Pet Insurance?

[elleinad8050]

I was at the vet today for a new kitten check-up and my Vet mentioned that I should look into Pet Insurance. My new Sphynx is my first pet and so I was not even aware that Pet Insurance existed, but I wanted to know if it is something I should seriously consider?
If I should get insurance, I would love any suggestions for a specific provider.

Thanks!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Not sure about providers but it really can be a good thing.
Keep in mind most plans only cover illness so check ups and shots are not covered.
My sister just got a new puppy from a rescue and he came with 1 month free insurance, well he was ill and the $600 vet bill will be covered. She is going to continue with it after the month, I think she said it will be $24 per month.

 

[laurelizarris]

Yes i would definately look into it, especially if you only have the one cat. Besides, cat insurance is usually cheaper than dog insurance...

Anyway, it seems like a lot of money if your cat never gets ill. But if they do, and its something major that they needed surgery, lots of medication, lifelong check ups, scans, etc for, then it might be worth while.

Alternatively, you could put a bit of money away each month and just save that in case of emergency veterinary needs.

I've insured Caoimhe on a lifetime policy (which covers each condition for the life of your pet, not just for a year, like most do, so it would cover longer term illnesses i.e. diabetes, HCM, cancer, FIV, allergies/skin conditions) anyway its costing me £5.69 a month, so about £68 something a year. It pays out a maximum of £2,000 a year, per condition, up to a total of £20,000 during the lifetime of the pet. I figured that would cover anything i could possibly need it for. And its a lot cheaper for me to pay the £69 excess than save up that amount of money for 'just incase'.

Umm, stuff insurance doesn't cover: vaccinations, microchipping, spaying/neutering, general health checks etc.

I like to think that if i've got the insurance, nothing bad will happen, and if i don't, something will and i won't have the money to treat it

I would have a look around at insurers and their prices anyway and see if you think its worth having.

Hope this helps!

 

[kimmyhm]

I have a life time policy with petplan, so glad I took out insurance, I have to pay £70 excess on claims, but then if they go back with same condition its classed as a continued claim and I get a full refund, I pay £25 a month for both sphynx's and that cover £4,000 per year

 

[sciumi]

YES YES YES! Get pet insurance!

If your kitten gets sick, you won't want to have to compromise on things like extra testing. Personally, we have had ridiculously bad luck (all before getting insurance, of course): we had a kitten die of panleukopenia (he was a furry kitty from an adoption organization; we only had him for two days--and we're working on getting that organization shut down), and that cost $1500. Then our Sphynx got a completely unexpected & inexplicable case of enteritis (probably just a really bad intestinal infection)--which ended up including x-rays, ultrasound, exploratory surgery, and five days and nights in the hospital--and $5000.
If I didn't have a credit card with (relatively) low interest & high limit, I don't know what we would have done.
It's so stressful when your little one is sick! You absolutely do not need the added stress of money!

And, as I've noted elsewhere in this forum, pets only seem to get really really sick when the owner doesn't have insurance, so as soon as you start paying for pet insurance, your kitty will never need any medical care!!



Our insurance is trupanion--it's really really simple to use!

 

[Fluffy]

Yes get kitty insurance. It's proved a god send and well worth it with all my lot!! Even a healthy kitty can need blood tests etc and these alone have just cost me over 200 with other work just to b on the safe side!! Heart scans start around 500. It rests your mind and I'd recommend the covered for life plans. I personally go with petplan. I never insure my dogs thou, if they break I fix them within reason, I once had a vet wanting to put a nine year old great Dane throu a hip replacement because he was insured.... If the dog wasn't I'm sure he wud hav gave me different advice !!! The dog went on another 2 years (that's old for a Dane) just on meds and was HAPPY!! Little dogs do fine on hip replacements ... Ohh dear I'm rambling lol ... Yes I would 100% recommend insurance for these baldy guys

 

[RaisinsPerson]

Insurance is great! It's the amount of money you can expect to pay every month to completely cover your pet's medical needs, instead of one day having to pay $1,000 or something because something random happened. Also means that you can give your kitty the best medical care possible. I worked at a vets office for three years..and random things happen all the time to pets. The insurance that I would recommend is Trupanion. All of the doctors in my office recommended them and said that the other insurances do not cover nearly as much. Pretty cheap too, about $30 a month with a $0 deductible. Have a good day!

 

[Inflamed]

We have insurance for both our boys from Petplan & I'm very happy with it!

 

[elleinad8050]

thank you so much for all the feedback!

 

[Snowball]

I've always used VPI pet insurance and I swear by it. I am currently using the full protection plan, which only costs me $35 a month. If it was the cheap plan, it will be $25 a month. You should get the insurance plan before your kitty gets sick because if it gets sick and you get insurance, your pet insurance will not cover that sickness until after 6 months of the day your kitty gets better.

I didn't get insurance on Pebbles because he was still sick and now that he's better, I got insurance but they currently don't cover what he was sick on. I have to wait 6 months after the date he got better to do another full body exam, just to mail them a report that says Pebbles is all better so he will get coverage on the stuff he is sick on, that will make him sick again in the future.

The full plan on VPI pet insurance covers everything from all the diseases a cat gets in their lifetime and also dental, and it still covers your cat when it gets old and before it dies. Better start early than late because the more sickness your cat gets, the more the pet insurance will not cover that sickness because it was prior to when you received the insurance, and insurances will not pay you back or cover anything that's prior. I've learnt that the hard way with my dogs. I paid $5,500 on one of my dog's surgery and the insurance didn't cover it cause I got insurance the same day my dog went into surgery, which was dumb. I should've gotten the insurance earlier before she was diagnosed. Hope this helps!