benefit which provided a small discount. From what I recall, the rates were still very reasonable over the years.

My cat developed a heart condition that required a bunch of specialists. If I didn't have pet insurance, it would have been a very difficult decision to go ahead with all the advanced care. But insurance covered about 2/3rds of the cost. When I had to put down my cat due to a bunch of health issues, Nationwide sent back a refund for the pro-rated premium I paid for the year proactively. I didn't even have to reach out to them.

The only negative with Nationwide is that you have to pay up front and then submit the claim to get refunded.

[bagekko]

Just like you wouldn't spend $10k to fix a $5k car....

Vets are the biggest scam around these days, they can charge whatever they want and people will pay, pets never had all these problems decades ago, they will try their best to keep your pet alive for the next big bill. Best advice, don't get attached in the first place. I tell young people that want to be a Dr, there's no money in that anymore and too much bureaucracy, Vet school is where the big bucks are these days.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by bagekko

I tell young people that want to be a Dr, there's no money in that anymore and too much bureaucracy, Vet school is where the big bucks are these days.

The last couple of prosthodontists I went to were working four-day weeks and living very well. A friend was a salesperson for a company manufacturing the equipment used in those offices. In 2016, she told me her company estimated the two doctors' personal incomes from their practices were $350K and $450K.

Dentists have been able to avoid the bureaucracy that doctors offices have to deal with. I think there's just a lot less insurance coverage involved. The wife had a $10K implant (don't ask) done back in the teens, and she recently had a pair of implants that ran $12K (we live in a cheaper state now, and these were less complicated implants). Our dental insurance hardly put a dent in either of those charges.

[xander_g]

My dog just went through chemo, multiple blood transfusions, etc. total bill was over 30k. For smaller stuff in the past, I would just fill out a claim form and email it to the insurance company and they would reimburse me 80%. For this recent issue, they requested clinical notes and records, detailed invoices, etc. Still ended up paying despite taking longer than usual. I still would have spent the money regardless of whether I had a policy or not.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by bagekko

Just like you wouldn't spend $10k to fix a $5k car....

Vets are the biggest scam around these days, they can charge whatever they want and people will pay, pets never had all these problems decades ago, they will try their best to keep your pet alive for the next big bill. Best advice, don't get attached in the first place. I tell young people that want to be a Dr, there's no money in that anymore and too much bureaucracy, Vet school is where the big bucks are these days.

Huhhhh what? The reason you need to put 10k to fix the 5k hypothetical car is because you bought a 5k car that's worth more. Nothing wrong with that.

If I buy a clapped 335i n54 for example for 5k I'm going to expect to put in at least 5k. That's just how it is. If you get rid of your car the moment you put more than what you paid for it then idk what to tell you, don't buy used cars.

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by bagekko

Just like you wouldn't spend $10k to fix a $5k car....

Vets are the biggest scam around these days, they can charge whatever they want and people will pay, pets never had all these problems decades ago, they will try their best to keep your pet alive for the next big bill. Best advice, don't get attached in the first place. I tell young people that want to be a Dr, there's no money in that anymore and too much bureaucracy, Vet school is where the big bucks are these days.

Don’t get a dog or cat is better advice than don’t get attached. If you’re not gonna be attached to the pet, there’s no point in having a pet like a dog or cat.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Don’t get a dog or cat is better advice than don’t get attached. If you’re not gonna be attached to the pet, there’s no point in having a pet like a dog or cat.

This is true. Your pet is meant to be loved, so yeah, get attached.

[Watching The World Burn]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Huhhhh what? The reason you need to put 10k to fix the 5k hypothetical car is because you bought a 5k car that's worth more. Nothing wrong with that.

If I buy a clapped 335i n54 for example for 5k I'm going to expect to put in at least 5k. That's just how it is. If you get rid of your car the moment you put more than what you paid for it then idk what to tell you, don't buy used cars.

Funny story - my buddy bought a used Nissan Skyline R33 and imported if (obviously) from Japan. Very shortly after, it started to have issues, seemed minor at first, but whatever shop he took it too had a wicked in house ride that they took him on. They showed him that it had crank walk and a whole host of other crap. So he wound up paying...had to be at least half, but probably more than half of what he paid for the car initially just to repair it.

Know what happens after he gets it all fixed up? Takes me out and a few others on some rides and then turns around and sells it. Runs real nice and he sells the thing. At a loss. As in, he basically got around what he imported it for. Out of pocket for all the repairs.

I couldn't believe it. Asked him what he was doing. I told him to keep it for a while at least now that he had it running well, but whatever. He's always sort of hit a loss with almost all of his cars. Except the latest, but that's another story for another day.

Originally Posted by RickFLM4

Don’t get a dog or cat is better advice than don’t get attached. If you’re not gonna be attached to the pet, there’s no point in having a pet like a dog or cat.

Originally Posted by Esteban

This is true. Your pet is meant to be loved, so yeah, get attached.

I sort of agree with both of you in the sense that you should love them because they certainly love you. And make their life enjoyable too - do stuff for them (walks for dogs, for cats, no fricking clue, guess maybe just stay out of their life and leave some catnip out?).

But I would say its important to not lose perspective and realize that at the end, they are still just an animal. They aren't your son / daughter despite lots of people treating them exactly like that. They aren't human.

So at some point, financially speaking mostly, you pull the plug. That differs for everyone depending on their financial status, so there is no bright line...but I can't fathom spending $10K on my dog. I could afford it, yes. But it doesn't make sense. At that kind of money, he has a very serious issue clearly and it is something that is impacting his quality of life. So most likely, he's gone. Now my wife might have other opinions. And I'm known to cave at times to her. So we'll see. But for now, that's the level I'm at. Different for everyone though...but can't lose perspective that it is at the end just an animal.

