Anyone have pet insurance?
- Thread starter jMarine
- Start date
Yeah I know jack shit about em too. We were given a new pup a year ago and here lately we can’t seem to figure out what the hells wrongs with him. What are we doing wrong. One minute he’s fine. Next he’s not. And I’m sick of being scammed by the damn vet every single time I have to bring him in over some bullshit. So now I’m looking for insurance/wellness coverage
Thought about it before but never followed up. Just paid the vet $3k for a partially torn ACL
I have it for my cat. “Fetch” ….. Can’t say I know much because I have yet to use it.
Key points:
Key points:
- How old is the dog? Anything that is already happened will typically be pre-existing condition that won’t be covered. The trick is to buy when the animal is a puppy or kitten.
- With rare exceptions it’s a reimbursement program. They don’t pay upfront. There is a company called Trupanion that is advertising a pay direct to vet. Chewy is selling a variation of their insurance too, and I like chewy a lot. This however, presupposes that your vet will accept direct insurance payments, which many won’t.
- Wellness programs and insurance are really two separate things. You’re going to pay for a lot more for wellness program a lot than you’ll pay for just insurance.
- Shelby is required to have a yearly physical as per terms of the insurance. You need to keep that stuff up. Vaccines too.
I’m not sure if it’s considered “preexisting conditions” but so far, the diagnosis from the few vet visits have just been some sort of viral infection or upset tummy.
Problem is that just to have the piece of mind and take him to the vet, they wanna rack up 5-600$ in charges every time. This test. That test. Exam fees. Yadda yadda. Eventually there’s no money so then what! Just very frustrating.
Problem is that just to have the piece of mind and take him to the vet, they wanna rack up 5-600$ in charges every time. This test. That test. Exam fees. Yadda yadda. Eventually there’s no money so then what! Just very frustrating.
Off topic but got a new lab pup. Wife and I are battling pneumonia and he’s into everything. Afraid we’re too old for a high energy pup or maybe we are just feeling bad and everything gets on your nerves. Last week or so have been taxing to say the least.
It’s important to remember that one of the things that is driving up Vet veterinarian costs across the country is big investment corporations have gotten into the game and are buying them up.
I deal with a owner-operated vet here in Wyoming. My brother lives in Boulder, Colorado. The bill disparity, even for the location differences, is outrageous! What would cost me $600 would cost him an excessive $2500 bucks.
I’m a capitalist, but you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to see that there is a difference in methodologies when a big corporation is buying these things up as an investment. They become profit driven. I hate to break it to you but with the small owner, these people really care. It’s worth noting that the suicide rate amongst vets is exceedingly high. These people pour their soul into their jobs. When these corporations come in a lot of that goes away, they’re beholden to shareholders.
Example, I took my cat in for a limp. Even sent a video ahead to show the limp. By the time I got her in the limp had gone away and it was pretty obvious she had just done something playing that was working itself out.
The vet immediately switched and said well we can make this your vaccination/yearly physical. And that’s what we did. I think I walked out of there for $135 bucks, all in. It’s worth noting that my vet graduated from Princeton.
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I deal with a owner-operated vet here in Wyoming. My brother lives in Boulder, Colorado. The bill disparity, even for the location differences, is outrageous! What would cost me $600 would cost him an excessive $2500 bucks.
I’m a capitalist, but you don’t have to be a brain surgeon to see that there is a difference in methodologies when a big corporation is buying these things up as an investment. They become profit driven. I hate to break it to you but with the small owner, these people really care. It’s worth noting that the suicide rate amongst vets is exceedingly high. These people pour their soul into their jobs. When these corporations come in a lot of that goes away, they’re beholden to shareholders.
Example, I took my cat in for a limp. Even sent a video ahead to show the limp. By the time I got her in the limp had gone away and it was pretty obvious she had just done something playing that was working itself out.
The vet immediately switched and said well we can make this your vaccination/yearly physical. And that’s what we did. I think I walked out of there for $135 bucks, all in. It’s worth noting that my vet graduated from Princeton.
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Well, that’s always tricky with insurance companies. It’s often very hard to know what you’re covered for until you file a claim.
As I stated before, if you can find yourself, an owner operated vet you’ll save money from the get-go. But not all vets are the same that’s important. You need to find a good one. There are a lot of bad or just OK ones out there.
Get copies of everything always and keep a file.
Do you have a copy of the blood panels that they did? Did they do a panel on the stools? I actually went through something similar with Shelby. There was a simple fix.
I have a contact in Vancouver Canada, who is a world class veterinarian. He does consultations through Patreon. Might be worth considering a consultation with him. He was the one who looked at Shelby‘s panels and told me what the problem was. And the solution. He is you have to have a vet locally that will implement his advice. I was lucky, I did.
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It's like health insurance...
you have deductibles and wellness check ups and crap, emergency limits, etc. Lots of fine print.
It's about a big a pain as dealing with your HMO. Can it save you $$.. yup. If you have a dog with 'issues' it's definitely the way to go.
