Vet bills: How do you pay for them?
Hi everyone,
So this isn't exactly a "corgi health" question, but as I'm starting to seriously look into getting a puppy, one of my major concerns is of course, healthcare. As we all know, vet bills can be insanely expensive, and I don't make that much money that I can just pay it all so easily. So I was wondering what all of you guys do about vet bills?
Of course, there's pet insurance. For those of you that purchase that, how much coverage is enough? Do you get the full coverage, with all the preventive care and stuff covered? Or just the accidental/disease coverage? Are most insurance companies pretty good about following up on claims? I've read that with pet insurance, you have to pay up front first, and then they reimburse you. That would really suck if you had to pay for a very expensive procedure and they take forever to reimburse...
I've also heard some people say it's better to just put what you'd pay monthly into a savings account. But then I'm worried about what to do if something happened to my puppy. Obviously if I just started putting money into the account, I won't have much saved up yet. On the other hand, it would kinda be nice to have that money just in case, instead of having to pay for the insurance if my puppy ends up being super healthy and doesn't need much besides the basic vet care...
Then there's CareCredit... But then in the end I'd still have to pay for all of it. So I don't know if it would be good to rely solely on that.
Anyway, so please tell me what all of you do about paying for healthcare. Thank you!!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Shou on
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Thank you for your comment, Lawren. That's really awesome that your mom loves your puppy so much! My parents have always given me the "pets are too much work!" excuse, but I've caught them sneaking into my room before to feed/talk to/mess with my hamsters before. Haha. So if my parents ever get to meet my puppy, I'm sure he'll make them love him somehow with that corgi charm. :]
Wow, Seattle's a pretty expensive place... I think I got lucky that I found a vet really close to my house with really good reviews, and low prices. I'll have to call them up and ask for the exact pricing on everything, but I'm hoping this one will work out. I'm definitely gonna make sure that I research it well though. Thanks again!
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Permalink Reply by Alison Prasavath on
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We pay out of pocket, but thankfully Noodles has been relatively healthy. Other than him having his throwing up issues for 2.5 years and eye problems for 1 year, we haven't had any major medical bills for him. The biggest was when he had to go to the ER and that bill for 1.5 hours was $450. We budget for Noodles regular vet trips, but if something major were to happen, we have some savings and the rest would probably have to be put on the credit card. The biggest cost was in the first year of his life with all the shots and his snipping surgery.
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Thank you for your comment, Alison. The ER sure is expensive. Glad to know that Noodles is mostly healthy though. :] I think I should be able to cover most of the first year stuff with no problems. And hopefully he won't need much more than that.
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Permalink Reply by Kevan hudson on
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We pay all vet services out of pocket,mind you we have been with our vet a long time,I think our dogs were among her first patients,I would agree with those who say to save money up to cover at least the first year of costs(the ones you know will occur),then save at least 50% more for emergency,maybe you would be eligible for a low interest, low limit c.c.? Use it only for vet emergencies,I am sure many people here can tell you it is the weekend emergency visits that can suck your money quick.I live in Canada so things up here are quite a bit different to the u.s.the vet emergency clinics can be more accommodating and the humane societies are very helpful in an emergency,sorry for rambling on,the long and short of it is ,save some money up,check into a direct bill insurance company(we have them up here),look into vets in your area that may defer payments,make sure a puppy is what you want,puppies can be very expensive,last but not least prepare for being totally absorbed into the corgi world,there is no turning back,look into those corgi eyes, watch the wiggly bum,feel the soft, soft fur,,oops sorry Benson is demanding his walkies.....gotta go.
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Thank you for your comment, Kevan. Your post made me laugh. :] I'm definitely already well-obsessed with corgis. And everyone knows it too. When my friends see corgis, they think of me. And they text me to tell me. Haha. A puppy is definitely something I want. Have for more than 15 years! I'm pretty sure I should be ok with the routine stuff, but mostly I just need to start saving up for the emergency fund. I know I have good credit, so if anything happens, I shouldn't have a problem applying for care credit. I'll look into all the other things that you mentioned though. And I appreciate your rambling. :] Thanks again.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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I would check several vets for prices before you get a pup also. My daughter who lives in a larger town would bring her dog to our vet because the cost was that much lower and we have people come from 2 hours away also due to this. We have a farm vet and they are more reasonable and check if they have clinics that does a yearly cost cut also. Ours waives the office visit fee and has lower prices every spring. Around here the humane societies also have spay/neuter clinics and a very low price compred to vets. I have never used one and the animal get sent home that night but it would work for me. Also is there a vet school that might offer lower prices for their practicing students? Just some thoughts.
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I've definitely started looking for vets around my area. I've found quite a few, and luckily there seems to be one that's really close to my house, has great reviews, and offers low prices. I'll have to call them to make sure, but I'm hoping that hospital will work out. :] Didn't think about the vet school idea though. So I'll see if there're any around. Thanks as always, Jane!
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Permalink Reply by Marcie on
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I pay out of pocket for the most part. I do try and have a "slush fund" for emergencies. Kramer's bills before he died wiped it out and I put the rest on the credit card. I have $20 a pay check put into an account for this. I'll admit I used part of it to pay for oil this winter. Most of his bills were to the emergency vet. It cost $140 to walk in the door. My regular vet will let "frequent flyers" pay over a month or two. He did it for me when my last cat tore both the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament in one leg.I live in a area that is not affluent, I think my vet is good about keeping things reasonable.
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Thank you for your comment, Marcie. Sorry to hear about Kramer. :( I'll be sure to save up and do some comparison "shopping" before I decide on a vet. Thanks again. :]
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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I pay out of pocket but for bigger bills such as Sparty's recent toe amputation my vet will let me spread the payments out over a few months. However we have used the same vet over 30 years.
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Thank you for your comment, Bev. I'll be sure to try and build a good relationship with my vet, and ask about payment plans. :]
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Permalink Reply by Maddie, Sam, and Ruby on
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If I were you I would apply for carecredit. We had a German Shepherd mix puppy named Nugget who got pneumonia, and from the time I took her to the vet to the time she died, 3 days, we racked up an almost $700 vet bill that we had to pay out of pocket. So carecredit is great if you qualify for it. But if you don`t I`d recommend to start saving now, just basic puppy things are super expensive even with a healthy animal. Good luck!
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