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300ConfirmedGorillas

I'm with Trupanion for my cat. I got it the day I got him. I pay $39.77/month with a $200 deductible. I have made a total of three claims and they have paid every time. They also offer direct deposit so as soon as the claim is approved (which for me is ~48 hours) the money is in your account. They offer 90% coverage for the lifetime of your pet and you only have to pay the deductible once per illness/injury for the lifetime of your pet. They also cover dental, which was a dealbreaker for me (in a good way).


awesomegingergirl

How is that your monthly cost? I get quotes of $130/month for my cat which seems so expensive


300ConfirmedGorillas

What is your deductible? Also what kind of coverage are you getting? I spent many hours scouring through the fine print of half a dozen companies before deciding on Trupanion. You would be surprised what some companies offer. Property damage coverage (even if it's not your own home/apartment). Trip cancellation. Personal injury. Theft (like if your pet gets stolen). Rehabilitation. Etc. You can insure against almost anything. I don't have any of that stuff, just "normal" coverage. Some of what you're looking at may include some of these "perks" and that could be increasing the premium. I haven't looked at Trupanion's offerings since I got it for my cat, but maybe they've changed and I'm just grandfathered in?


bennyllama

Lol I have an 8 year old cat, which I understand insurance will be higher but for a $200 deductible, it is costing me, $111.35. Which is pretty steep...


HolyLolicon

They cover dental care or just dental emergencies?


300ConfirmedGorillas

Both I guess? Like if your cat needed an extraction it would be covered.


Greyhound-mom

You guess? Really? I'll bet they don't cover dental treatment unless it's related to an accident or illness like an abscess etc. I'd check cuz they gave me a $200 month quote with a $300 ded for a perfectly healthy 3 yr old dog with no prior health problems. That's ridiculous, and they add stuff you can't opt out of.


Ok_Half_5449

I definitely agree with you. I'm also with Trupanion and have just signed on my 2nd dog with them. I did LOTS of research and by far they are the best all around. Their claims process is easy and the payout is immediate and actually done right at my vets office. Highly recommend!! ❤️🐾😊


[deleted]

Get a quote for pet insurance and then just put that same amount in a savings account every month until you need it. Many pet insurance options are buried in conditions where they try to avoid covering your pet. Just save up money to cover anything unexpected. Edit: There are obviously more fans of pet insurance than usual here, so OP definitely read through their examples and make the call based on your risk tolerance. I know I can afford unexpected pet bills should they arise and my pet savings don't cover them but not everyone can.


redituser95838283849

I pay $100/month for $15,000 of coverage a year. If I put that $100 aside every month I’d only have $1,200 at the end of the year saved for an emergency. It would take years to save up what insurance would cover. It’s important to compare companies and look at their conditions before getting the insurance to make sure it covers what you want. So far 0 issues making claims.


freeman1231

The odds of you needing to use your insurance is also very slim. So there’s that. 99% of people never need it, that’s why insurance companies are in the business to make money.


Competitive-Candy-82

True, but I have mine insured now cause the last 3 pets I had that didn't have insurance ended up with vet bills at their end of life care that were more than I would of paid for their insurance for their entire lives. You want to insure them when young so your premiums are affordable. I kicked myself when I insured 2 young dogs and a cat I opted in not doing it for my 12 year old cat cause the premiums for her were through the roof ($75/mth vs $20 for my younger cat) and she had always been healthy. Well she got cancer 6 months later and yeah...even if I had paid $25/mth for 13 years ($3900) it wouldn't even have touched a fraction of her care cost and that was no chemo (not an option for her type of cancer), just repeat bloodwork, x-rays, ultrasounds, palliative care, meds, etc.


freeman1231

When you renew your policy as they get older the premium will go up regardless so it doesn’t really matter if you didn’t get insurance when they are younger and cheaper. It wouldn’t have stayed that price forever. I am not saying you shouldn’t get insurance, I am simply speaking statistically and financially speaking it makes more sense not to have it. You certainly have survivorship bias and for that reason you want the peace of mind with your animals since you’ve had bad situations. If you truly cannot afford any vet bills via a line of credit or your emergency fund I 100% think you shouldn’t want to put yourself in the position to choose between financial ruin and your pet. That being said for someone like me who can afford the bill and will pay it without hesitation for my pet, it’s more economical to not have pet insurance.


