Does anyone have pet insurance?

[4-H chicken mom]

If so, do you like your company? Have you had to use it? I could really use some insurance about now. In the last 3 1/2 yrs my 6 yr old weimaraner has cost me $3127 and that doesn't include annual shots or food. In 2008 she had an emergency c-section to deliver three dead puppies that our past vet kept saying things were fine.

Cost $1000 In the fall of 2010, she had to have an emergency spay because she had a bad case of pyrmetra. That cost $1500 and now, my DH was playing with her and threw a toy too close to a glass top table and she hit her top canine tooth on it and split it in two and had to have it removed at a cost of $627.

That was the cheapest I could find to have it removed.

I did end up getting a female pup from her. She is 2yrs and I am starting to freak out that this dog will be worse because we take her pheasant hunting. Any info that anyone might have on pet insurace would be greatly appreciated.

 

[TLWR]

I don't and never have.
Ryan died last year after a very long illness. The first 2 months of that illness was over $6k to try to figure out what it was. We gave up trying and just treated symptoms as they came up.
Jet just turned 12. She goes in for an annual visit and has been in for 3 other e-visits. 1 was when she degloved her foot in the dog door requiring 21 staples (but that was less than $200), once when Jet and Ryan were running and his tooth snagged her back and she needed a few staples (also under $200) and the last visit when she somehow split skin on her back leg and it appeared to need stitches. After the cost estimate for that, we passed and treated at home ($500 for 2 stitches).
Tavarish required an expensive neuter since he's a dobe with vWD. I was able to get blood products donated for that and he was still a shelter dog that had to be altered before adoption, so we didn't have to pick up the cost of that (besides, we have done a lot for that shelter and didn't hand in receipts for anything while he was our foster and then we agreed to keep him since nobody else wanted a dog with medical issues - he also has EPI (pancreatic insufficiency that requires enzymes for each meal so he can digest food and get the nutrition he needs from it). But he's been cheap vet wise since we've gotten him.

Look at the cost of ins. Maybe just set that money aside into a vet fund.

 

[featherz]

I have petsbest. I like it although I barely use it enough each year to make up the premiums. One use at the emergency vet down the street will cost $500 minimum, so it's good to know I can go when I need to.

 

[4-H chicken mom]

I see what you mean featherz. I checked on the prices. I think you have a good idea TLWR, maybe I will have to start a fund. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[bagendhens]

i used to have pet insurance, but after having to fight with the company to get some things covered or reinbursed for things that were supposed to be covered ect i got realy frustrated, it was like they would try and find every possible way of geting out of paying when it was clearly under my benefits...

so instead i opend a high yeild savings account, and each month i put in what i would have paid to the insurance company for pet health coverage...
it builds interest nicely and i have it when i need it, no more fighting with a company whos happy to take my money but refuses to pay out when its supposed to.
i also have a care credit card incase it goes over whats in the pet savings account.

theres also no limitations on what it can be used on...
need dental work? i can get it without fighting because i only got a dental done 8 months ago.
want titer testing instead of shots every year, i can get it without worrying that they dont cover titer testing...
ect.
i think the idea of pet insurance is good...
but if your going to do it be VERY VERY sure you understand your coverage and get the right package for you and your pets, f you titer test each year theres no need to get a package that covers shots EVERY year...ect.