Pet insurance... yes or no?!
Posted by: Vanessa 32284508
27th Jun 2024 12:07am
Vet bills are ridiculous these days. What are everyones thoughts on pet insurance?
Is it worth it or does it end up the same money spent in the end?
Is it worth it or does it end up the same money spent in the end?
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Comments 15
friday_dog
Pet insurance is a waste of money. It doesn't cover desexing, and has all sorts of age based limitations.
chickenman
guess it all depends on your dog; how prone to accidents or infection and how much you can spend on Vet bills if needed. i would recommend insurance for dogs that have passed their "middle age".
jenny3266
Unless you have purebred animals and are a registered breeder Pet Insurance is quite frankly a bit of a con
Too many people assume they won't have to pay for any Vet treatments Well like Health Insurance not only are many treatments not covered but those that are have a gap fee attached Many Vets don't accept it either
rcuttell
Years ago my dog needed a lot of vet care. Pet insurance paid up to 80%. However, the premiums were reasonable. Nowadays. the premiums are far more and rise exponentially as the pet grows older. I now self insure by putting $2000 per year into a separate bank account. If my pet reaches 10 without major problems, then I have saved $20000; if not then I have a good amount to call on.
clazza
My dog is almost 17 years old. He has had various medical conditions which have required treatment and medications over the years. I chose not to get pet insurance and overall I don't really think it would have made a massive difference. It probably would depend on the sort of dog you have and how accident prone they are. Though my dog had some health issues over the years, I don't think financially it would have been that different. The main costs have been when he needed anaesthetic for teeth cleaning which was a predictable and fairly regular occurrence most years. He did end up having his gall bladder out which was the biggest expense in his lifetime at about $2500 so it may have been good to have then of course. In the last almost 17 years though I don't know if it would have been worth it.
bev1410
I've had pet insurance for years. It's the gamble you take like any insurance, house, contents, medical etc. I have pet insurance for my 3 labradors. In the last 15 years my dogs have had 3 major surgeries, 2 lots of Red Belly Black snake bites where 1 of my dogs nearly died, 1 tick bite, I tick and worm my dogs on the 1st of every month. Until a few years ago my pet insurer paid 90% of my claims, now it's 80% but some insurers are 75% and lower. I have probably saved more with having pet insurance than not having it.
foodforthought
We had insurance for our Jordan until she turned 1 as we felt it was riskier, sure required vaccination and the like. However now we just put emergency funds aside to ensure we’re able to afford a vet bill if it comes.
PukPuk
Simple solution - marry a vet or educate one of the kids to be a vet. The return on investment would be invaluable for animal lovers and no tax or expenditure from after tax income.
doxdeb
I do have pet insurance for our younger dog who I feel may be more at risk of pulling a crucial ligament so I have insurance for him as he is quite young so it is worth spending money on him if something happens. As for our older dog, we feel she has had a good life if something happens so we will probably just euthanise her kindly
doxdeb
I do have pet insurance for our younger dog who I feel may be more at risk of pulling a crucial ligament so I have insurance for him as he is quite young so it is worth spending money on him if something happens. As for our older dog, we feel she has had a good life if something happens so we will probably just euthanise her kindly
jatz50
If you want Pet Insurance do it when they are young. Our dog did her ACL and needed an operation and we didn't have Pet Insurance. Back then she was about 7 years old. Then we had to go to the vet when she was 9 years old as she had a sore leg. So we decided to get Pet Insurance in case she had to have another operation on her other leg down the track. We filled out the form and then down the track her other leg needed some care so the vet told us how much etc. etc. Rang up the Pet Insurance place just to see and then they tell us how the Vet had noted the sore leg before we took out the Insurance. He never said it was an ACL. He just mentioned leg was sore but that was the end of us ever getting Pet Insurance for anything so we got out of the Insurance. I have had dogs in the past and never ever paid Pet Insurance and probably wouldn't do it again if we got another dog. If you do want to get it, as I said start from a young age so that you are covered.
jjdrer
I think it is worth it if your pet is a therapy or companion dog or cat. Some cats are as good as dogs in raising alertness or alarms. Cats can change the sound of their "meow" to a very different sound and different actions
jjdrer
I think it is worth it if your pet is a therapy or companion dog or cat. Some cats are as good as dogs in raising alertness or alarms. Cats can change the sound of their "meow" to a very different sound and different actions
Sil sil
I guess depends on breed, my Malamute wasn't covered for anything that is "common" or "susceptible" so it was not worth me getting it. In saying that, vet bills are now even more expensive so pushes the need for insurance.
vettsies
I have probably paid more but as it comes out fortnightly then I don't miss it and get a 75% return when I claim