Thats right... im starting another.. Insurance thread!!!

TheLost

Active member
Dec 28, 2011
461
94
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
Molly has been on Trupanion since the day she came home 2 years ago (@ the age of 9 weeks).. We pay $48 every month with a $500 deductible. Seems like alot of $$.. but.. Bulldogs.. whatch'a going to do. Plus, Trupanion (IMHO) offered the best coverage (90%) including hip dysplasia and other items other insurance didn't cover.

So now that Kevin has turned the big 10-weeks-old... i started looking into adding him onto the plan (and in truth hoping for some type of multi-dog-discount).

$98 per month with the same $500 deductible... Ouch!

In the two years we've had Molly we've never made a claim! But we go to the vet all the time!! A great example would be two weeks ago.. we had a nice $350 vet visit due to somebody (KEVIN!!!) scratching Molly's eye (its all healed up now.. btw). The insurance wasn't much help.

However... we've paid ~$1200 over the past two years.

So... Getting to the point of my post.. Has anybody setup a 'Medical Savings Plan' for their EB? I'm starting to think just putting $1.2k a year ($100 a month) into a high-yield savings account would give me more bang for my buck.
 

2BullyMama

I'm not OCD....now who moved my bulldog?
Staff member
Community Veteran
Jul 28, 2011
48,580
3,671
Gilbertsville, PA
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Chelios (Frenchie), Nitschke (2004-2011) Banks (2005-2014) and Lambeau (2014-2024)
We actually have a credit card just for the Bulldog vet appointments..... it is used only for emergencies and surgeries, nothing else.
 

cali baker

Worlds Greatest Chef
Feb 25, 2011
8,925
851
The Crown City (Pasadena)
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Tate Rory & Finn Paddington
I have Trupanion for the boys as well as bank accounts for them which is strictly for medical care/emergencies/meds. I have had positive experiences using Trupanion but Tate's rate did increase a little over a year ago so I had to raise his deductible. Still, I like having both the insurance and the bank account for them since we all know how expensive our bullies' care can be!
 
OP
TheLost

TheLost

Active member
Dec 28, 2011
461
94
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #4
We actually have a credit card just for the Bulldog vet appointments..... it is used only for emergencies and surgeries, nothing else.

See.. thats what im thinking. Kevin has a small umbilical hernia that needs to be fixed when he's.. well 'fixed'. But since its a 'pre-existing' condition it wouldn't be covered by any insurance. Granted, its only an extra $65 added to the neutering cost.. but that wouldn't be covered either!

Tossing money into an emergency account seems more flexible.
 
OP
TheLost

TheLost

Active member
Dec 28, 2011
461
94
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #5
I have Trupanion for the boys as well as bank accounts for them which is strictly for medical care/emergencies/meds. I have had positive experiences using Trupanion but Tate's rate did increase a little over a year ago so I had to raise his deductible. Still, I like having both the insurance and the bank account for them since we all know how expensive our bullies' care can be!

I'm not dissing Trupanion.. IMHO they are still probably the best.

I may just go with a company with lower rates AND start a savings account.. For $45 i can get coverage for both Molly & Kevin from the 'Best Friends Animal Society'.

BLAH.. stupid dogs... to many decisions...
 

Susie

New member
Jul 4, 2013
402
17
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Howie
What a great idea. Opening a saving account for our bulldogs. I will definitely look into that. Thanks for the tip. Two thumbs up!
 

ddnene

EBN's SWEETHEART aka our little GOOB
Staff member
Jun 19, 2013
14,554
1,249
Nashville, Tennessee
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Willow (2015) Walter (2014-22) Winston (2012-13) Wellie (2012-13) Bella (2007-13)
I have Trupanion, and I'm just starting some MAJOR claims w/them… I will have to see what they actually decide to cover. I was paying $90 a month for my 9 year old boxer, and Winston. It will be $60 a month now that Winston is gone… we also use a credit card for emergency expenses. Better to be safe than sorry… my vet expenses over this last year has hit well over $8,000… :blink:
 

Lisabear123

New member
Community Veteran
Jul 2, 2013
2,455
104
Hoschton, Ga
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Brie
I've heard good things about trupanion. I'm doing some research to discuss w hubby. I wish we had gotten insurance the day we got Brie as much as we have spent!
 

Vikinggirl

Norwegian Rose
Community Veteran
Oct 8, 2012
9,740
597
Burlington, ON Canada
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
Bulldozer and Blossom
We use Pet Secure, and have good experience with them, they cover 80%, but a savings account sounds like a really good idea, even if you don't end up needing it or all of it for the bullies, you would still have that extra money in the bank for something else that may come up, like car or home repairs, or a trip somewhere. It's always good to have a savings account for that rainy day.
 

fastmatt613

Socks Don't Hold Pee.....Trust Me on This!
Community Veteran
Aug 6, 2013
1,026
55
New Jersey
Country
United states
Bulldog(s) Names
Rocco
I'm looking into trupanion myself. It seems to be about $43/month with $500 deductible for Rocco. He is 7 months now so I definitely want to have it in place before he is 1 to keep the rate

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk
 

nycbullymama

Well-known member
Dec 22, 2012
5,182
476
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
b and w
I also have Trupanion and pay $50something a month with a 500 ded.

