• Anna Bettina Johnson
• Anthony Holloway
• BL Ochman
• Bridget Pilloud
• Janet Roper
• Dr. Jill Elliot

Should you get pet health insurance for your dog or cat? Be sure to compare plans before you buy!

You’re playing ball with your three year-old Lab in the park. He races off like the maniac he is, trips into a hole dug by another dog and cries out in pain.

He can’t get up, and you have never heard a more pitiful sound than the one he’s making. He’s torn his ACL.

Until that happened to my late Lab, Sammy, I didn’t even know dogs had knees!

And pretty soon, you’re looking at a (minimum) $3,000 surgery bill.

Facing Draconian choices
Can’t afford it? Sadly, that’s when a lot of people make the Draconian choice to put their pet down. Would you want to be in the situation? I sure wouldn’t.

If you had pet health insurance, you could see any veterinary surgeon you chose, pay only a portion of the bill, and get whatever type of rehab your dog needs to get him back to chasing a ball without pain. I had insurance when my Lab needed knee surgery, and it paid half the bill. The pet health insurance plan I have now would pay all but my $200 deductible.

Compare pet insurance plans before you buy!
You can compare pet insurance plans and costs here. But check with your vet before you buy to learn how well the plan actually pays, and how quickly. Many plans have hidden caveats, don’t cover weirdly defined pre-existing conditions, or take forever to pay you back. And no matter that they say, the cost of every single pet insurance plan will go up an average of 10-15% a year. Some base it on age, some on “rising veterinary costs in your area” – neither of which you can dispute, or avoid.

My friend Susan’s puppy managed to get strings from a rope toy tangled around the base of her tongue. She’d have choked and died if she hadn’t been rushed to the vet for emergency surgery – which cost $3,750. Luckily, Susan had signed up for pet insurance two weeks earlier, and her portion of the bill was $200.

Benny Bix Ochman Labradoodle Puppy has PetPlan right now, and we have used VPI in the past. We will most likely switch to Trupanion next year because it does not limit the amount it will pay and Pet Plan has a $20K annual limit. Depending on the plan you choose, your co-pay will range from $200 to two-thirds of the charges for surgery, illness, medication and certain holistic treatments. Routine veterinary care – annual exam, vaccines, etc – is not covered. We’re talking about pet major medical.

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2 Comments

Suran Epincet

I agree with you that as vet costs continue to rise, then pet insurance becomes more and more important.
I wouldn’t want to tell my child that her cat had to be put down because of the cost of saving her. I also agree that you need to be aware of the pre-existing condition clauses.

BL Ochman

thank you for this comment. i used your site to look at pet insurance. may go with trupanion next year.