Pets and healthcare

[Moldovandish 0]

We just took our 13-year old dog to the vet today. She hasn't been in a couple of years at least. They are suspecting a health condition so they are running blood tests etc.. The bill can come up to 400 dollars. We love our dog..she's like our baby (while we still don't have a baby of our own ), so we don't mind paying that. But is there anyway to avoid huge pet bills? Does anyone have experience with pet health insurance?

[almaty 19]

We just took our 13-year old dog to the vet today. She hasn't been in a couple of years at least. They are suspecting a health condition so they are running blood tests etc.. The bill can come up to 400 dollars. We love our dog..she's like our baby (while we still don't have a baby of our own ), so we don't mind paying that. But is there anyway to avoid huge pet bills? Does anyone have experience with pet health insurance?

i have heard of pet insurance but never knew anyone who had it or what is covered...

[ladyspotthedog 0]

I had pet insurance (albeit in the UK, so I'm not sure how helpful this will be) and I found them extremely good. They always paid out within 2 days after a claim and never questioned anything. They were PetPlan Ins Co. I will say, however, do shop around...some insurers will only pay out for an ongoing medical problem for 12 months (Pet Plan would pay for a lifetime). They also cover things like third party liability, costs for advertising a lost pet and more, they generally won't, however, pay for routine innoculations, worming, spaying etc. Anyway, shop around, I would recommend it personally and good luck

[rclouse 0]

At your dog's age I doubt it would be very cost-effective. One thing you should do is shop around, find a good vet you can trust.

My dog Timmy has hydroencephaly (water on the brain), but the "advanced care" place I took him to started leeching me for as much money as they could get. First trip was $300, next one was $400, and then they were proposing surgery to do a biopsy on a two pound, sick chihuahua. I took him back to my regular vet, and he suggested taking him to who he considers the best vet in southern California. After a 10 minute exam, the vet identified the problem, prescribed medicine, and said TImmy should live a normal lifetime. Two years later, Timmy is healthy, up to 3 pounds now, and is the happiest, funniest little dog you've ever seen.

Anyway, my point is be sure you can trust your vet. Spending $400 or more is OK if it's going to solve the problem, just don't let them rip you off.

[daisy16 0]

I have health insurance for my dog. She is a large breed dog, and I know that she will probably have major problems eventually. Here are my experiences.

I pay less than $30/month. When I took the dog for her fleas/skin problems, and allergy tests, the 2 visits cost me about $750. After co-pays etc, they covered about $350 of it. While that's not all, it does help.

No offense to anyone, but I find veterinary science very unreliable. I'm on my 2nd vet here yet, and we've only been here since July.

[Kajikit 65]

We have pet insurance for the cats and it's only ten dollars a month but it only covers emergencies, not regular health care. We couldn't claim their checkups or shots for example, but if they got out and fell off the balcony it would pay for their treatment etc.