What's the best way to plan for vet bills? Insurance/wellness plans?

[WaltsMom]

Hi everyone

So my 8 month old has gone to the vet once for dermititis and may need to go again soon. I'm wondering if insurance is a good option, id like to know pros and cons or anything i should keep in mind.

Do i get an insurance plan, and a wellness plan from the vet too? Or are those expenses included in the insurance plan?

Id appreciate any advice. Also the cheapest insurance at 90% i could find was $50 per month.

Thanks bullymamas and daddys

 

[Marine91]

Insurance is only good if you get it right when you bring your pup home and before you have any issues that would require a vet visit as the vast majority have a 14 to 30 waiting period before the policy fully kicks in. Also, being that any issues that your pup is seen for prior to whichever insurance was chosen kicks in would be considered a pre-existing condition and most likely not covered in the future. Outside of that a separate savings account, credit card or Care Credit are some other options.

 

[ddnene]

Todd is correct, unless you get insurance from the get-go you will have issues. I had an horrible experience w/Trupanion... they pre-approved us for surgery, and then after more digging they decided it was pre-existing condition and refused payment. EVEN after my vet wrote them a letter explaining the situation. Needless to say I canceled w/them, and now we have funds set aside for our dogs. I have never used a wellness plan from the vets, but that may be something to look into.

 

[WaltsMom]

Todd is correct, unless you get insurance from the get-go you will have issues. I had an horrible experience w/Trupanion... they pre-approved us for surgery, and then after more digging they decided it was pre-existing condition and refused payment. EVEN after my vet wrote them a letter explaining the situation. Needless to say I canceled w/them, and now we have funds set aside for our dogs. I have never used a wellness plan from the vets, but that may be something to look into.

Thank you! Sorry that happened to you. How would they know if it was pre-existing necessarily? We've been to two different vets and it's not like my dog has an SSN! He's not even licensed yet which isnt good...

My husband said maybe we should just put $50 in a savings for him per month instead of sending that to insuranse. Just not sure if the bills would exceed that. I suppose if he needed surgery or got cancer or something then it could get pretty costly...

 

[Marine91]

Thank you! Sorry that happened to you. How would they know if it was pre-existing necessarily? We've been to two different vets and it's not like my dog has an SSN! He's not even licensed yet which isnt good...

My husband said maybe we should just put $50 in a savings for him per month instead of sending that to insuranse. Just not sure if the bills would exceed that. I suppose if he needed surgery or got cancer or something then it could get pretty costly...

Technically when you sign up for insurance you are supposed to list any and all vets your pup has been to so they can check the records when you file a claim. If you don't list any they probably wouldn't find out but things like that are what make it expensive for everyone as rates a calculated based upon procedures and claims paid in your area. And yes some procedures for these guys can get very expensive as an ACL repair can range in cost from $1500 to $4000 depending on the vet.

 

[Vikinggirl]

Hi, we had our guys on the Puppy Wellness Program for the first year, which covered their first vaccinations, puppy exams, stool samples, flea and heartworm exam and mess, three visits and an emergency visit if needed, as well as their spay and neuter surgeries. It was well worth it, but after they were older, we just put money aside in a savings each month for emergency vet costs. For their yearly exams and vaccinations and checkups, my vet has a plan where we we pay an initial $30 and then $25 a month for 10 months. This covers their booster vaccinations, tool samples, heart worm testing, three vet visits, an emergency visit, and one home visit by the vet if they are too sick to bring to the office. It doesn't include medications or surgeries if they need, but it does help to spread out the payments monthly rather than having to pay out the $325 all at once.

 

[ddnene]

Thank you! Sorry that happened to you. How would they know if it was pre-existing necessarily? We've been to two different vets and it's not like my dog has an SSN! He's not even licensed yet which isnt good...

My husband said maybe we should just put $50 in a savings for him per month instead of sending that to insuranse. Just not sure if the bills would exceed that. I suppose if he needed surgery or got cancer or something then it could get pretty costly...

