Pet insurance

MossyTracks

Hello all·

Is pet insurance worthwhile. We have a 6-month old cocker spaniel and I'm not sure if pet insurance if a worthwhile investment? Any considerations, recommendations, pros and cons?

Thanks!

daheff

price is biggest one. how much are you being quoted? What would you get for the premium? Could you afford expensive treatment if it was required?

Would it be better to just put that cost aside as savings incase something happens?

tk123

It’s like any other insurance - it’s worth it to when you need it! I had over 20k in claims for my old boy so was definitely worth it. I had another younger dog who sadly had kidney disease and her bills very quickly pilled up so again - was great to have the insurance and not worry about bills. If you’re not going to get insurance and end up at an emergency or referral hospital you’ll be expected to pay up front so you’d need to be able to get your hands on a few grand quickly.

MrStuffins

From my personal experience, it's worth it.

I've had it for three years and each year it's paid for itself. My dog got a cut paw form somewhere out on a walk (possibly glass on the path or something) and only very recently had a lump removed from his head that would've been cancerous (thankfully turned out not to be).

In both cases, the treatments were expensive and in the money we claimed back from the company outweighed what we paid in premiums.

Vets are expensive!

MossyTracks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122131941#Comment_122131941

Thanks all for the replies. Seems to be a no-brainer and I agee with "it’s worth it to when you need it!".

We're being quoted 27 a month. Any difference paying monthly versus a full year?

Premium offer highlights:

• Vets fee limit of 4,000
• Third party liabaility cover is 250,000
• Complementary medicine is 250

Any non-critical items worth claiming for or just like home insurance, only claim in emergency situations?

Ezeoul

From experience, it's worth every single penny, and I recommend Allianz as the insurer.

I personally wouldn't keep a pet without it, as veterinary bills - when you do have them - get very expensive, very quickly. I just put it down to another cost of keeping a pet.

Enjoy your doggo! I had a beautiful cocker for 14 years, I absolutely love cocker spaniels.

MossyTracks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122132051#Comment_122132051

Thanks. Seems like pet insurance is a must!

Good to know. I think she'll really shine after the puppy stage. Cocker's sure have a lot of energy!

Mollyb60

Get as high a cover as you can afford. Like others have said, vet fees are insane. We spent 6k on our cat when she got sick and only 2k was covered with the insurance we had on her. We bumped up our cover for the other cat as soon as we could.

And get it as soon as you can - pre-existing conditions aren't covered.

SuperBowserWorld

I've heard that some policies don't cover dogs when they are old, even if they had been previously covered by the same insurer and even for pre existing conditions.

So watch out for that.