Is pet insurance worth it?

[JumboBeef]

sleep envy said:

JumboBeef said:

On avarage, it is always cheaper to go without insurance for anything (otherwise how do insurance companies make their money?)

so I take it you don'thave buildings/contents insurance?

I didn't say that I don't, just that it is cheaper not to.

Take car insurance: I have been paying the damn thing for nearly 30 years now and never made a claim!

[bazking69]

You obviously haven't had a vets bill for big work yet. It makes solicitors hourly fees look like VFM...

Petplan all the way.

[Wildsea]

Yes, my dog has cost me in excess of 9k in vet fees in one year, with 1.5k going in one day. No way could I have afforded this without insurance. A not very exciting, but very appreciated annual christmas present from my parents.

[HOGEPH]

Ok, does anyone know of a company that does group pet insurance, rather than having to insure each pet individually?

[casbar]

Insurance yes!!! Had two dogs with only minor claims, then got our current Retriever, he has fits, has had a cancer lump removed. Without insurance I would be 3-4k down.

Although if you saved the premium every month into an account and if anything went wrong pay from that, it may work out for you. If I had done that over the last 20 odd years, I would be in poscket.

[evenflow]

sleep envy said:

mrs envy has had her cat rebuilt twice

Big babies were they?

[staceyb]

HOGEPH said:

Ok, does anyone know of a company that does group pet insurance, rather than having to insure each pet individually?

Most places do.

[tybo]

JumboBeef said:

No.

I have large three dogs, and have had them now for 7+ years. Insurance would cost £20 per month per dog, so £720 per year, or over five grand to date. We have spent maybe £500 in that time on vet bills so we have saved over £4,500 towards anything which might happen.

On avarage, it is always cheaper to go without insurance for anything (otherwise how do insurance companies make their money?)

We had two dogs and this is what we thought. Don't bother with insurance and just pay any bills if needed.

Which was all well and good when they were young. It would just be a few hundred pounds here and there (which it was)
But as they got older...the bills got bigger.
We've probably spent about 10-12 thousand on them in the last five years.
So, insurance probably would have been cheaper...

[anonymous-user]

My 12 year old Westie is having surgery this Friday to fix a cruciate ligament issue. It's costing at least £1000 so thank feck for insurance!!!

[chucklebutty]

"I've got 4 cats now" = insure one and if another gets ill, take it to a different vet with the insured cat's number plate.

NB - cats should look similar to proove failsafe...

[Wildsea]

My insurance company have been fab, not quibbling at all about covering referrals, unlicenced treatments, my dog was on "human steroids" and they covered this as wel. I just had to provide the perscription. The only thing they don't cover is the dog food, but I can manage that without claiming. I don't know if it's just the company I go through, but never have they refused to pay, or make my life difficult in trying to get money out of them. In his life my dog must have incured 11 - 12k in vet bills alone. There is no way the insurance would be over this amount. I would always cover my dogs even if it is just for peace of mind.

[Si 330]

Yep I made the mistake of `I have had dogs all my life and never needed pet insurance'. Then our Basset Hound puppy decided to get in they way of our son jumping out of a tree, broke it's rear leg £1700!!!! I learnt the hard way.

[Malh001]

I would recommend it to anyone.

When i got my dog as a pup i kept thinking "i must get him insured soon". Kept putting it off and at 16 weeks he got some sort of stomach/osophegus infection. After a two week stay in Cambridge Veterinary Hospital and a £2000 bill, i got some sorted sharpish.

£12 a month is nothing for peace of mind.