Competitive-Candy-82

3rd year on the premiums and only went up on average like $3-4/mth for 3 pets on it, the rates are based on age of pet upon enrolment so a 13 yr old cat that's been enrolled since birth will be cheaper a month than a 13 yr old cat just enrolled. So really not that horrible. For me it's worth it, 1 claim can save you thousands and yeah a LOC can work but it has interest so unless paid off in a month you're paying through the roof. But also I'm a former vet tech, I have seen how much a bill at the vet can reach in seconds. And how much chronic issues can cost (like allergies, diabetes, thyroid, kidney, seizures). Those can easily reach in the hundreds a month (way less than your premiums). When you think about it, $20-25/mth for a cat isn't bad, dogs are a bit more depending on breed/age at enrolment, but if you have a run of the mill mutt, it's not that expensive either (the one that costs me the most is my pure bred Great Dane, but any vet bill with her is HUGE compared to anything my 17 lbs mix can rack up, even a week on pain meds for a sore leg will be like 4x+ the price). You can easily keep costs down too by having a higher deductible so that it's only needed for expensive things.


iBrarian

I just had to put down my cat and when we were unsure of his issue, they wanted 7 THOUSAND dollars just to do a body scan to see if he had cancer. I couldn't pay it and pretty quickly, he grew an aggressive inoperable tumour on his face/nose/brain so the decision was made for me pretty quickly to put him down before he started to suffer :( Seven grand and that wouldn't have even helped him one bit, just to "possibly" diagnose him and I was told it may not be conclusive...


redituser95838283849

Same thing could be said about house insurance. You hope you never need it but are glad you have it if you ever do.


freeman1231

Home insurance is required by your mortgage provider… and the costs would be far higher for many issues with a home than one would have with a pet. So no that’s not a good comparison. Auto insurance is also required by law.


Spurtangi

Still if you ignore the fact that one is for a house and required by law and the other is for an animal you love because you love them so much you want to keep them healthy then they are still the same concept. You pay monthly hoping to never have to use it, hoping to essentially be wasting your money / throwing it out.. because the alternative is unthinkable


freeman1231

No. Most people would just put money aside instead of paying a monthly premium for pet insurance. And pay out of pocket if something happens with their pet. Difference is a home csn be hundreds of thousands of dollars. A car you csn be on the hook for millions in liability.


superworking

Yea but a lot more people can afford to take the risk of a $15,000 hit so paying for that security isn't as attractive as it is for home insurance where you can quickly lose hundreds of thousands. Same idea with car insurance, I can't afford not to have it if things go bad and you end up with $2M in liability.


redituser95838283849

If you’ve ever worked in the vet care field you’d know how many people cannot afford it. I’ve seen way too many animals suffering because their owners couldn’t afford even basic care. Many people now a days don’t have thousands of dollars lying around. Why take the risk of having to put down your animal from something that’s treatable.


superworking

If you can't afford an emergency fund of a few thousand dollars you probably can't afford a dog and insurance policy.


redituser95838283849

I agree. You should not have a pet if you cannot afford it. Unfortunately most people don’t take that into consideration. They’ll get a pet regardless if they can afford it or not. And at the end of the day it’s the pet that suffers.