They actually dug into his medical files from the vet's office, and the vet had mentioned that he could possibly have eye issues and we needed to watch it. They determined that the statement alone confirmed that he had entropion prior to getting insurance and decided to NOT pay for the surgery that they had previously pre-approved. To make matters worse Winston didn't survive the surgery, so ultimately I had to pay for a surgery that killed my dog. Needless to say, I would go w/the saving's account... If GOD forbid your dog had a massive bill, like most insurances they would cap at some point.

 

[2BullyMama]

We have always just had a credit card that is used for the dogs only.... paying insurance just is not my way to go. it is so subjective to what they will cover and it would send me over the roof if they declined me so, I just do the card.

 

[dalmatina38]

We don't have insurance on our girls. We have some money put in the bank for emergencies to cover auto repairs, life altering issues and.....of course......bully issues. I had to take Amber to the vet about 6 weeks ago and paid almost $400 for her to crap all over the doctors office. Yes, I said crap.........I got up and it seems she looked swollen so I got worried about an obstruction. She had been up during the night throwing up so when I seen her swollen I freaked out and we went to the doctor. Well, Amber isn't real tolerant of anyone messing with her paws, she never has been thanks to me hitting the quick a couple of times while she was a puppy. The doctor agreed she looked swollen so they took her back to get x-rays; I heard this god awful squealing then I heard the doctor say, "I have never seen anything like that." A few minutes went by and the doctor came back in with Amber in the lead; his arm was bandaged (OMG, She torn him up), his lab coat was covered in crap, the x-ray room was covered in crap, and Amber.......well, she was slimmed down a whole lot.......it seems they scared her so bad when they grabbed her paws in order to do the x-rays, they quite literally scared the crap right out of her. They did give her an antibiotic to take for a few days just in case and said it looked like she had eaten something but they could tell what it was because it was everywhere. So, the vet bill was $400 dollars........Amber crapping all over the vet......was priceless!!!! My point.......put the money in the bank and use it when you need it. Good luck.

 

[1Chumly]

We don't have insurance on our girls. We have some money put in the bank for emergencies to cover auto repairs, life altering issues and.....of course......bully issues. I had to take Amber to the vet about 6 weeks ago and paid almost $400 for her to crap all over the doctors office. Yes, I said crap.........I got up and it seems she looked swollen so I got worried about an obstruction. She had been up during the night throwing up so when I seen her swollen I freaked out and we went to the doctor. Well, Amber isn't real tolerant of anyone messing with her paws, she never has been thanks to me hitting the quick a couple of times while she was a puppy. The doctor agreed she looked swollen so they took her back to get x-rays; I heard this god awful squealing then I heard the doctor say, "I have never seen anything like that." A few minutes went by and the doctor came back in with Amber in the lead; his arm was bandaged (OMG, She torn him up), his lab coat was covered in crap, the x-ray room was covered in crap, and Amber.......well, she was slimmed down a whole lot.......it seems they scared her so bad when they grabbed her paws in order to do the x-rays, they quite literally scared the crap right out of her. They did give her an antibiotic to take for a few days just in case and said it looked like she had eaten something but they could tell what it was because it was everywhere. So, the vet bill was $400 dollars........Amber crapping all over the vet......was priceless!!!! My point.......put the money in the bank and use it when you need it. Good luck.

Oh dear!! Really had a laugh at that!

 

[1Chumly]

We had insurance on our Dachshund but cancelled it after the rates kept going up and I only ever got a small amount back (after deductables etc.) the one time I did use it. I looked at it as 4 years worth of premiums down the drain. We now put money aside every month into our pets own saving account for emergencies or unusual bills only. Shots, regular maintenance etc. we just pay for.

 

[Corine Pesantes]

