Is pet insurance really worth it?

I just bought a Golden Retriever puppy 8 weeks old with first shots and first vet checkup. I know that hip/elbow dysplasia are common and expensive so before I pick her up, I am making the up a contract for the breeder to sign stating that she will pay for any medical expenses regarding dysplasia so that is covered.With dysplasia already covered, is it worth buying puppy/dog health insurance? Who is a good company to buy through?

YES!Every day, people are taken aback at the cost of veterinary care for their pets. It is heart-breaking that some pets are unable to receive veterinary care due to their owner's financial limitations. In 2007, the U.S. Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook reported that the average annual veterinary expenditure was $356 for dogs and $190 for cats. While new and advanced veterinary treatments are more likely to return a sick or injured pet to its family, there may be significant costs incurred. This is especially true if specialized testing or ongoing medical care is required.Many people purchase pet insurance in the event of injury or accidents involving their pets. While this seems logical and responsible, the chances you will need pet insurance for a catastrophic accident is not as likely as needing it for a basic ear infection. According to recent CNBC reporting, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the oldest and largest provider of US pet insurance, analyzed their 2007 claims and noted that the following top 10 dog and cat diseases accounted for 25% of all medical claims:***READ MORE HERE - http://www.halopets.com/pet-education/pet-articles/pet-insurance.html

To be honest, I hate insurance & the only insurance I pay for is that required by law.My health insurance is covered through my husbands employer & to be honest, I have 4 dogs & a cat & I cannot think of one time where pet insurance would have came in useful.Yes, I am one of those people who see insurance as more of a scam & another way for someone to get a piece of your hard earned paycheck. All I can tell you to do is research it & ask your Vet about it, insurance is usually misunderstood a great deal & what you think is covered, really isn't.

dont bother. its just another thing you dont need to waste a ton of money on. im sure you love you dog and everything but its just not worth it especially if you get that contract.

Well if you find she is not all that healthy, you may want it. I have a dog that has a lot of hip issues and I am going to get the ins. It pays you back so I can see in the near future that I will be spending some money on my dog. I think for me it is a good idea. If you find you pet is really very healthy, I ht ink it's a waste. I take my other dog in one time a year and that is it.

first of all, you are super smart for getting the breeder to commit to paying medical expenses for dysplasia ... second, if you have a credit card you really do not need pet insurance ...

It's really not worth it, unless you have a really expensive vet and a really clumsy dog. Most of the insurance companies don't cover things like regular visits and well pet check-ups, and that is some of the biggest cost to pet ownership.You are very smart to have a contract with your breeder, but beware, if it's not a legal document, they can slip out of it. (That's because orthopedic surgeons for humans or for pets are ridiculously expensive!)One thing you may want to check on is if your car insurance has any pet coverage? If so, is it extra or something you already pay for. They may help you if your dog gets hurt in your car, or for some car insurance companies - if the dog gets hit by another car. (Though that is extremely rare, and usually extra). Good luck!

Is she pure bred if so get it my friend got a pure bred dog and insurance for it and if he dies she gets 10,000$ which is a lot of money that way you can get a good dog once you fell better about the dog that had just died.

It's like car insurance you can't guarentee that you won't get in an accident! I would say to get the pet insurence just incase, you don't want to learn the hard way! I thought that there was no need for pet insurance, that was, until my dog got a problem with his heart, you don't want to end up paying $4000 dollars like I did for surgery. So it's better to get the insurance so you have more money in your pocket!

Only you can tell if it's worth it. You need to ask if you get a $800 how will I pay for it. Some people save monthly, some have vets that accept installments. Others go for insurance, sadly some choose to have the animals put to sleep rather than face the hefty bill.If your good with money or always have saving s then no you can do without it. However if you have phases where money is tight then a decent insurance policy can be an optionThings to check include, How long will they insure your dog for (some have an age limit)How long will they cover an animal for a set condition? Some will only cover for 6 months others have a lifelong cover policy but it's usually more expensive.How much will the cover pay out? Here some of the cheapest policy's only cover £750 which won't even treat a badly broken leg and after care. There are some good policy's about, but sadly they are often the more expensive, like all insurance you don't want to put a claim in and find your not covered for it so it can be worth paying extra.

I don't like insurance. It's much better to have a savings account for your dog. If your dog lives a long and happy life without hardly going to the vet, then the money is still yours to spend. If something serious happens, you have the money there, ready to use without any hassle. We had insurance on our old dog. He was treated for cancer, and the insurance company paid for that, but when the cancer came back a year later, they refused to pay because he had already been treated for it...We got to borrow money from my grandparents luckily.

pet insurance is very important unless you have so much money you don't need to worry, amimals are so unpredictable, so many unexpected things can happen, they can break bones, just like us, the difference is £200-500, depending on the break, accidents are what you need insurance for as well as your dogs well being, just think, if something happened and you had no money to take him to the vets, what would you do.I dont know what country you are in so i cant recommend an insurance companyi hope this helps

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!!!! I too have goldens and keep insurance on them. Right now, my 8.5 yr old male was just diagnosed with lymphoma. Try paying for chemo, ultrasounds, misc. meds. It pays to have it. If you have a golden who say breaks a hip. That's around $8000 to $10,000. Do you have the cash to pay for that or will you tell your vet you can't afford to fix the problem and have to enuthanize? I help a couple of golden retriever rescues and most of the goldens who come in had problems their owners could not afford to address. So, the rescue groups end up paying for hip surgeries, injuries cause by being stuck by cars, etc. I highly recommend the new ASPCA pet insurance which offers continuing care. Unfortunately, it's too late to get that one for my golden with Lymphoma but my other golden is already on it. Once the calendar year ends, his coverage for this disease ends too. I've had over $2000 in bills in the past 3 weeks. FYI, certain genetic problems are rarely covered. Hip displasia is one of them. Still, even if the breeder covers that, you may encounter other issues. Cancer is rampant among retrievers now and other large breeds as well. Another really good thing to do to keep your golden healthy is to start now on a high quality holistic pet food such as Blue Buffalo, Canine Caviaar, Sojo's, etc. Go with a grain free formula. Remember, dogs are carnivores. They don't eat corn, wheat and soy and grains fuel cancer cells. Hope this helps you make a good decision for your golden. I personally, just wouldn't be caught without insurance on myself or my dog. Even my cat too. Mary

If all dog owners had to worry about were a checkup, the yearly shots, and an occasional injury, it would be hard to justify the cost of pet insurance. After all, premiums can run into the thousands of dollars over the life of your pet.More info, http://short.to/27oqy