Does anyone use pet medical insurance?

[Bleacher Creature]

We're about to rescue a dog after almost five years of being pet free. The last time around, the vet bills go to be crazy in the later years, especially at the end.

Our new girl is just a puppy, so she should hopefully be healthy, but I'm wondering whether anyone had experience with any of the pet insurance carriers.

Thanks!

[redstatebluegirl]

1. We have it on the youngest of ours.

The kind we have helps, but you have to expend the money first and then get reimbursed. We got it through AKC when we got our little one. Glad to have it I have to say. It helps, doesn't make all the bills go away but makes it easier. Our other dogs we got from a breeder when she "retired them" so they were so old the cost did not make sense.

[Docreed2003]

2. It's something I never really considered, but we have it now

My brother-in-law adopted a golden mix and when she was about six months old they were riding on his side-by-side on his farm and she jumped off suddenly and broke on of her hind legs. She had to have two surgeries andtheir pet insurance was a big help when it came to covering the surgery. We purchased a similar plan for our goldendoodle who is the same age.

[JustAnotherGen]

3. Yes

ASPCA -

Why we got it –

We had a healthy little puppy last year that developed Gardia and Kennel Cough about three days after he took over our house and so we took him to the vet toute suite (not knowing what was wrong with him).

Our vet – one of his dogs is a Maltese too. He got his Maltese Monster when someone was going to put him to sleep for a blockage (thousands of dollars surgery). He traded his services for his monster’s life. Our breed also has a tendency to lose it’s teeth and or need mouth surgery and bad issues with their knees.

So – we thought ahead. Other nice thing is things like flea, tick, heartwork, bloodwork, etc. etc. covered under our plan.

Psssst - I love the maltese monster that allows us to sleep in his king size bed, eat food at his table, sit on his couch. It's totally worth it to me pay for the insurance.

[dhol82]

4. I got a VPI plan for my dog when I got her at seven months

That was just about 12 years ago. Fee started at around $35/mo and now is at $75/mo.
I am considering dropping it.
It was ok for annual physicals and emergency visits but did not cover as much as one would hope. There was $50 deductible for each visit and they paid for the events according to their schedule - the way inscos do the 'usual and customary' blather.
She only had one major medical episode and that was last year. She developed cataracts and was bumping into everything. Her world got very, very small. I took her to the Animal Medical Center in Manhattan for evaluation. The canine ophthalmologist did an exam and said she could be helped by removing the cataracts and having intraocular implants. I decided to go ahead and have it done since she still has an estimated 6-7 years of life.
During the surgery her blood pressure dropped into dangerous territory and the decision was made to stop after doing the first eye. The Vet said better to have a live dog with one eye than a dead one with two. She did well after and now has no trouble navigating the house.
Anyhow, the whole episode ran about $4000 of which the insco covered around $2200. It helped, but not as much as one would have hoped.
The reason I am considering dropping the insurance is that she will never be a candidate for any further surgery due to her poor response to anesthesia. Not worth the yearly outlay just for checkups.