Does anyone have any experience with animal insurance? I have a Bengal kitten and she is on the Petsmart Wellness Plan (office visits are free, vaccinations and spay are taken care of for $20 a month) but I know it's not insurance. I have an older cat (9yrs) and I'm thinking I should get some insurance on him. How does it work? Is it worth it? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
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Pet Insurance?
- Thread starter nyanchan
- Start Date
I did one through my vet. Actually you wound up getting a little bit better deal from the sound of it. Mine gave me for a $60 annual, 20% off all office visits and 10 or 15% off any surgeries. I got it for the first year I had Luna, but I didn't renew again. I think it wound up breaking me even.
Also I want to note THEY called it Pet Insurance...really it was more like a discount program. So if it doesn't sound like insurance, then that's why.
Also I want to note THEY called it Pet Insurance...really it was more like a discount program. So if it doesn't sound like insurance, then that's why.
We have pet insurance that covers both Bijou and Mika and is <$50 per month.
The Basic Insurance is as follows:
Illness care - unlimited
Accident care - unlimited
Dental extract and root canal, injury or infection - unlimited
Advertising and Reward costs for lost cat - up to $500.00
Boarding if the owner has to be in hospital - up to $1,000
Holiday cost insurance (if owner has to cancel trip due to cat illness) - $2,500
Property liability (if your cat destroys someone's property or causes damage to thier animal - $25,000
Death from Illness before age 10 - $1,000 benefit
Death from accident - $1,000 benefit
Cremation or Burial - up to $150.00
The above is the basic insurance - the Champion Plan is recommended for the first year and as well as the above also includes: These $ amounts are all allowed maximums per year.
Annual Preventative Care including vaccinations - up to $116
Kitten Vaccination series $261
Dental Cleaning $385
Heartworm testing and protection - $38 (includes 6 month supply of meds if required)
Flea prevention - 6 months supply
Blood profile - $124 (includes collection)
Urinalysis - $75
Deworm and fecal Test $28
Spay/Neuter - $250
Microchip - $83
Declaw or emergency declaw (don't know why one would need it) $106.
This is a Canadian plan and it is less expensive if you live in a rural area (not sure why that is either).
They have a website where you can download their brochure so if there are any Canadians out there interested in this plan, contact me. This is the plan recommended to us by our vet.
We consider this as one of our monthly bills just like the telephone, hydro, etc.
Oops, I lied - it's $65.70/mo. for both Bijou and Mika. After the first year you can add other cats from the same household at reduced rates, i.e., our daughter had Mika insured for 1 year and claimed for vaccinations, spaying, microchipping and annual checkup and was paying $47 per month and now that the year is up and Mika has had no major illness we can add Bijou and the monthly cost only goes to $65.70 for both.
The Basic Insurance is as follows:
Illness care - unlimited
Accident care - unlimited
Dental extract and root canal, injury or infection - unlimited
Advertising and Reward costs for lost cat - up to $500.00
Boarding if the owner has to be in hospital - up to $1,000
Holiday cost insurance (if owner has to cancel trip due to cat illness) - $2,500
Property liability (if your cat destroys someone's property or causes damage to thier animal - $25,000
Death from Illness before age 10 - $1,000 benefit
Death from accident - $1,000 benefit
Cremation or Burial - up to $150.00
The above is the basic insurance - the Champion Plan is recommended for the first year and as well as the above also includes: These $ amounts are all allowed maximums per year.
Annual Preventative Care including vaccinations - up to $116
Kitten Vaccination series $261
Dental Cleaning $385
Heartworm testing and protection - $38 (includes 6 month supply of meds if required)
Flea prevention - 6 months supply
Blood profile - $124 (includes collection)
Urinalysis - $75
Deworm and fecal Test $28
Spay/Neuter - $250
Microchip - $83
Declaw or emergency declaw (don't know why one would need it) $106.
This is a Canadian plan and it is less expensive if you live in a rural area (not sure why that is either).
