Pet Insurance a good idea??

AMart79

New member
Jul 18, 2011
94
5
I know i've heard mixed reviews about pet insurance and all and it's something I probably wouldve never considered till I started looking into a bulldog. But obviously, there's stories that are a dime a dozen about health issues. Here, there it seems like it's an inevitable that you'll have to at the very least, get your dog checked up on for something during its life. That being said, is pet insurance actually a good investment for a bulldog? It almost seems like getting a reckless driver good insurance :D. So just thought i'd see what everyone thinks and if you recommend it, anybody have suggestions about where to get it from? Thanks!
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
There is a great thread here on pet insurance..I'll try to find it and tag you.

I found it and tagged you! Sorry can't get links to work on iPad today!!
 
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izstigspunks

Moderator
Sep 16, 2010
5,939
336
Toronto, Ontario
Country
Canada
Bulldog(s) Names
The Stig Racecar Driver and (Sweet Angel) Punkin Brutus
I always recommend to try insurance for the first year of a pup's life as the owner will probably go to the vet for the smallest of things, such as a simple allergy symptom. Cherry eye and such usually appear within the first year as well. Also, at least when you register your eb when he or she is still a puppy, you would avoid the pre-existing condition limitation most, if not all, insurance companies have.
 
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traciehorne

New member
Feb 2, 2011
36
3
Bulldog(s) Names
Bailey, Otis and Diesel
Our puppy (11 mo) Diesel had a habit of eating toys without us knowing - and recently became VERY sick. We took him to the ER after he had been throwing up most of the day on a Saturday - and after many x-rays, tests and labs - they determined that there may be a piece of residual toy in his stomach, and they wanted to wait for it to pass...
For 2 weeks, we took him to the Dr. every morning for IV, as he wasn't eating, and 4 doctors assured us that he would eventually pass this piece of toy. As we all know - it's risky to put a bully under anesthesia, and our bulldog vet as well as the 3 other specialists we saw agreed.
One afternoon, my husband and I decided that enough was enough, and we weren't going to wait for him to pass this toy - they had to go in and get it... After that surgery, they found the piece of toy, and 3 other pieces over 4 inches long that were hiding behind his intestines. They also found a small piece of string that had wrapped itself around his small intestine - which then needed to be re-sected. The next day while in recovery, the Dr. noticed a discharge from his surgical site, and there was a second "emergency" surgery. The Dr. found that his Omentum had balled up post surgery and needed to be removed (I was told after that this tissue is expendable, so no need to worry that he no longer has it).
2 weeks of IV's, blood tests, and labs - 2 Surgeries, and 1 week in ICU - adds up.. Needless to say - if I had pet insurance prior to this horrific experience, I wouldn't have faced a 5 figure vet bill.
No more rubber toys!!! And yes I have since purchased pet insurance.. and Yes Diesel is doing MUCH better now. In fact... we were able to celebrate his first birthday last week.
I vote for the purchase of insurance...
Cutie 2!!!.jpg
 

BabyDuke

New member
Community Veteran
Mar 25, 2011
1,251
150
Philadelphia PA
Bulldog(s) Names
Duke
I am a big fan of pet insurance as well. Duke will be 4 in August. we have www.gopetplan.com they are wonderful.. BE careful when buying from other companies. This plan is one of the few that WILL cover heriditary things ( like allergies, eye problems with bulldogs etc)

Duke has had entropian surgery on both eyes ( thousands), they paid for allergy testing and shots, We had him at the eR twice .. they are very nice and easy to deal with as well. We have the silver plan with a $200 deductible. If you click on the link above you can get a quick quote on line.

Aside from all of this my main reason to purchase was peace of mind. Duke is our baby and I would NEVER want to have to make a decision because I did not have the money.
 
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AMart79

New member
Jul 18, 2011
94
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thank you so much for all of your advice and help. That's exactly what i was looking for when i joined this forum. Unfortunately, i'm sure i'll have plenty more questions to pester you all with in the near future :meeting:

If any of you read my other thread about simply selecting a little guy, you probably know how seriously i'm taking this whole process and just like you guys said, i'd never want anything to happen. It just seems best to be safer rather than sorry I didn't do it before. Thanks for the advice and if anybody else has any tips or words of wisdom theyre greatly appreciated!
 
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AMart79

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Jul 18, 2011
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Could anyone provide me with a specific example of how the coverage that you use works? Is it the kind of coverage where say, i take the little guy into a vet and then i pay for it and get reimbursed later? I want it there for any worst case scenarios obviously, but i'm also really concerned about how to pay for smaller, less complex issues that may warrant a vet visit (some kind of allergy or something of that nature) Thanks!
 

BruceP

..........
Aug 12, 2010
0
505
Milwaukee, WI
Bulldog(s) Names
HRH Princess Gracie, aka: HRH; Princess Amelia Pond, aka: Amy
[MENTION=2808]AMart79[/MENTION]
The younger you start the insurance the cheaper it is. Some don't increase it with age but base the rate by age, so its wise to start it while they are young. They all have websites where you can actually enter your info without committing. That will give you exactly what is and isn't covered.
 

