Just wondering what brand of pet insurance you have and what you like or dislike about it.
My veternarian is suspecting my Bernese Mountain Dog (1 yr. old) has hip problems and I am considering getting insurance to help with future vet/ortho visits, surgeries etc..
She is otherwise healthy.
I've done a little investigating and I am surprised at the large range from different companies. AKC is very expensive. Is there a big difference between a higher priced comapany than the lower cost ones?
I understand there are some policies that do not cover hereditary diseases or hip displasia so I must investigate thoroughly.
Thanks in advance!
Thank you all for y our advice. My husband and I have looked many plans over and have yet to find a plan that will pay for her treatments if/when she needs them.
Thank you Beth F for your diet suggestion! I appreciate your experience. I will most definitely look into it. That would be wonderful if my sweet Cheyenne can go her life without surgeries.
We have Pets Best. Our dog is two years old and we pay $20/month. They pick up 80% of any vet bill, minus well-visits (you can do an add-on policy w/ them for well visits). They've been excellent on reimbursement. Whatever you do, DON'T go with VPI. We were with them previously with a different dog who had a vet/hospital bill of $1500 and they would only pay $80 towards it. Absolutely ridiculous.
We have a pet plan for both dogs through Banfield pet clinic. The cost is about $35/month & covers almost everything. It's saved us a ton of money. Perhaps that's an option providing you have Banfield clinics where you are.
Good Luck!
We have always used VPI with our dogs. We have had is for at least 10 yrs. I do like the company, but to be honest I haven't looked at others. But we may switch. We had great coverage early on with them, but lately they seem to pay less and their plans have gotten complicated.
One thing I can tell you that may help with the hip problems is diet. Our lab is almost 7 yrs. old and he was diagnosed with hip dysplasia at about 8 months. We have fed him the Science Diet (I believe is the brand) J/D dog food and it is amazing how it has helped him. He will still have the hip dysplasia, but his doctors are amazed at his high activity level and he has never demonstrated any type of pain or problems. It is pricier than other dog foods. But, we have not had to put him on medication or any surgeries. I HIGHLY recommend this food. It is a prescription diet so you can't just go into any pet store and buy it. We get ours at our vet. I think you can get it at PetSmart, but they will require a prescription card from the Vet and honestly, I am pretty sure my vet is cheaper.
If your veterinarian has already considered hip dysplasia, then it will be a pre-existing condition and covered by none of the policies available. Many have caps on what they will pay for a diagnosis and this often does not cover the complete cost. Also - Banfield is basically a prepaid policy for care only at their clinics. As far as I know it will NOT cover a referral for any care - such as that for hip dysplasia.
All pet insurance is different and the best advice is to call around and see what plans they have to offer. I've found PetsBest or TruPanion are some of the top choices. Whatever you go with find a plan that pays a percentage rather than a set amount - for example: will pay 80% vs $200 - that way if your bill is a larger amount then they cover more. There are some that won't cover breed predispositions but it varies with the company. A lot of pet insurance won't cover pre-existing conditions - so if your vet has marked in the vet record anywhere that they suspect hip problems it may not cover it at all or anything related to hip problems. Also something to check out. The insurance company will ask the vet for medical records so it's hard to get around.
Prices are going to be based on the plans. Some offer wellness only plans, wellness/illness combination plans, catastrophic plans for those major costly emergencies. You just have to do the research.
Pets Best Insurance.