I believe the actuaries at health insurers got side gigs writing up pet insurance.
you have deductibles and wellness check ups and crap, emergency limits, etc. Lots of fine print.
It's about a big a pain as dealing with your HMO. Can it save you $$.. yup. If you have a dog with 'issues' it's definitely the way to go.
I believe the actuaries at health insurers got side gigs writing up pet insurance.
I think we’ll find out that these corporations are both invested in the health insurance companies and the veterinarians.
I have Nationwide provided through my employer at 14.99 per paycheck biweekly. Gives me back 70% of costs at the vet all I have to do is send the paperwork to show the diagnoses and write a paragraph about it.
The boss lady had her dog spade and the pup did not recover so well, emergency vet to make sure her baby is okay was 1,700 bucks (overnight stay and monitor) and that’s because they didn’t have to do anything. I got 70% of that back and it was about a ten minute online filing job and then waiting. They mailed a check. Zero hassle from them.
The boss lady had her dog spade and the pup did not recover so well, emergency vet to make sure her baby is okay was 1,700 bucks (overnight stay and monitor) and that’s because they didn’t have to do anything. I got 70% of that back and it was about a ten minute online filing job and then waiting. They mailed a check. Zero hassle from them.
You can get scammed/raped by the vet or the insurance carrier. Either way, your coming home with a sore ass! Good luck!
High vet bills make for some very difficult if/then/else decisions. I just had a new pup go down with Parvo - and she had her shots. Come to find out there are different brands of shots with different efficacies. Tie that in with breeds that are hyper susceptible to it and it gets dicey. Full blood transfusion, IV's for almost a week and feeding through a tube. Cost was high but fair IMO. Saved the dog and the vet was not only dedicated to her rescue but called with daily updates. The pup is on the mend but is literally skin and bone, typical for a parvo survivor. Insurance would definitely have taken the sting out of the cost.
Up until what I read from grande i thought most was a waste of money because of how picky they were with what they covered.
What I did instead was determined what the insurance would cost and instead of sending it to insurance, set up an account and put the money into it instead. It 'saves' the money makes a few cents on interest but is available as needed. Not quite the same as insurance but at least it stays close and isnt given away with little or no return.
What I did instead was determined what the insurance would cost and instead of sending it to insurance, set up an account and put the money into it instead. It 'saves' the money makes a few cents on interest but is available as needed. Not quite the same as insurance but at least it stays close and isnt given away with little or no return.
Sorry man.
I spent close to $5k on my cat in 2020. It got her another 7 good months with me treating her daily. I don't want to tell you what it would have cost my brother with those vultures.
This is the Vet Dr. Uri Burstyn in Vancouver that I mentioned. He has a YouTube channel that focuses on cats but his expertise does not stop there. He is a world class Veterinarian with impeccable credentials. He runs several clinics in Vancouver. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtEnS6HGyK1oe71sxbJuhcw
I have consulted with Dr. Uri (as I call him) on several occasions. He does it via phone, email and zoom. He sets up his consultations through Patreon (I know ugh) but again, it is worth every penny. If anyone decides to use him feel free to DM me for any more details and my name to mention.
As an aside: Dr. Uri appeared in an episode of "Arrow" as a Russian gangster illegal cage fight ring master. He's Ukrainian. Shockingly convincing.....
Incidentally, I just received an email from him last night. His beloved cat/pal of 22 years "Pirate" (often in his videos) had finally passed peacefully by his side in the night. That cat won the life lottery with Dr. Uri....
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I have consulted with Dr. Uri (as I call him) on several occasions. He does it via phone, email and zoom. He sets up his consultations through Patreon (I know ugh) but again, it is worth every penny. If anyone decides to use him feel free to DM me for any more details and my name to mention.
As an aside: Dr. Uri appeared in an episode of "Arrow" as a Russian gangster illegal cage fight ring master. He's Ukrainian. Shockingly convincing.....
Incidentally, I just received an email from him last night. His beloved cat/pal of 22 years "Pirate" (often in his videos) had finally passed peacefully by his side in the night. That cat won the life lottery with Dr. Uri....
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Yes, some dogs need to be insured. That said, not feasible for a loving mutt. I can understand If you insure an animal for it's health but animals don't live long to start with and vets are expensive as hell. If you have a pedigreed dog with breed lines to winning dogs then yes.
The long explanation - feel free to skip it:
Back in the good ol' days my dad bred show dog German Shepherds. This culminated in one of the dogs winning Best In Show in a big New Jersey show. After the win in New Jersey the dog was worth $7000, That would be like $65,000 today. After the dog aged and got really sick - hip dysplasia he decided to euthanize him rather than keep him suffering.
So yes, some dogs need to be insured.
NYT Quote from 1968:
"CLARKSBORO, N. J., Oct, 17 —Ch. Von Nassau's Tak, a German shepherd owned by José A. Suro topped a field of 587 today to win best‐in-snow honors at the ninth annual Gloucester County Kennel Club fixture. The 3½-year‐old dog earlier this year was judged best at the Ponce, Puerto Rico, show. He is handled by Ray Curry.