They have a website where you can download their brochure so if there are any Canadians out there interested in this plan, contact me. This is the plan recommended to us by our vet.
We consider this as one of our monthly bills just like the telephone, hydro, etc.
Oops, I lied - it's $65.70/mo. for both Bijou and Mika. After the first year you can add other cats from the same household at reduced rates, i.e., our daughter had Mika insured for 1 year and claimed for vaccinations, spaying, microchipping and annual checkup and was paying $47 per month and now that the year is up and Mika has had no major illness we can add Bijou and the monthly cost only goes to $65.70 for both.
I asked my vet on that and he suggested - which I agree with - that it's much better just to put a specific amount of money away per month - creating a health care account for kitty !!!! That way monies are always available in case of medical issues!
Everyone has to do what they are comfortable with, but for me personally I always wonder if I could have afforded more money at the time (like the unlimited insurance for a sick kitty) if I would have pursued Simba's treatment and possibly saved his life.
I also think it depends on what kind of insurance you can get where you live and if it's really worth it or not. I've seen and heard of some plans that anyone would be a fool to pay for and would be much better off putting aside the money. Unfortunately not everyone is able to save money on a regular basis as something always seems to come up where you need that money you were going to put aside. For others it is very easy to delegate that money and put it aside without "dipping" into it.
I personally just find it easier to pay it as a bill every month and know that it is taken care of.
Well this is a FIRST for me! I`ve never heard of pet insurance before!!!
Linda
Linda
As real as it gets! And if you have a seriously sick animal, cat or dog, that may cost you several thousand dollars, you may be very glad you have pet insurance.
Basically all of Mika's vaccinations, spaying, flea treatments and microchipping all were covered under the insurance.
I also like the dental coverage as it can be very costly to have their teeth cleaned.
I never knew about this either, I'm going to ask my vet about it next time we take Harley in, it sounds like a great thing to have!
I have full coverage Gold on both of my babies .. costs me about $30/month and its worth it. My vet is the best in town but you pay for it too! haha.
So I have Petcare at http://www.petcareinsurance.com/us/index.asp and so far they have been great. They have a great 'indoor cat' policy thats not too expensive ($10/month) and covers most of the problems indoor kitties could have. You have to pay the vet completely yourself though, then submit a claim fto Petcare for reimbursement. Thats sometimes a hassle having the money upfront. Its a very legitimate thing -- Its like my auto policy -- an underwriter with policy restrictions and a packet of info.
Unfortunately for me, my Bella had a pre-existing condition and they wont cover any of her expensive vet bills (in excess of $5000 this year!! :-O) but I guess I cant fault them for that. She had it before I got pet insurance. So you can bet that my new little one has pet insurance from the start.
So I have Petcare at http://www.petcareinsurance.com/us/index.asp and so far they have been great. They have a great 'indoor cat' policy thats not too expensive ($10/month) and covers most of the problems indoor kitties could have. You have to pay the vet completely yourself though, then submit a claim fto Petcare for reimbursement. Thats sometimes a hassle having the money upfront. Its a very legitimate thing -- Its like my auto policy -- an underwriter with policy restrictions and a packet of info.
Unfortunately for me, my Bella had a pre-existing condition and they wont cover any of her expensive vet bills (in excess of $5000 this year!! :-O) but I guess I cant fault them for that. She had it before I got pet insurance. So you can bet that my new little one has pet insurance from the start.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
...if my cat has issues with UTI's, will I still be able to get insurance for him? I'm trying to figure out which is best: (1) pet insurance or (2) Petsmart wellness plan. I believe petsmart wellness plan varies from $15.95/month to $34.95/month depending on the plan, but what I like about it is that the office visits are taken care of and all yearly vaccinations. The downside is that it only covers certain things and I don't think UTI's are covered. Also, the petsmart vets are very nice, but they seem to know more about dogs than cats <perhaps that's only in my opinion/area
> The insurance, I've heard *pls someone correct me if I'm wrong!* that depending on the plan, I would have to pay, say $200 of the initial vet fee's, then the insurance picks up on everything that costs more than $200 for the same illness. I'm still not too sure on how the insurance thing works...
