The newest member of the Poochie household since Feb. 9 has been Molly, a very sweet and cuddly 3 month-old lab/pit bull/pointer mix. I haven't owned a dog in 14 years, so I forgot many of the nuances of dog ownership (lesson one: hide your shoes, or buy cheap shoes that you won't miss if they end up getting chewed to bits).

Molly has been going for her shots at the local vet and will get spayed in April. I'm noticing that visits to the vet are far more expensive that the days when I had my dog as a teenager.

Is health insurance worth it for a dog? Is it worth it for a healthy puppy? Cost seems to be around $32/month for fairly decent coverage, although wellness visits aren't covered.

I think that it may be a better deal if my pup develops health problems down the road, but the worst she has done was eat the cats' food and lick me to death every day.

depends on your financial situation. A friends cat has cost her over 2 grand in vet bills in the last 14 months due to fights/accidents. Insurance and co=pays would be half that probably.

The cat is now walking with a permanent limp, and will be an indoor cat for the rest of his life.

We have it on our two dogs. It's not too bad when they are young, but the older they get the more expensive it becomes. I think we pay $600 a year on our older dog, $250 on the younger one. ,However a $300 vet bill was reimbursed last year because she developed an ear hematoma (sp) she had. She had one about 4 years ago too. I think it can get the insurance for less, but my wife has all the bells and whistles, i.e. cancer rider.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2008 02:27PM by geon.

I just spent $1600 on my 10 year old lab... his knee blew out and they had to go in and tie it back together. It's was the first major expense for him so based on your $32/mo coverage I'm still ahead of the game. We've toyed with the idea of insurance before, but have had pretty good luck with all our animals so don't think we'll ever buy it.

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earache

It's a good deal when you have extraordinary vet expenses. It doesn't normally cover well-dog visits and/or vaccinations.

I had it on my greyhound and they covered her quite well. They even covered the vet expenses when she developed a sarcoma and also covered the final expenses when we had to put her down.

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richorlin

I think for the first 2-3 years and for a dog or cat approaching old age it makes some sense. Those are the highest risk periods.

When my cat hits 13, she's getting insured... a little over a year from now.

indoor cats live roughly twice as long, and roughly have 1/2 the vet bills. (your mileage, and kitty may vary)

> indoor cats live roughly twice as long

?!!

The average feral cat lives less than 2 years.

Do we need to call the rescue society on you?

I remember a few years ago my dog experienced a mysterious paralysis incident that was working its way up his body. The vets were scratching their collective heads. All they could offer was to air-lift him to the WSU Vet school in hopes that they might find something. The leading guess was tick paralysis. My wife and I were placed in the horrible position of putting a price on his life. I told my wife if he wasn't better in the morning we would put him down because I just couldn't see paying $5000 for something with no guarantee of improvement, in fact it was likely to be a bad outcome. In honesty, over night I changed my mind and decided that there is no price too high. Fortunately he got better, though no one knows why. It was either because of, or in spite of, everything that they did to help him. They gave him a tick bath, a tick collar, and IV of Antibiotics, and saline. I think the bill came to almost $1000 because it started at about 1 AM. He's still with us and doing well, so it was money well spent.

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MacResource User Map: [www.zeemaps.com]#

We have been debating about insurance coverage for our 12 lbs 7 year old terrier mutt as well. The most we have spent on him was $1,000 on a minor surgery and hospitalization due to the incompetency of a Banfield vet. Other than that he's been a healthy pooch. Thanks goodness. Check out ASPC insurance. Its cost seems more reasonable than others.

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SoCal for now.

If you have a good vet that you trust, ask for an opinion.

I think that most are familiar with plans that are worthwhile and those that are not.

If you have a good vet that you trust, ask for an opinion.

That's a good idea.

Whether you should get insurance depends on the cost of the policy and the cost of vet care in your area. It couldn't hurt to do some research into the cost of treatment for any illnesses or conditions that occur fairly often in dogs, what it would cost to get diagnostic procedues (ultrasound, x-ray) and lab tests done, or ballpark costs for surgeries for broken bones, hip problems, etc. If you would be stuck with a going to a special 24-hour vet hospital in case of after-hours emergencies, check out their costs as well.

Here in NYC there are several 24-hour animal hospitals, and a lot of NY pet owners, myself among them, dread the prospect of having to go to any of them. The expense can very quickly become astronomical. Almost the only thing I can afford at those places is euthanasia.

A former neighbor, whose wonderful dog I used to walk, took his dog to the Animal Medical Center last year after the dog ate some wood in the dog run and developed an intestinal blockage. Two $5000 surgeries failed; the stitches tore both times and the poor dog had to be put down. It was devastating financially as well as emotionally.

The cost of treating chronic conditions can add up pretty quickly, too.

As an alternative to insurance, if you are very disciplined about saving, you could set aside money for your dog's future vet expenses.

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My life goes smoothly and in regular intervals



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2008 11:19AM by ka jowct.

I'll spell-correct Kap's reco: ASPCA Insurance
[www.aspcapetinsurance.com]

Quote
MacMagus
> indoor cats live roughly twice as long

?!!

The average feral cat lives less than 2 years.

Do we need to call the rescue society on you?

indoor vs outdoor family cat. Hey, I am the kitty foster parent. I'm the guy who ends up taking care of the cats rescued. Loaner kittens forever!