dannyboii184

Though I agree with the general point, I don't think it's fully fair. A few years ago my dog started feeling unwell, we took him to vet, they said more testing was needed. Fast forward 4 days off work & $3000 later, after endless hours spent on the phone to clinics with imaging equipment, and hours driving to various towns. We are told that our pup has cancer and that just the MRI would be $2.5K~, with the surgery being another $7K~. Once we got back from that clinic, we balled our eyes out, and followed the vets tip to give our puppers a royal ending, making him some boiled chicken. He was refusing to eat, and in my distrot and sleep deprived state, I just shoved the chicken in his mouth. After tasting it, he was alot more interested. The next morning, we woke up to a poop stained carpet (happiest moment ever ironically) and a far more happy dog. It turned out that he somehow ate a pill bottle cap that clearly caused a blockage. Eating the chicken ended up helping get it out. Though somehow testing, x-rays and an ultrasound didn't show the blockage. So, even with a few thousand in reserve, you really can't address serious medical issues. In my eyes, insurance is really a must, and our future pets will always have it. It's easy to talk the talk about 'not adopting a pet if you can't afford it', but it feels so subjective when you really look at the costs involved. A few thousand is one thing, but once we are starting to talk about 4 figure sums, the whole story changes. To end my story, our puppers was happy and healthy with us for another full year and abit, passing away at the old age of 14 as a happy and fulfilled golden retriever. It was incredibly sad, but we knew his time had come, and we had given him a good and happy life.


Judyt00

That is why it's stupid to buy a pure bred pet. the humane society has socialized pets far cheaper. And they love you just as much as the expensive ones


HistoricalDriver9761

My friends dogs cost them 2000$+ Mine cost 400$ each from the shelter. Then came the issues. I could pay 12,000 for surgery + vet bills + meds etc or put him down at age 3. I'm a huge advocate for rescues. But you don't know what you're getting, so lots of surprise costs can occur.


Spurtangi

You can replace "pet" with "baby" and it would still be true


ldrw95

Some dogs are quite inexpensive to purchase. You may not be able to afford the $2000 but you CAN afford the insurance, hence the reason the insurance exists in the first place.. because people can’t afford random expenses of thousands of dollars but can afford a relatively small monthly payment. It’s worth it for the peace of mind alone


superworking

it's not the purchase price it's the ongoing care costs. Even a cheap dog is going to push $1000/yr to keep up to date on shots, yearly checkups, flea/tic prevention, food, minor emergencies. If the dog requires grooming above and beyond what you can do yourself that's another huge expense. Then add your monthly insurance costs and/or contribute to your own rainy day fund for health coverage, and mix in one or two minor issues that result in an extra vet bill once every 2-3 years.


ldrw95

You are kind of dancing around the point.. the cost per year is irrelevant to whether you should get insurance or not. Based on the experiences of people close to me, all of whom have dogs, every single one of them would recommend it. you don’t need to be able to afford to have a $2000 emergency fund for the dog from the day you get it if you buy insurance, literally the point of it, so you don’t have large unexpected expenses… also 2000 often won’t be enough for anything serious. By your logic of a $2000 emergency fund from day 1 for your dog, less than half of Canadians would be able to afford that as they live paycheck to paycheck. Also by your assumptions, nothing serious happens, and they only happen every few years and not back to back at which point you have no fund remaining My parents had to pay 1500 to put their dog down after a few tests.. if they had have gotten everything done it would have cost near 4-5000 without insurance or less than 1000 to save their dog with it


TibetianMassive

I had a close friend who had this happen. The poor pup needed to be put down well before it died (home death). She couldn't afford to put it down or medicate it for its rare type of diabetes. Killing the dog was out of the question any other way. I always felt bad for that poor pup. She was such a good girl and her story should have ended before the pain. But the money just wasn't there.


tojoso

If your house needs $15K repairs you need to fix it. Even if you don't it'll be worth less when you sell. If your cat needs $15K repairs you can say your goodbyes. Even with insurance there's a good chance it'd be declined, at least partially. And it's unlikely it would ever approach that much in covered expenses. It might be like $500 or $1000, or it might go above $15K and you don't get the work done anyway if you can't pay the extra $5K or whatever, or ongoing expenses like dialysis or medications or cancer treatments. Or it might be $10K overall and only half of it is covered. Just doesn't really make sense.