JeannieCO

Queenie
Mar 11, 2011
12,680
873
Tip of the Mitt, Michigan
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Emma, Charlie, Milo, Peekaboo and Jack
I am a big fan of pet insurance as well. Duke will be 4 in August. we have www.gopetplan.com they are wonderful.. BE careful when buying from other companies. This plan is one of the few that WILL cover heriditary things ( like allergies, eye problems with bulldogs etc)

Duke has had entropian surgery on both eyes ( thousands), they paid for allergy testing and shots, We had him at the eR twice .. they are very nice and easy to deal with as well. We have the silver plan with a $200 deductible. If you click on the link above you can get a quick quote on line.

Aside from all of this my main reason to purchase was peace of mind. Duke is our baby and I would NEVER want to have to make a decision because I did not have the money.
I'm going to have to check this plan out a bit more, the rates are a bit higher than VPI that I have on both pups, but they seem to have quite a bit better coverage. I'm still waiting on the status of my claims with VPI for Jack our American Staffordshire. I got them all the medical records they requested this past Monday so hopefully I'll know in the next day or two. I'll be reporting back too.
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
Could anyone provide me with a specific example of how the coverage that you use works? Is it the kind of coverage where say, i take the little guy into a vet and then i pay for it and get reimbursed later? I want it there for any worst case scenarios obviously, but i'm also really concerned about how to pay for smaller, less complex issues that may warrant a vet visit (some kind of allergy or something of that nature) Thanks!

You might look into opening a care credit account. Very easy to get..can apply online or EVEN at vets office. Works like a credit card but there is zero interest charged for 2 years. You can put treatment on this and easy way to wait for your insurance reimbursement..deductibles and non covered procedures. You can only use it at places like vets..dentists..etc. Most vets have info..but you can do it yourself online. You do have to make payments and they aim the payments towards getting it paid off in 24 months so you don't pay interest.
 

BabyDuke

New member
Community Veteran
Mar 25, 2011
1,251
150
Philadelphia PA
Bulldog(s) Names
Duke
You might look into opening a care credit account. Very easy to get..can apply online or EVEN at vets office. Works like a credit card but there is zero interest charged for 2 years. You can put treatment on this and easy way to wait for your insurance reimbursement..deductibles and non covered procedures. You can only use it at places like vets..dentists..etc. Most vets have info..but you can do it yourself online. You do have to make payments and they aim the payments towards getting it paid off in 24 months so you don't pay interest.
can you open this just to have for an emergency ? or do you have to wait until you need it? good info !
 

GatorRay

I am in total control....I think
Feb 25, 2011
3,432
227
Louisville, KY
Bulldog(s) Names
Gator & Lucy Goosey, the Basset and Gigi (AKA Gypsy)
We have care credit as well and it has been a life saver. We did get ours during a cat emergency so don't know about just getting it but I expect that you can.
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
can you open this just to have for an emergency ? or do you have to wait until you need it? good info !

Hi babyduke! When we opened it..we thought we were going to have a $12000.00 surgery bill on our rottie..so we applied online..they ask how much you would like and that is what your credit line is. We ended up not using it because she wasn't a canidate for the surgery..but we kept the account. We didnt use it until we got a notice that they were going to close it for nonuse..so I used it for a regular appt at my vets and that kept it open! Every once in awhile i use it just to keep it going..I am sure you can get it and just tuck away. They have been great..no interest charges or fees..they gave instant approval online. I highly recommend them. Just open it for enough to cover something major. Then you know that amount is there..I do think you can request more if you need it.
 
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AMart79

New member
Jul 18, 2011
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I have a pretty big question. I looked into trupanion and it looks great, but it appears that it doesn't cover routine care and exam fees. I think especially for the early part of his life, I really want something that will cover little trips that I may need to take to the vet. I'm probably gonna be pretty paranoid for a while :\ Does anybody have any suggestions for that?
 

JAKEISGREAT

.................
Mar 25, 2011
14,802
1,155
Southern California
Bulldog(s) Names
Jake
I have a pretty big question. I looked into trupanion and it looks great, but it appears that it doesn't cover routine care and exam fees. I think especially for the early part of his life, I really want something that will cover little trips that I may need to take to the vet. I'm probably gonna be pretty paranoid for a while :\ Does anybody have any suggestions for that?

Did you read my post about carecredit? It's in this thread..I think trupanion does offer insurance for routine care..but those are expensive policies! Vpi covers routine..but will NOT cover genetic or hereditary issues. Those are the big buck problems..so be careful..you get coverage for those..I know petplan and trupanion cover the hereditary problems. The sooner you get it the better..once your pup is diagnosed with a genetic issue..neither ones mentioned will cover that problem! Read the other thread on this..it's very long and has great info.
 

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