What do you guys suggest for my cat? 9yrs, neutered and UTI-prone...this year alone I've probably spent a couple thousand dollars in vet bills for his UTI drama!
With Petcare there is definitely a deductible and I have the 70% plan, so they only pay 70% after my $75 deductible. AND I think its a 1 yr waiting period with no history of a disease that they dont consider chronic. My Bella has Inflammatory Bowel Disease and is something she will never be cured of, so of course they wont cover. Petcare is good if you want to call/email them for a quote. I got a quote very quickly and they explained it all for me.
On the other hand, I dont know if I will keep the level of coverage I have for Bella (Gold) because everything she sees the vet for seems to all be related to her IBD which they WONT cover. grrrr. So at this point, I may save the $$ and just go back down to minimum coverage. But even at top coverage (GOLD) its only $15/month per cat, so its not breaking the bank at this point.. Hope this all helps you make a decision.
On the other hand, I dont know if I will keep the level of coverage I have for Bella (Gold) because everything she sees the vet for seems to all be related to her IBD which they WONT cover. grrrr. So at this point, I may save the $$ and just go back down to minimum coverage. But even at top coverage (GOLD) its only $15/month per cat, so its not breaking the bank at this point.. Hope this all helps you make a decision.
Unfortunately, if he has an existing UTI I doubt you would be able to get a pet plan anywhere to cover any future expenses.Originally Posted by nyanchan
...if my cat has issues with UTI's, will I still be able to get insurance for him? I'm trying to figure out which is best: (1) pet insurance or (2) Petsmart wellness plan. I believe petsmart wellness plan varies from $15.95/month to $34.95/month depending on the plan, but what I like about it is that the office visits are taken care of and all yearly vaccinations. The downside is that it only covers certain things and I don't think UTI's are covered. Also, the petsmart vets are very nice, but they seem to know more about dogs than cats <perhaps that's only in my opinion/area> The insurance, I've heard *pls someone correct me if I'm wrong!* that depending on the plan, I would have to pay, say $200 of the initial vet fee's, then the insurance picks up on everything that costs more than $200 for the same illness. I'm still not too sure on how the insurance thing works...What do you guys suggest for my cat? 9yrs, neutered and UTI-prone...this year alone I've probably spent a couple thousand dollars in vet bills for his UTI drama!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
Hey don't take my word for it as I'm just guessing - it's worth checking out. It certainly can't hurt.Originally Posted by nyanchan
...man...sux for me!Oh well, the Petsmart wellness plan it is then!
I set up an HSA-like account with my bank for the kitties. It's a savings account that I withdraw from for only vet visits. Every month, I put about $100 in to cover any emergencies that crop up. I also made sure my vet offers low-interest payment plans for accidents or non-elective procedures.
That's one suggestion...
That's one suggestion...
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I looked into pet insurence , but found it prohibative since I have an elderly cat , a middle age dog neither of which they would insure or cover what I need ... my youngest likely could but I just talk to my vet when$$$ is isssue
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We have 4 dogs and 7 cats. Most of them have pet insurance. We use VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance). You can check their plans online at www.petinsurance.com.
It has been a great help when one of our dogs had knee surgery. The plan is approx. $25US, depending on what plan you choose. You pay upfront, submit a claim form and generally receive reimburstment within 10 days.
Hope that helps,
GinnyFanClub
www.ginnyfanclub.com
It has been a great help when one of our dogs had knee surgery. The plan is approx. $25US, depending on what plan you choose. You pay upfront, submit a claim form and generally receive reimburstment within 10 days.
Hope that helps,
GinnyFanClub
www.ginnyfanclub.com
Apperently Massachusetts does not offer Pet Insurance.......
Oh well there goes that idea.....
Oh well there goes that idea.....
