Pet Insurance

[tlbuddy]

Do any of you carry pet insurance on your dogs. I purchased a basic policy after I got Cali from the Humane Society from a place they recommended. I decided to do this because I have a lot of friends that have spent hundreds of dollars on anything from kidney stone surgery to back surgery and injestion of foreign objects etc..on their pet and I know the costs can add up. So far I have been lucky and have only spent money on a steroid shot for a bad allergic reaction that she had to something. I will do whatever it takes to make sure she stays in good health, but I thought I would try the insurance to be safe. The policy actually covers basic office visits and basic illnesses,surgeries etc.. but nothing pre-existing.
I will probably be taking Cali to the vet tomorrow because I think she might have worms. I always check her stool because we have to pick up our dogs poop and put it in the designated pet receptacles. Of course some people dont do this as I have gotten dog poop on my shoes at night a few times. Anyway, yesterday I noticed what looked like a couple of grains of rice in her poop. I didnt think anything of this because she jumped on the table yesterday when I was out of the room and was eating rice off my plate. Well this morning when I picked up her poop I noticed more rice like things in her poop and a couple of them were moving:eek: She hasnt seemed sick and her appetite is same. No diarrhea or vomiting, but I am sure that is what it must be. I was reading that dogs can spread worms to other dogs or get worms from eating a flea or feces:eek: She is up to date on all of her shots and takes her heart worm medicine once a month. I was actually wondering if this is something that can be passed to me because Cali likes to lick me on the face and mouth in the morning to wake me up.
Anyway Question# 1 - Do any of you have pet insurance and have you ever had to use it?

2 - Have any of your Basenjis ever had worms and what method was used to treat them?

Thanks,
tlbuddy

[Lenora]

I was advised to get insurance on Abbey when I bought her, but never really expected to need it. When she got her first rabies shot she was sick for a week afterward, then had a seizure and collapsed on the street while we were out walking. The after hours emergency clinic did blood work and scans, etc., before she was diagnosed with hepatitis. If I'd paid for it out of pocket it would have cost me more than what I paid for her, and she was definitely not cheap!!

[yodels]

Sounds like tapeworms, small rice-like looking parasites. Comes from ingesting a flea, easy to treat. Many of our clients have pet insurance, ranging from basic to ones that cover everything except dysplastic conditions and pre-existing conditions. I am going to get it for my next puppy, everyone I talk to that has it says it is well worth the money. One emergency surgery is all it takes!

[Vanessa]

I have ShelterCare Pet Insurance. My cat has been on this for 3 years..I pay 23.00 a month for him and it covers a lot! You can use any vet you choose…As for when I had my B, I paid 45.00 a month for the best policy. The only thing they dont cover is spay/nuter. Check it out
http://www.sheltercare.com/
You can get a quote right away. I've never had a problem w/ them.

[tlbuddy]

Cali is covered under sheltercare and I happy that I got the coverage because you never know when you might need it. She did end up having tapeworms and the vet said it was caused by injesting a flea. Cali is on FrontlinePlus for fleas every month and I am diligent about grooming her and checking her for fleas. The vet said she could have picked it up from another dog that might have had fleas or somewhere outside.
tlbuddy

[jys1011]

If only I had read this 2 weeks ago…we got our B's spayed/neutered last week & boy have we had complications. Topaz decided she wasn't going to eat & so we had to go back to the vet more $$ then she was put on a special diet more $$. Then a few days later C3PO decided he was going to EAT :eek: his way out of his lampshade & ate a piece of the plastic. So we were off the animal ER (what an awful place) where they scared us into leaving him overnight even much more $$$. IF they had to operate to get the plastic out then we'd surely have gone absolutely BROKE! I wonder if they have welfare for dogs??!!:D

Thanks for the site I'm getting a quote RIGHT NOW:D

[Vanessa]

@tlbuddy:

Cali is covered under sheltercare and I happy that I got the coverage because you never know when you might need it. She did end up having tapeworms and the vet said it was caused by injesting a flea. Cali is on FrontlinePlus for fleas every month and I am diligent about grooming her and checking her for fleas. The vet said she could have picked it up from another dog that might have had fleas or somewhere outside.
tlbuddy

Tapeworms:eek: Im glad you were able to spot em before anything worse could of happened. Pet insurance really is a blessing. You just never know.

