Pet Insurance?

[AlaskaHunter]

Pet insurance is a common investment among retriever field trialers.

It cost around $30 a month for the life of a lab, which over ten years is ~$3,600.
I've had 8 labs since the 1980s, all lived to at least 13 with no major vet bills.

So by "self-insuring" instead of pet insurance, ~$29,000 saved.
From my perspective, "self-insuring" is a better investment compared to pet insurance.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[Panda Bear]

I wish I had one of those crystal balls that let me see ten years into the future, I would know which dog to insure and which one to not

We make our decision based on each dog to the extent of insurance we buy on it, if any. We dont today, but have had life insurance on a couple of dogs in the past. We have been laughed at when we tell people that we give massage therapy to a dog when training and racing them

The Boykin is not insured, as he is indestructible

 

[OntarioHunter]

I am a multimillionaire so buying insurance for my dogs is kinda senseless. Pearl, who passed six years ago, racked up over $15K the last two years of her life. Before that: fractured skull as a pup, rattlesnake bite, and a nasty wire cut to shoulder that healed poorly. She was an expensive dog. Opal (2009-2019) required six grand vet bills the last couple months she was alive. Cancer. At age six Ellie has piled up a few vet bills already: pancreatitis that almost got her, several wire cut incidents that required sutures, and recently hip problem (fortunately only a pulled muscle). Fr Britt Puppy at age ten has been the easiest keeper of all my dogs. Only major vet bill was getting her spayed as a pup.

It can add up and in a hurry! I guess like any health insurance or car warranty it depends on the fine print. Some aren't worth the paper their written on.

 

[SD_Prairie_Goat]

Seems like a scam to me to be honest. Vet care is much more reasonable in cost, at least in my town. Not only that dogs generally are healthier than their humans.

Dex gets an ear infection, $150 to fix it in both ears to be safe.

If I get an ear infection it's $225 just to see the doc, probably more if I have to go to urgent care

Only breed's that may be justifiable are those with known health issues. For example, my old boss had a yellow lab that ended up getting his acl's done two times before the age of four. That would be a time you'd be money ahead getting insurance.

 

[elkduds]

We've used care plans @ Banfield vet in Petsmart stores for some dogs. Regular periodic care and meds for cheap, reminders when care is due. Regular preventive care extended the healthy life of those dogs, and our enjoyment of them. Mrs. Duds reminds me keeping teeth and mouth healthy w regular cleanings as dogs age is an important part of care that is expensive without insurance.

 

[OntarioHunter]

We've used care plans @ Banfield vet in Petsmart stores for some dogs. Regular periodic care and meds for cheap, reminders when care is due. Regular preventive care extended the healthy life of those dogs, and our enjoyment of them. Mrs. Duds reminds me keeping teeth and mouth healthy w regular cleanings as dogs age is an important part of care that is expensive without insurance.

I've owned seven hunting dogs over the last 57 years and never had to have teeth cleaned on one yet. Sophie lived to age 14. Key is stay the hell away from canned dogfood. If the dog is fussy and won't touch dry food, let it starve. Eventually it will buckle under and eat. Avoid table scraps of course. Rawhides help immensely but keep an eye on the dog when it's working with one. They can choke on a piece. My vet suggests pigs ears but they're not always easy to find. Avoid the flavored rawhide bones unless the dog is outside. Those things will stain the carpet.

 

[WyoDoug]

If you are good at managing money, I would create an account to pay for pets. That's what we did. You need something because any major illness with them critters can run a couple thousand dollars or more. I would create a special account that draws interest (credit union) and use it only for vet expenses and related medications and that then move any excess over your goal amount to your regular checking. It would be wise to replace anything you have to spend because this fund would be depleted fairly quick sometimes. We spent over $2000 on our black pug when she got sick but in our family them furkids are just as important to use as the two legged kind.

 

[4ohSick]

I have HealthyPaws insurance, and most of the people I told about it when I got my pup said I was an idiot for getting pet insurance. Well at the ripe old age of 2, he tore his ACL playing in the snow, and insurance covered $3k of the $4k surgery. During that process, I also found he has a malformed hip joint and will have hip dysplasia at some point, so there's a good chance they'll be covering a pricey hip replacement as well. Buddy's dad made fun of me for spending that much on a dog, but a few weeks later he spent thousands on his 12-year-old dog that got its leg caught in a fence. All told, I highly recommend it and have been happy with HealthyPaws.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I have HealthyPaws insurance, and most of the people I told about it when I got my pup said I was an idiot for getting pet insurance. Well at the ripe old age of 2, he tore his ACL playing in the snow, and insurance covered $3k of the $4k surgery. During that process, I also found he has a malformed hip joint and will have hip dysplasia at some point, so there's a good chance they'll be covering a pricey hip replacement as well. Buddy's dad made fun of me for spending that much on a dog, but a few weeks later he spent thousands on his 12-year-old dog that got its leg caught in a fence. All told, I highly recommend it and have been happy with HealthyPaws.

What are your monthly premiums?

 

[4ohSick]

What are your monthly premiums?

They have gone up since the policy began, but I also had listed the dog as "medium" (he's a rescue from the reservation so had no idea how big he'd be) and he's wound up at a healthy weight of around 90lb. It was previously around $30/month, but it's gone up to $39/month.

