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Without some form of pet medical care insurance you may be faced with the decision to have the treatment and pay the bill or have your companion die a miserable death, or worse, have them put down.
It's not veterinarian insurance, it's for your peace of mind.
This could be true, but everyone has to look at cost of insurance vs vet bills. Some areas are high for vet bills, some breeds are more prone to problems. Of course you have to do research on pet insurance as well. Some insurance covers accident or illness, but not anything that is genetic or considered pre existing, while others will cover genetic and congenital problems. You also have to look at amount of coverage such as how much they pay. Such as one company only pays 80% and doesn't include exam fee. With monthly premium the insurance would cost 5k+ over the life of pet. This is worth it for people who have high vet bills, even with paying 20% and anticipate their dog will need expensive surgeries. For others, like myself, it doesn't make sense at all.
As these particular plans don't cover the majority of my vet expenses like annual visits, rabies, health testing, ect and I'm okay if I have to pay a one off $500-600 bill for something unexpected.
There are wellness plans which are usually a bit cheaper and cover annual visits, vaccines and preventative care (including spay/neuter). I know of some people who will have it for a year or so, to do initial vacs and s or n, then drop it. It saves them a lot initially, but would cost more than annual exam / booster in 2nd year of life and beyond.
I think suffering through a miserable death is worse than being Put To Sleep.
I don't have pet insurance. I thunk it's up to individual owner. However, I have multiple dogs so it's not feasible. Even if I only had one dog, doing the math would be far more costly for insurance vs vet bills.
What card do you have that using it will keep it interest free?
Citibank, if you pay completely before due date, no interest is charged.
I have it for my dog (Nationwide), but I don't think it's a necessity. Get it while your dog is a puppy and 100% healthy otherwise any and everything is pretty much a pre-existing condition. If you are good at saving I think it's a better idea to put money away for vet care, instead.
Citibank, if you pay completely before due date, no interest is charged.
Oh ok. That's every card (from the non subpar lenders anyway) , I've 14 different cards. Paying in full within your period prevents interest charge. The way I read it was of you make payments it will continually be interest free. Though citi bank did give me a 0% on a 3-4 year old card for a period, because I wasn't using it.... Lol. At least they are good about targeted promos.
You have to really understand what is covered and what is not, and at what age they may no longer be covered, etc. Then, look at how much you'd spend on insurance and would you have just been better off using a credit card when/if you needed to pay a bill.
When I first rescued my dog from a shelter, the vet guessed her to be around 5 years old. The cutoff for long-term disease care, or whatever it is called, was 6 years old. So, I did insure her for a year, then decided to stop paying for it. It was costing me around $50/month and when I re-evaluated the coverage, decided there were just too many things it wouldn't cover and at $600/year, with no guarantee that whatever might happen to her would be covered - I just decided it wasn't worth the cost.
I also, though, don't believe in letting dogs suffer just so I can have them around longer. I am able to make the decision to have them put down, as I would want for myself, if I was suffering.
And in the meantime, I just try to minimize risk to her with good food, monthly heartworm/flea treatments, regular vaccinations, raw bones for her teeth cleaning, etc. I even have a seatbelt rig for her in my truck :-)
I have it for my dog (Nationwide), but I don't think it's a necessity. Get it while your dog is a puppy and 100% healthy otherwise any and everything is pretty much a pre-existing condition. If you are good at saving I think it's a better idea to put money away for vet care, instead.
I also have a plan through Nationwide for my now nine year-old miniature Schnauzer. It's been a lifesaver. He was diagnosed with early stage mitral valve failure three years ago and what I get back from his yearly exam and ultrasound/ekg scans from a canine cardiologist (after the deductible) covers the cost of the plan. He was diagnosed three years ago and is doing great on the minimum dose of Benazapril. It's relieving to not be so stressed over high vet bills.
His policy began at 18 dollars a month at three months old, and has risen to $39 a month at age 9 years. The advice above to get a policy as young as possible is spot-on.
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