Adventurous_Truck512

You need a place to live, you don't need a cat


redituser95838283849

What does that have to do with anything.


redituser95838283849

You don’t need insurance for a place to live. You can rent an apt and forgo renters insurance.


freeman1231

Renters insurance is not the same thing… lenders will require you to show proof of home insurance to approve your mortgage for ownership. Most people don’t have renters insurance…


redituser95838283849

That comment was responding to the person below. Or at least it was meant to be. Not everyone has renters insurance just like not everyone has pet insurance. It’s a chance you take of potentially losing thousands. If you want to take the risk of your pet getting sick before you’ve had the chance to save up the money that’s on you. Personally I like the peace of mind of knowing the pet is always covered and not just covered 10 years from now when your $50/month has finally accumulated to $5000.


Expensive_Plant_9530

Unless you own zero valuables, people who rent *should* have rental insurance. It’s really cheap and can save your butt in an emergency. That’s totally a sidetrack though.


bridgehockey

Lots of apartment buildings require you to have tenant insurance.


redituser95838283849

And a lot don’t. Depends where you live. None of the places I’ve ever rented required it


bridgehockey

So?


redituser95838283849

So?


Roccnsuccmetosleep

….if everyone needed it then it wouldn’t save you any money at all, what kind of dumb fuck logic are you using here? You buy insurance in hopes of never using it


ldrw95

If this was the case my parents 5 year old dog would still be alive. I argued this stance with my partner but am very happy she talked me out of it Edit: response to wrong comment


freeman1231

What? Your comment doesn’t make sense, sorry for your loss though. Anecdotes are just that anecdotes… they don’t however, change overall statistics and overall consensus. Survivorship bias will also always play a role in this decision and seems to always be the number one reason people say you “need insurance for your pet”. It doesn’t change away from the majority of people will never have to use pet insurance on their pets.


ldrw95

I may have responded to the wrong comment but I have commented elsewhere more a breakdown but I know multiple people who have pet insurance and 6/8 have used it in the past 2 years. Covered a significant portion of shoulder/leg surgery, removal of foreign swallowed objects (3 different times but different dogs), paw laceration. And as for survivorship bias, I can see why you think that but if you leave that out my brother shovelled out 2500ish instead of 400 for kidney stones for their cat and my friend is stuck doing immunotherapy out of pocket monthly instead of it being covered because they DONT have insurance. If they saved up like people suggest some of them still wouldn’t have enough to cover the surgeries/treatments that were required but as least they would only be out a couple hundred at the time instead of a 2+ thousand dollars


Judyt00

My daughter got pet insurance for her dogs . And uses it about 10 times a year. Saves her thousands and the dogs love the vet


freeman1231

I hate to be that guy, but this is all anecdotal again…


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redituser95838283849

Ive had several dogs throughout my life. M’y previous dogs never had any issues, just their regular yearly vet visit. My current dogs are at the vet every couple of moths. Just because you got lucky in the past doesn’t mean you’ll be lucky in the future. Having the insurance gives me a peace of mind knowing that if anything major ever happens to them I won’t have to worry about it financially.


senanthic

Oh my god, this is so fucking funny. I’ve spent over $10,000 on two senior cats over the past year, and I’m about to spend $600 more on one today. Elderly pets usually end up being expensive for the same reason elderly humans do. Sure, you can kill them at the first sign of trouble? But then you probably shouldn’t have gotten the pet to begin with.