It does make sense that over the lives of several dogs, self-insuring would wind up saving money for most people. However, many lack the self-discipline to actually put that $40/month in a savings/investment account, and every now and then you'll get a dud (but we love 'em no matter what!) that blows the math up.

 

[4ohSick]

They have gone up since the policy began, but I also had listed the dog as "medium" (he's a rescue from the reservation so had no idea how big he'd be) and he's wound up at a healthy weight of around 90lb. It was previously around $30/month, but it's gone up to $39/month.

It does make sense that over the lives of several dogs, self-insuring would wind up saving money for most people. However, many lack the self-discipline to actually put that $40/month in a savings/investment account, and every now and then you'll get a dud (but we love 'em no matter what!) that blows the math up.

Also, at the time I got him as a puppy, I was fresh out of college and a $4k surgery would have been pretty tough for me to pull together. Now it would be much less of a blow, but I've put enough money into the insurance and know he has additional big medical expenses in the future, so it makes sense to keep it.

 

[OntarioHunter]

They have gone up since the policy began, but I also had listed the dog as "medium" (he's a rescue from the reservation so had no idea how big he'd be) and he's wound up at a healthy weight of around 90lb. It was previously around $30/month, but it's gone up to $39/month.

It does make sense that over the lives of several dogs, self-insuring would wind up saving money for most people. However, many lack the self-discipline to actually put that $40/month in a savings/investment account, and every now and then you'll get a dud (but we love 'em no matter what!) that blows the math up.

Thirty-nine bucks a month isn't so bad. I think I might agree under normal circumstances health insurance for my dogs might make sense. As hard as I work them during hunting season, health insurance for them would be a good idea ... if I didn't always have the financial means to take care of anything that might come up. But if I didn't have the financial means, I probably wouldn't be able to afford working them so hard. Insurance would then not be as important? Okay, I call it "work" but for them (and me) it is play.

This is Ellie at the end of last hunting season.

 

[406LIFE]

I've carried pet insurance on my labs for several years. A spider bite that required surgery ran about $3k, half being anesthesia if I remember correct. My bill was about $700. I've never needed to get an ortho exam/surgery, but those things are more. I hunt my dogs like they were originally bred to be hunted. And being dogs and not rocket scientists, things are apt to happen. I'm ahead of the game now, and hoping that I don't ever need to use it again. Heaven forbid I have a dog that is a great hunter and blows a knee or develops displaysia and I can't afford to get it fixed.

 

[Raccoontrapper]

Does anyone know if the insurance policy they have covers porcupine quill removal? Porcupines are pretty common in my neck of the woods. That alone may make an insurance policy worth while.

 

[4ohSick]

Does anyone know if the insurance policy they have covers porcupine quill removal? Porcupines are pretty common in my neck of the woods. That alone may make an insurance policy worth while.

I'm pretty sure mine (HealthyPaws) would. You select your deductible and your monthly premiums will be based on that, so it may take a couple visits to get up to that amount. Standard check-ups and diagnostic tests are not covered, but a visit to pull quills should be. But realistically, you'd probably need to have quite a few incidents a year for it to pencil out. My deductible is $500, with 20% copay after that. I'm guessing each visit would be ~$100? So with premiums factored in, it would have to be happening damn near monthly.

 

[Fire_9]

When I got my GWP I got an email about pet insurance and thought it was the dumbest thing I had ever heard of. After 4 years of fighting epilepsy, it probably may have been a decent investment. I have no idea what it would have cost and what it would have covered but may have saved us some money

 

[Raccoontrapper]

I'm pretty sure mine (HealthyPaws) would. You select your deductible and your monthly premiums will be based on that, so it may take a couple visits to get up to that amount. Standard check-ups and diagnostic tests are not covered, but a visit to pull quills should be. But realistically, you'd probably need to have quite a few incidents a year for it to pencil out. My deductible is $500, with 20% copay after that. I'm guessing each visit would be ~$100? So with premiums factored in, it would have to be happening damn near monthly.

This picture was taken last year. The setter got ahold of a porcupine while we were grouse hunting. The vet bill was $700. So far this year I’ve managed to keep the dogs away from them, but it’s just a matter of time till it happens again unfortunately.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I had my twin brother's setter on loan for a fall back when I lived in Idaho.
That setter had a history of killing half a dozen cats and 2 raccoons.
First porcupine he encountered was just like your photo...quills all the way back in the throat.
Back then my vet bill was $200.

 

[AlaskaHunter]

I've carried pet insurance on my labs for several years. A spider bite that required surgery ran about $3k, half being anesthesia if I remember correct. My bill was about $700. I've never needed to get an ortho exam/surgery, but those things are more. I hunt my dogs like they were originally bred to be hunted. And being dogs and not rocket scientists, things are apt to happen. I'm ahead of the game now, and hoping that I don't ever need to use it again. Heaven forbid I have a dog that is a great hunter and blows a knee or develops displaysia and I can't afford to get it fixed.

What is your monthly premium for all your labs?

 

[AlaskaHunter]

Well regardless of how wealthy you are and if you can afford paying that much out of pocket for dog injuries, it sounds like a low cost insurance policy to cover your risk having dogs run in those environments could have saved you money.

From my perspective I save money by "self-insuring". 2 labs would cost me about the same as my home insurance which from my perspective is too much, and then there is deductible and co-pay.
I feel that I'm better off just paying the vet bill out of pocket...that is what I've done with 8 labs over 30 years.