My own experience with them has been "bleh". They covered one thing, but denied others all for pre-existing conditions- even though there was no "condition". Just a mention in my dogs chart about me wanting an x-ray.

Trupanion would be an excellent choice for someone that gets it right away, before any conditions or procedures are noted in your dogs chart. If your pup already has anything wrong, or even has any concerns noted by your vet, those things will never be covered, so a different insurance may be a better choice.
 

anatess

Well-known member
Jul 26, 2011
1,758
398
Country
US
Bulldog(s) Names
Bullie (RIP) & Angus (RIP)
My method (I do this for my family as well):

In my people-medical method -
1.) I invest a lot of time and money on good nutrition and exercise for my family.
2.) We partnered with Holistic M.D.'s- pediatrician, gynecologist, and family doctor.
3.) I invest in an Emergency Insurance Plan - I'm self-employed so I bought this Emergency Hospitalization/Surgical Insurance Plan from Blue Cross that covers any hospital costs (meds, doctors, and bed), emergency room costs that end up in a hospital stay, or any surgical procedures in or out of the hospital. That's it. It doesn't cover doctor visits or prescriptions unless it is associated with a hospital stay. I spent $125 per month that covers my family of 4 with no deductible or out-of-pocket expenses for covered items.
4.) I put $375/month or more on a Health Savings Account.
5.) I maintain a good credit rating to keep a very high max limit on my credit card for big emergencies.

Observations: (I did this for over 10 years until Blue Cross cancelled my insurance plan to comply with Obamacare).

1.) In the 10+ years that we were doing this, our HSA investment is currently well over 6 figures even after using the HSA money for doctors visits, presciption meds, allergy tests/nebulizers/epipens/etc. (I have a kid that have multiple allergies including peanuts!) including dental and vision costs, and legally required immunizations.
2.) Being self-pay for doctor's visits, meds, lab work, immunizations, etc., I end up paying almost the same as a regular insurance co-pay. Interestingly. My doctor is quite good at finding low cost alternatives!
3.) Leveraging Holistic Medicine, my children (now ages 10 and 12) has only had 3 anti-biotic treatments combined - once for a broken elbow that had to get pinned (full hospital and surgical costs covered by insurance), another for 12 stitches on an eyebrow (surgical procedure covered by insurance), and once for pneumonia (hospital stay covered by insurance). When they get an ear infection, the pediatrician hands me a nutrition plan (for me too when I was breastfeeding) and garlic/willow ear drops. We average 1 visit to the doctor a year for yearly well-checks plus some phone calls for things like "my toddler is vomitting and has diarrhea" for which the doctor would say, "give him pedialyte and if it's still going in in 24 hours call me back.". I haven't had it last more than 24 hours yet.

I mention all this so you can kinda understand why I say this about the dogs:
Pet Method:
1.) Invest time and money on nutrition and exercise.
2.) Partner with a good, reliable, knowledgeable, trustworthy vet.
3.) Pet Insurance is relatively a jillion times more expensive than People Insurance. I don't bother with it.
4.) I put money on a Pet Savings Account for regular budgeted expenses such as immunizations and yearly well-check, grooming, etc., as well as emergencies.
5.) I maintain good credit rating to have a high max limit on a Credit Card that I plan to use for pet emergencies that is beyond my Savings Account.

Alternatively - I tried this once for my dental work that cost me $5K. I used Care Credit to pay for it. It's basically a no-interest for 1 year loan that only covers medical expenses. From what I understand, they have a Pet care plan too. I paid off the loan in 1 year using automatic deductions from the bank so I don't forget. It worked great.

$50/month for an average Bulldog lifespan of 8 years = $4,800. That doesn't count deductibles. You can put $50/month in an interest-bearing federally insured savings account and if the dog gets sick, you can use the money. If it goes beyond $4,800, you can use Care Credit or take out a loan and pay $50/month until it's paid off. In the meantime, invest in good preventive methods.

Anyway, these are just my thoughts on the matter.
 
Last edited:

Pati Robins

I'm Polish what did you expect! A lady like person
Community Veteran
Jun 12, 2013
2,888
238
Cardiff UK
Country
UK-Cardiff
Bulldog(s) Names
Lily (British Bulldog) & Shy (American Bulldog X)
Well Shy wasnt insured and i learned a hard way -in the first year of her life we were £8000 down in vet fees
I wouldn't be able to save all this in a year! ,her second year was much better only 3000 lol
Lilly on the other hand i wont even mention how much this shark cost me
In my case i wouldn't risk not having an insurance -i pray that my girls will be healthy but -you never know
My friend puts money in a savings account -since her dog is allergic and have hd -sadly shes in a huge debt with her vet
 

Dana F

New member
Jul 30, 2013
558
23
Macon, Illinois
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Petey Pete AKA "Stinky Pete"
We talked about getting insurance for Stinky .But Leon thought it would be a waste of money. I shouldn't have listen to him. Last year we spent over $4000 and he just turn a year old in Dec. My sister is Stinky's God mother but she has had second thoughts after seeing what we spent on vet bills.....lol.
 

Most Reactions

📰 Latest posts

Members online

No members online now.
Top