Comments on: Pet Insurance

By: Anthony

Anthony — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:01:36 +0000

I think Trupanion is a no lose situation, especially for someone like me who had to put my German Shephard down because I could not afford the cost for treatment. She was only 3 years old and even if I had been able to afford putting away $100 a month with a 12% rate of return I still wouldn’t have been able to afford the medical expense.

I think a company like this is long overdue in the U.S. and wish they would have been here sooner. I could definately see myself getting the insurance if and when I become a pet owner again.

By: jrochest

jrochest — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 07:02:07 +0000

I’m glad this topic came up: I’ve thought, for years, that I should have it and now I know that it’s probably not worth it. Yep, 12 a month into a high-interest savings account will probably make it unnecessary.

And enjoy your little balls of fluff! But may I put in a request for puppy pictures when you get ‘em?

By: amanda

amanda — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 22:30:18 +0000

What most people forget when comparing pet insurance to human insurance is that most of our employers pay part of our premiums…. Try to get insurance without a full time job and not through a spouse. Cobra insurance can be costly. Also there are more human insurances types than pet and some of those are not good and people end up paying a lot out as well. But it is still less than if they did not have any insurance at all. In the long run insurance should help a person financially and while it would be great if no one ever had to pay a dime for medical care, who is going to pay the people who give the medical care. in my book any insurance is better than none. Why take the chance and have something catastrophic happen.

By: Marilyn

Marilyn — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:26:36 +0000

Well, I hardly need to second (fourth? eighth?) the idea of having an ING account instead, but that’s what I’ve been doing for the past year and a half and it’s worked great so far.

I did want to second Susan on the vote for watching the Dog Whisperer! We don’t have any dogs right now (two large cats fill up the apartment nicely) but boy do I wish Cesar Milan had been on the air back when we had our lab mix!

Congrats on the puppies

By: Paully

Paully — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:41:03 +0000

A lady who lived in our condo complex had a Bichon that had all kinds of problems while still quite young. He needed cataract surgery around three years old. He developed severe spinal problems and untreatable pain and mobility issues. He had to be put down by around age five, as I recall. She had bought pet insurance for her dog and had big problems trying to get it to pay for all of the vet bills. It sounded like the insurance company was doing everything possible to weasel out of paying claims.

The good news is that she got another Bichon puppy and he has been much healthier. And now she set up an account for setting aside a little every month to pay for future vet bills.

By: kristin

kristin — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:01:04 +0000

i find it amusing that i as a person i am insured for cheaper than the quotes most of you received for a dog. i am an avid pet lover, just to clarify. but come on…possibly a scam?
humm…

By: Jess

Jess — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:36:03 +0000

Hi Gail,

I’m not your average reader since I’m from Malaysia but I’ve been following your show on tele on our cable tv and have started reading your blog since I found out you have one.

Anyway, congratulations on your puppies. I love dogs and have 2 of my own. A Golden Retriever name Shasta and a Welsh Pembroke Corgi named Duchess. I think it’s a good idea to have insurance for your puppies. Even though your last Bichon Frise has good health but doesn’t mean this round, it will be, as in playing safe. I don’t mean it in a bad way, but it’s always good to be prepared.

Here in Malaysia, we don’t have insurance for pet, let alone a credit card with one. We’re way back compared to overseas countries. If the return is good, if there is one, probably it can be used as a savings like normal insurance you buy for your kids, should you not use it for any health problems. So I think it’s a good buy.

By: Melaniesd

Melaniesd — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:41:32 +0000

Great question Gail.

Karen, thank you for your information about your company. I’ll check that out for consideration with pets in the future.

I have had several dogs over my lifetime and never had a major vet requirement - thank the good heavens!

I currently have an 11 year old Jack Russell Terrier, an 11 yr old Chow Chow and a 4 yr old Springer Spaniel. Out of the 3, a side from regular shots and their neutering/spaying, I have spent $145 at the vet. My Jack Russell has start to suffer from Hot spots in the summer and need meds for it last year.

When I got my JRT & my Chow Chow 11 yrs ago, I didn’t know there was such a thing as pet insurance. I’ve just thought of it as an unneccessary expense since finding out more about it.

I think if you are adopting a breed that traditionally has certain health concerns, insurance might be a great thing, but over all, I would set money a side each month in a “pet” fund.

Jimmy: You raise a good question. have dependants, so I chose to have term life insurance and critical illness insurance. I have better peace of mind knowing my husband won’t be burdened if I pass while we are raising our child. The critical illness coverage is most important to me. If I get sick, I will have the funds for meds and to take the time to focus on hopefully getting better.

By: Tracy J

Tracy J — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:04 +0000

My mom paid into the pet insurance thing for years, then her dog was diagnosed with diabetes and quickly went blind. The insurance only pays for part of the treatment and there were a surprising number of limitations.
After seeing what she has gone through, I don’t think it’s worth it. After all, if she had put the deluxe monthly fee for both dogs away into her emergency fund (and maybe gave the dogs less treats too) by the time the one dog got ill, she would have had loads saved up. And she wouldn’t have to go through the whole stupid disapointment with the insurance people.
I have a puppy-dog and a cat, I consider my pet’s health as something that is managed through appropriate diet, excercise (to keep out of trouble) and preventative maintenence through regular check-ups. Sure crap can happen, and that’s what the emergency fund is for.
That’s my feeling.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 18:05:10 +0000

Jimmy, the main difference is as you mention that a pet has no dependents. In other words, if it dies than the family’s financial situation improves, and does not suffer. If one of the main income bringers dies, the family situation suffers greatly. It is for this reason that I think life insurance children is not a good investment. If you have no dependents, then you likely do not need life insurance (though accident insurance is a no brainer, and critical illness is to be considered). You may find this posting and related pages helpful: http://www.milliondollarjourney.com/determining-our-life-insurance-needs-i-criteria.htm

And especially think carefully before choosing universal life, if you take life insurance (term life is probably better).