[tlbuddy]

I am happy that I caught it early before it got worst. She only had a few small ones in her poop about the size of rice grains. I am definitely going to keep the insurance and may go up to the 19.95 plan as I am only on the 11.95 plan per month right now.
tlbuddy

[Phebese]

We have pet insurance for Max. It is called Banfield insurance. It has saved us a bundle.
Smiles,
Emily

[Mantis]

I would say pet insurance is like preventative maintenance for termites….you just dont know.....

I have had 4 cats and 3 basenjis....one cat swallowed thread and cost around $400....that was it and they are all well over 7-8 years old.

Caesar is 6 and never had anything but this recent bladder infection. Beta was completely healthy until the month of doom which hit me with about $7k in bills.

I have always liked Banfields Wellness program for the kids when they were pups and kittens. All shots, fixing, and meds covered under a payment plan that is about 20 bucks a month. THere are warranties on the vaccines etc. I great way to get a better price for the puppy years.

People ask me if I will get pet insurance now that Beta has passed and those bills were so large. I havent yet, and dont know if I will. To me, this is what credit cards are for, emergencies....I called my CC co and they increased my limit and everything. THe vet also had a company that would give credit with a low interest rate to promote health over death due to finances.

If your can handle the price, insurance is great. Not the way I am going, but it does add a level of comfort I suppose.

I think that when your basenji is sick, education is your best asset.

[miss_sada]

What do you think the best pet insurance would be. I have 1 Basenji and a IG mix. My Basenji in the first year bit into a battery and was at the vets for about 5 day with burns in her mouth and throat. My IG jumped off my gated deck and broke his leg in two places. I don't even want to tell you how much these bills cost me (more then the dogs). They are still both very inquizative so it would probably be a good idea to get some kind of protection.

[lauralopez]

We just got Pet Best Insurance. I have an appointment for Savannah on the 17th of March. I'll let you know how the reimbursement goes. She is the only one I have insured. I thought I'd try it out with her to see how it goes and then add Talker.

[jys1011]

We have Pet Shelter Insurance…the prices were pretty good & the coverage is pretty comprehensive.

I highly recommend insurance ASAP

[miss_sada]

Thank you for the advice. Can I just go online and find these insurance companies?

[Vanessa]

@miss_sada:

Thank you for the advice. Can I just go online and find these insurance companies?

yes you can..ShelterCare is
http://www.sheltercare.com/
You can even sign up there too. You get a discount if you insure multiple pets.

[firefoxkatan]

my cat has those worms, I have tried to get rid of them but the treatments never worked with her, finally I stopped spending all the money on the medication if it wasn't working, but she is fine and has had them her whole life (she'll 7 in April) and the only vet visit that was bad was when she swallowed a ring of mine last year :x and she's been fine since

heart worms are the worms to really worry about all the advantage treatments can do what they can, but if they get bit on the noes, by a mosquito carrying the worm, they'll get them

I was thinking about getting pet insurance for Bindi but I agree with Mantis, that's what credit cards are for

~Kat

[luzmery928]

I figured I'd get some ins. for my B since he has problems with allergies but they don't cover pre-existing conditions or they can't tell me for sure until I sign on and then send them a copy of his medical records. I called sheltercare. Oh well. I wanted to get it because of this reason so I guess not. I'm sure all other insurances are the same or maybe someone knows of another ins. that might cover pre-existing conditions?

[tanza]

Most likely not… just like humans ....

[luzmery928]

unfortunantly that's what i figured

[bethp14]

Here's a link to Pet Plan Insurance. I just signed up with them. They seem to have the best coverage available, and I've done lots of research. You aren't going to find any insurance that will cover "pre-existing" conditions, but this one will continue to cover issues that arise after enrolling, for your pet's whole life where most other companies won't. There also isn't any limits per condition or hereditary/congenital exclusions. And they are reasonable.

And unlike all of the other Pet Insurance companies I researched, Pet Plan does not have a benefit pay-out schedule. They simply re-imburse for any/all treatments for any injury or illness.

You can choose $50/$100/$200 deductible with 0% coinsurance. That means 100% coverage after your deductible. And the basic plan, Bronze, pays up to $8,000 in re-imbursements per year!

http://www.gopetplan.com/index.html