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I was thinking about getting pet insurance for our 3 year old Chorkie. When we first got her not too long after she was born the vet mentioned that she had luxating patella on both knees.
I read up on all the pet insurance and most say that they cover congenital and hereditary conditions.
Yet they go on to say unless it is pre-existing. I'm confused because wouldn't something congenital or hereditary be a pre-existing condition?
Anyone have experience with this condition or others and the pet insurance companies?
I agree it's a joke. Just put the money in a separate account for future use. Pre-existing means it's already been diagnosed by the vet. Although your dog has luxating patellas, it doesn't mean she definitely needs surgery. It depends how problematic it is. The surgery isn't cheap either but if she needs it, she needs it. Keep and eye on it and have the vet keep an eye on it.
My opinion is that pet insurance is only worth it if you buy it when you have a young, perfectly healthy puppy. When I say perfectly healthy I mean nothing in your vets records mentioning any type of health issue no worms, ear/eye infection, itchy skin I mean nothing. When it comes to pet insurance any issue will be per-existing and not covered.
You are better off just setting up a savings account and putting in as much as you can in case a medical issues arises with your pet.
Two trips to the vet for a UTI, and I'm already saving money by having pet insurance. You know, health insurance for humans used to operate in the same way by not covering preexisting conditions. It took the government to pass a law to force them to cover preexisting conditions.
Having a genetic predisposition for developing a disease or disorder does not guarantee that one will develop that disease or disorder. So, an insurance company can cover something that is hereditary, but not cover a preexisting condition at the same time. If you had insurance before your dog was diagnosed with having luxating patellas, then the costs for treatment would be covered. A surgery for one luxating patella can cost $1,000-$3,000 according to my former vet. As a student, I don't make that much money, so it would take me years to save up that kind of money. It's much easier for me to just pay a couple of hundred bucks for insurance.
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