We don't have insurance on our girls. We have some money put in the bank for emergencies to cover auto repairs, life altering issues and.....of course......bully issues. I had to take Amber to the vet about 6 weeks ago and paid almost $400 for her to crap all over the doctors office. Yes, I said crap.........I got up and it seems she looked swollen so I got worried about an obstruction. She had been up during the night throwing up so when I seen her swollen I freaked out and we went to the doctor. Well, Amber isn't real tolerant of anyone messing with her paws, she never has been thanks to me hitting the quick a couple of times while she was a puppy. The doctor agreed she looked swollen so they took her back to get x-rays; I heard this god awful squealing then I heard the doctor say, "I have never seen anything like that." A few minutes went by and the doctor came back in with Amber in the lead; his arm was bandaged (OMG, She torn him up), his lab coat was covered in crap, the x-ray room was covered in crap, and Amber.......well, she was slimmed down a whole lot.......it seems they scared her so bad when they grabbed her paws in order to do the x-rays, they quite literally scared the crap right out of her. They did give her an antibiotic to take for a few days just in case and said it looked like she had eaten something but they could tell what it was because it was everywhere. So, the vet bill was $400 dollars........Amber crapping all over the vet......was priceless!!!! My point.......put the money in the bank and use it when you need it. Good luck.

That is HILARIOUS!!!!! Poor baby! I bet she felt so much better afterwards!


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[Cali Doll]

We don't have insurance on our girls. We have some money put in the bank for emergencies to cover auto repairs, life altering issues and.....of course......bully issues. I had to take Amber to the vet about 6 weeks ago and paid almost $400 for her to crap all over the doctors office. Yes, I said crap.........I got up and it seems she looked swollen so I got worried about an obstruction. She had been up during the night throwing up so when I seen her swollen I freaked out and we went to the doctor. Well, Amber isn't real tolerant of anyone messing with her paws, she never has been thanks to me hitting the quick a couple of times while she was a puppy. The doctor agreed she looked swollen so they took her back to get x-rays; I heard this god awful squealing then I heard the doctor say, "I have never seen anything like that." A few minutes went by and the doctor came back in with Amber in the lead; his arm was bandaged (OMG, She torn him up), his lab coat was covered in crap, the x-ray room was covered in crap, and Amber.......well, she was slimmed down a whole lot.......it seems they scared her so bad when they grabbed her paws in order to do the x-rays, they quite literally scared the crap right out of her. They did give her an antibiotic to take for a few days just in case and said it looked like she had eaten something but they could tell what it was because it was everywhere. So, the vet bill was $400 dollars........Amber crapping all over the vet......was priceless!!!! My point.......put the money in the bank and use it when you need it. Good luck.

WOW!

 

[Cecil]

Hello Everyone,

I realize this is an old post but I'm curious... For all the people who said they don't use pet insurance, would you use it if you had enrolled your puppy right away?

Burt will be coming home April 13th, just a couple more weeks! Would it be worth it to have him enrolled or would you have opted to pay into a savings account for the puppy?

Healthy Paws says they will cover everything except pre existing conditions, check ups, and preventative like dental, nails, spay/neuter. Looks like it would cost me a little more than $700 per year for 80% reimbursement and $250 deductible. With EBDs being susceptible to a billion issues does this make sense or am I wasting money?

How much have you guys spent on vet bills, other than check ups and preventative, the first year? Year to date?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Luke

 

[TyTysmom]

Hello Everyone,

I realize this is an old post but I'm curious... For all the people who said they don't use pet insurance, would you use it if you had enrolled your puppy right away?

Burt will be coming home April 13th, just a couple more weeks! Would it be worth it to have him enrolled or would you have opted to pay into a savings account for the puppy?

Healthy Paws says they will cover everything except pre existing conditions, check ups, and preventative like dental, nails, spay/neuter. Looks like it would cost me a little more than $700 per year for 80% reimbursement and $250 deductible. With EBDs being susceptible to a billion issues does this make sense or am I wasting money?

How much have you guys spent on vet bills, other than check ups and preventative, the first year? Year to date?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Luke

Hey Luke, we have insurance on Tyson through VPI (Nationwide) I can't tell you how much its paid out for our emergencies and bigger issues with him. Way more than we've paid in thats for sure. We didn't get the basic coverage one, because I can handle regular check ups, vaccinations, etc. We got the major medical & emergency one. It's been so worth it for us personally. Only downside... (if you call it a downside) is that you still have to pay up front for all services with pet insurance. It works on a reimbursement like pay out. So we got a credit card specifically for Tyson to charge on initially. Then we file, get our reimbursement and pay the card off.

You can op to get the insurance or start a savings account yourself on the side for any "surprise" medical expenses.

Hope that helps!