[Our03z4]

Originally Posted by Watching The World Burn

Funny story - my buddy bought a used Nissan Skyline R33 and imported if (obviously) from Japan. Very shortly after, it started to have issues, seemed minor at first, but whatever shop he took it too had a wicked in house ride that they took him on. They showed him that it had crank walk and a whole host of other crap. So he wound up paying...had to be at least half, but probably more than half of what he paid for the car initially just to repair it.

Know what happens after he gets it all fixed up? Takes me out and a few others on some rides and then turns around and sells it. Runs real nice and he sells the thing. At a loss. As in, he basically got around what he imported it for. Out of pocket for all the repairs.

I couldn't believe it. Asked him what he was doing. I told him to keep it for a while at least now that he had it running well, but whatever. He's always sort of hit a loss with almost all of his cars. Except the latest, but that's another story for another day.






I sort of agree with both of you in the sense that you should love them because they certainly love you. And make their life enjoyable too - do stuff for them (walks for dogs, for cats, no fricking clue, guess maybe just stay out of their life and leave some catnip out?).

But I would say its important to not lose perspective and realize that at the end, they are still just an animal. They aren't your son / daughter despite lots of people treating them exactly like that. They aren't human.

So at some point, financially speaking mostly, you pull the plug. That differs for everyone depending on their financial status, so there is no bright line...but I can't fathom spending $10K on my dog. I could afford it, yes. But it doesn't make sense. At that kind of money, he has a very serious issue clearly and it is something that is impacting his quality of life. So most likely, he's gone. Now my wife might have other opinions. And I'm known to cave at times to her. So we'll see. But for now, that's the level I'm at. Different for everyone though...but can't lose perspective that it is at the end just an animal.

That's what happened to me. My normally tough as nails wife was bawling her eyes out and said we have to do the $8k surgery. I did it just for her not for the pup.

[Esteban]

I love my cat, but I am not spending ridiculous amounts of money on her. $10,000 is a ridiculous amount of money in my opinion. My wife would agree.

[Alfisti]

Originally Posted by bagekko

Just like you wouldn't spend $10k to fix a $5k car....

Vets are the biggest scam around these days, they can charge whatever they want and people will pay, pets never had all these problems decades ago, they will try their best to keep your pet alive for the next big bill. Best advice, don't get attached in the first place. I tell young people that want to be a Dr, there's no money in that anymore and too much bureaucracy, Vet school is where the big bucks are these days.

This. I grew up on a small farm, roofus got sick, sorry mate, that's all she wrote.

[dark_snipers]

Originally Posted by Esteban

I love my cat, but I am not spending ridiculous amounts of money on her. $10,000 is a ridiculous amount of money in my opinion. My wife would agree.

And at some point you have to consider the life that they'll be able to live after the fact. We removed tumors from our dog twice, and both times they came back not too long after, and worse than they were before. She knew, and we felt it was best for her not to keep trying, let alone considering the cost of continuing to do so.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by dark_snipers

And at some point you have to consider the life that they'll be able to live after the fact. We removed tumors from our dog twice, and both times they came back not too long after, and worse than they were before. She knew, and we felt it was best for her not to keep trying, let alone considering the cost of continuing to do so.

Some people feel like any amount of money for a little more life is worth it. I don't agree with that. If you have a puppy or kitten and will be spending a reasonable amount of money to get a full life, then yes. But thousands for a few more months? Sometimes you have to make the hard decisions, especially for an older animal, and move on.

[Clark_Kent]

We have Nationwide as well. Had it since we brought our pup home at 8 weeks old and she's now 7. The monthly premium started in the low $40s and it's now in the $80s. The policy pays for 90% once you hit the $250 deductible, so that's nice. We've used it several times and are ahead by a significant margin. She's had a few surgeries over the years that would have cost about $25K. Once you add in the cost of therapy, routine vet visits, annual flea and tick and heartworm, spay, dental cleaning, prescriptions - including dog food, other random visits. If you care deeply about your pet like we do, getting insurance is an easy decision. I would hate to have to think about whether I want to spend a large sum of money to save their life.

The claims process is super easy and I can count maybe twice a claim has been denied and I've submit no fewer than 40 claims. Claim payments are available for direct deposit in the account of your choosing within 5-10 days after submission. No complaints with Nationwide thus far.

[tranquility]

I'm no longer a pet owner but I found this thread interesting. I hear this all the time: pets are to be cherished, but they are not human and hence not as important. I dunno how I feel about that, are we superior? We are supposedly more intelligent but a lot of ppl esp in masses are an annoying, idiotic and sometimes dangerous bunch; in contrast, it's only when one meets individuals and gets to know them that there is the possibility for a real connection.

Maybe some ppl don't want to admit it, esp if their choice was to be made public, but I really doubt that if asked which life they would spare and the other will be killed, would they save their pet or some random dude on the street?

[RickFLM4]

Originally Posted by tranquility

I'm no longer a pet owner but I found this thread interesting. I hear this all the time: pets are to be cherished, but they are not human and hence not as important. I dunno how I feel about that, are we superior? We are supposedly more intelligent but a lot of ppl esp in masses are an annoying, idiotic and sometimes dangerous bunch; in contrast, it's only when one meets individuals and gets to know them that there is the possibility for a real connection.

Maybe some ppl don't want to admit it, esp if their choice was to be made public, but I really doubt that if asked which life they would spare and the other will be killed, would they save their pet or some random dude on the street?

That’s easy. There’s more than ample supply of random dudes around, and more than a few of them annoy me, so…