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Permalink Reply by christy fry on August 9, 2010 at 9:51pm

I spend 29.00 a month(per plan) for my Wellness plan(through Banfield) and the corgi's get 2 full exam's a year, all their shot's, and dewormed....if you add that up your really not saving much, your just on a installment plan...but I really like it because they get a good once over every 6 month's(dropped off for the day) that kind of schedule will allow for early detection of thing's. Before that they'd go 1 time a year for shot's but having an old dude for awhile really cemented the fact that early detection is key....

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on August 10, 2010 at 9:51am

I am wondering if pet insurance will be cheaper on the long run & which insurance will cover everything but yet a good price :D

Just like human insurance, you need to shop around and get quotes, read the fine print and know exactly what is covered. You get what you paid for, since every dog's age, pre-exsisting condition, health needs are different. Their number of vet visits, rx and shots required are also different. Put it this way, a good driver in a good car can still get into an accident, if he only paid for liability insurance, he will not be fully covered. Most people don't read the fine print or ask questions, thinking that they have full coverage, so when an accident happen, they blame the insurance company for "tricking" them or false advertising. Insurance is a business, not a charity, it is not a scam and when done right, you will be in good hands. Just ask how many owners here wish they bought insurance before something big happened. Just like human insurance, when you buy insurance at a young age, it's cheaper and less "pre-exsisting" condition.

Now once you graduated and worked a few years, put 6 months+ worth of salary in your savings account, that will be your best insurance. You'll live through difficult times.

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Permalink Reply by Renee Kovacs on August 12, 2010 at 7:35am

There are other options - there are special 'care cards' which are credit cards that can only be used for medical purposes, offering interest-free payment plans (again, read all the fine print). Still, knowing these exist can give a person a bit more peace of mind.

Saving - always the best insurance, absolutely.

Talk to your vet in advance - ask if they have their own options available for extensive charges.

The Banfield deal is NOT insurance, it is pre-paid (monthly) bundled services. It does not cover catastrophic care, medications, illnesses, etc... but only a list of 'preventative' health care (vaccines, routine exams, etc.) $29 a month = $348 year, far more than I spend at the vet in a typical year, plus doesn't that Wellness plan have an up-front fee upon initiation?

No matter what you decide, be sure and read all the 'fine print'.

Further - having been in the lending/financial industry my whole life, I offer this advice: Do whatever you need to do financially, in order to obtain ONE bank card (Visa, Mastercard, etc). Use the card regularly for small items (gasoline, for example) and pay in full every month. If you can do this in a disciplined manner, you will have that credit available for emergencies - plus, you will build on your credit file/score. The longer you keep that ONE card going like this, the more they will increase your credit limit (trying to tempt you); even if it starts at a low limit, it will build and IF you are disciplined, and the card doesn't have an annual fee - that's free 'insurance'.

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Permalink Reply by christy fry on August 12, 2010 at 9:32am

Yes there is a one time 60.00 dollar fee for the plan's and if they don't lapse you don't pay that again. All office visit's are a "no charge" part of the plan so you can go in whenever you need for your pet. That helps me out alot no sitting and wondering do they really need to go? can I afford it right now? excetra..... you also receive discount's on lab work,medications, and non-medication products such as chewy's,flea medicine, shampoo's and condionters,....excetra.... So some example's Jordan had a bump on his leg that seems to get bigger a couple days in a row I take him to the vet they asperate the bump see nothing to worry about in the fluid we go home paying for only the needle and glove's which cost less than 5.00. Teagen running happily along roll's gets up and is limping holding little paw so pathetically off we go to the vet they find nothing wrong just a pulled muscle we get sent home with 5 day's of rymadyl with our 10% discount cost like 7.00 dollars..

Miss Kovac is right they are not insurance but "Wellness Plan's" they won't cover ER visit's unless it's to their new 24 hr ER clinic in Portland...this clinic is new and a big upgrade to the plan at least now I have the option to go there or not depending on the urgency I feel at the time.

I have 3 dogs so this is a easy way for me to ensure that they get the vet care I feel they should have. Cody has the upgraded plan so he gets an annual Teeth cleaning as well so his is 39.00 a month that is a total cost for me of 100.00 a month and 1200.00 a year. This route doesn't save me money but give's me the freedom to take my dog's in whenever for whatever and if you tend to lean toward the hyprocondreact side of dog ownership like I tend to these plans are priceless...to me anyways

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Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on August 12, 2010 at 12:37pm

Illinois Department of Insurance on Pet Insurance

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Permalink Reply by Renee Kovacs on August 12, 2010 at 3:08pm

Out of curiosity, I went through my records (easy - I use Quicken) and found:

From 3/08 - 7/10 (28 mos) I spent $2,498 total on the cat & dog - that is every dollar spent on vets, shots, illnesses, toys and includes all their food (premium, too).

That breaks down to $44.60 each, per month.

Each animal had one incident during that time period needing 'extra' vet care - the cat was in a fight & got infected, and the dog ripped a toenail off. Each of those ran about $300.

Just for cheap thrills ... =)

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Permalink Reply by Julia on October 29, 2010 at 1:52am

Cheap thrills indeed! I am very surprised at your number. My records are, well, non-existent, so I only go by my gut. I always thought the dogs cost way more than that. Perhaps it's those big vet bills that stick in the mind, without realizing how much time elapses between them.

Lilliput is only four now, but has caused me grief in the digestive and urinary areas already. This has made me consider insurance, but I haven't yet made a real move.

I got this far in my research: http://www.petinsurancereview.com/dog.asp It seem like a useful place to start.

Hmmmmm. You think maybe I can afford another corgi?

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