Edwin L. Pickhardt of Washington, Conn., judged the final today."
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I wish I had doggie insurance. My yorkie developed pancreatitis yesterday morning, and I thought she was going to die. She’s spent the night at the vets office with an IV, and getting antibiotics, and will spend tonight at the emergency vets office, since it’s Friday. She’s improving, but slowly. I hope I can go pick her up tomorrow. I’m afraid to even see what the bill is going to be. One good thing, my daughter works at the vet’s office, so we get a family discount, but it’s still going to be outrageous.
My brother was reimbursed closed to 10k and extended his dog’s life by 9 good years.
The main thing with pet insurance is to get a decent company and document everything. Every time, my pet goes to the veterinarian I get all the reports and everything and put them in a file at home. I keep up with the vaccinations and I do the yearly physical, per my insurance.
I recently had a US postal insurance claim. I hadn’t filed one in so long I forgotten what it was like. I’ve always been told that they never approved the claim the first time around and most of the time they won’t approve it at all. I filed the claim, had all my ducks in a row, had all my photographs invoice and other items. A week later, I opened up my mailbox and there was a check.
With insurance companies, you have to be very precise and on the ball and they have to realize that you’re the kind of person that if they go tit for tat with you, it’s gonna cost them more in time and aggravation than just writing you a check.
In talking to veterinarians, “financial euthanasia” is one of the most common “optional” euthanasias that they do. It’s speculated, this is one of the reasons veterinarians are so stressed out and commit suicide so often.
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Damn dude. Sorry to hear that. Prayers for your pet….
Thank you. I appreciate it.Damn dude. Sorry to hear that. Prayers for your pet….
My girlfriend ugly crying as her dog bleeds onto the floor of the vet with some of the worst sutures I’ve ever seen (I did better as a baby medic my first time on trainers than this career vet on his Nth patient) and the E vet says it’ll be like 700-1600 if they have to attempt CPR (like a 1% chance dog CPR even works at all and usually with bad decrease in QOL.) on this dog.
Girlfriend looking at me to make a decision on her dog.
In my head I’m like forget that, love you dog but you ain’t worth a grand! So I look this vet lady in the eye and say yeah that’s cool just do whatever to increase her chances of survival. Price is no issue lmao
I got pet insurance specifically because I knew she would want to spend her last dollar and sell her own kidney to afford treatment for that silly dog.
Yup I am the exact same. If I’m not in the moment with a current issue and I’ve already spent XX dollars, my attitude is usually… yeah I’m not spending anymore fucking money. This is KILLING me financially… but then something happens…Yep that is how I am with my pets. So far I have managed to keep my kidneys….
Do whatever it takes doc. I’ll pay whatever. It’s hard to just give up on our fur family. They depend on us and loves unconditionally.
It will pass. Make damn sure you are very consistent with rules and use a routine . Consistency with rules and boundaries is critical and that means you and the wife. (The women are almost always the issue with dogs that cause problems) IME
With dogs, inconsistencies in one area, is inconsistencies in all and it confuses them too. With yall being sick, your energy is also off and for a pup, that could also cause so.e trouble and confusion.
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Grew up with dogs on the ranch and they were fun and all. They were treated very well but if we ever got a potential vet bill like some above it would be…
“Well, Sparky sure was a good boy - we’re going to miss him.”
Dog people have completely lost their minds.
“Well, Sparky sure was a good boy - we’re going to miss him.”
Dog people have completely lost their minds.
i dont even have people insurance. Pet insurance...
A large portion of the people that ride insurance on mindless visit raise prices through the roof, the ins companies never pay close to the numbers they tell you they are.
Insurance is a fucking scam and a way to middle man you out of your money. INS companies are for profit business. Guess who's getting fucked in the long run???
A large portion of the people that ride insurance on mindless visit raise prices through the roof, the ins companies never pay close to the numbers they tell you they are.
Insurance is a fucking scam and a way to middle man you out of your money. INS companies are for profit business. Guess who's getting fucked in the long run???
At first I was worried about him choking but then drowning became a question ?@Lowlight used to pay pet insurance on me when I used to live under his desk.
I grew up the same way.
The world changes. People change. We used to run around with spear chasing our food. Now we use high powered rifles. (Some use modern “contraptions” they pretend are akin to the old-fashioned bow and arrow.)
Our tribes are gone. Our community, gone. Our children far away having their own lives 1000s of miles away. People are dying alone in record numbers.
It comes as no surprise that our pets are family members, and we treat them as if they are our own children. As long as you’re rational about it, I see nothing wrong with it whatsoever. People need companionship.
Some of us believe that we are our pets protectors and as protectors of the tribe, we do what we need to do to protect our tribe.
I have always believed, that God judges us by how we treat those we have dominion over. In the end, I think pets make most of us better more human beings.
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