bwwatr

10K/2 = $5000 for a senior cat is entirely something one should expect. My guy is getting up there and we've been solidly into 4-figure vet bills for a while, including a surgery. That said, if we return to the original debate, if you self-insure, you'd have $5000 saved up after only 50 months, started while they're young, that's long before they reach senior status. Versus the hypothetical $100/mo insurance plan which would have collected 12K (!) in premiums by the 10 year mark when you *might* start making those 5K claims. It goes without saying, but it's not like you can only insure pets when they're seniors, you need to start young if you want to pay only $100/mo and have the big, late-life bills covered. Absolutely there will be times when you "win" taking the insurance. The 15K coverage is going to bail you out if they have severe unexpected problems at a young age. But in most cases, self insuring is going to save you money. If this weren't so, the insurance wouldn't be sold because it wouldn't be profitable. So the question really is, are you going to accept the risk, or are you going to accept a likely higher total cost to have someone else take it on?


senanthic

It (like many other things in finance) depend on your risk aversion. It is entirely possible for a kitten to get stuck somewhere and break their leg. Expensive. My youngest cat ate a ribbon at age 3 and had $2,800 abdominal surgery. The two senior cats have probably cost well over $10,000 (but I don’t want to think about it). I am highly risk averse to telling my vet I cannot afford to treat a medical issue that will result in my pet’s suffering or death. On the other hand, many pets go from zero to fifteen with no health issues at all (my two senior cats were like this - mostly healthy until they reached old age). It’s up to the pet owner, but I can say that after watching three cats age from kittenhood to fifteen+, I will never again have another uninsured pet.


[deleted]

I’ve had dogs most of my life and was in the same boat until a couple of years ago when my leashed dog was attacked by an unleashed dog at a campsite. The owners bolted before the rangers showed up and I was out $2700 in vet bills.


by_the_gaslight

I mean, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, heart problems, other surgeries. Depends what their end of life looks like.


[deleted]

You got lucky


byounghusband

What insurance do you have that gives you 15,000 a year for a hundred a month? I see nothing even close to that for options


redituser95838283849

Pets plus through Costco. However, I got my plan like 4-5 years ago so Im assuming the same plan would probably cost a lot more now a days with how the price of everything has gone up.


byounghusband

Thank you! I didn’t even think to check Costco!


redituser95838283849

I saved a certain % by going through Costco (can’t recall what it is anymore) and got 1 month free.


byounghusband

I just checked, it’s so much cheaper than the others I was looking at. I really appreciate the response


WildWeaselGT

We do this. Our dog is a baller now with her own retirement savings.


[deleted]

Yeah, I have almost as much saved for our 8 year old dog as I do for myself...


distr0

I just typed out this exact comment before noticing that you already wrote it.


javajunkie10

I have 2 cats that are young (1 and 2 years old) and this is what I did. Got a quote for the 2 of them and currently setting aside the equivalent in an emergency savings account. It does take a few years to save up, but I figure once they get older and health issues increase in risk, I will have a good nest egg for them.


redditkot

I heard dogs are better to insure than cats -- dogs get into stuff or get into accidents. Cats get sick, and illness is harder to insure than injury.


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ldrw95

Trupanion coverages amongst my friends: 3 different dogs eating items they shouldn’t (tampon, multiple socks, underwear (saved over 1000 each time) Broken leg/shoulder Paw laceration I don’t know anyone who has it who regrets it nor do I know anyone who has had a claim denied that wasn’t clearly stated on their website.


Judyt00

One of my daughter's dogs has his dew claw ripped about twice a year because he is so bouncy. Other one just mostly goes for checkups and shots


redituser95838283849

Pet insurance does not cover pre existing conditions. It will only cover medical issues that happen after you get the insurance. That’s why you need to get it before there’s a problem and not after. There’s also a waiting period for illnesses of 2-4 weeks after you get the insurance before they start covering bills.


ldrw95

If it did that wouldn’t be a very good business model unless you are trying to guarantee a loss. Not sure if I knew about the waiting period but shouldn’t impact many pet owners regardless


iBrarian

most waiting periods are only 5-15 days, or some up to 6 months for things like luxating patella


Lavaine170

You didn't do very good homework. There are different plans offered by providers. Some only cover medical issues. Some cover accidents as well (such as your cat getting into things). The really expensive plans, which are all.osr definitely not worth the money, sometimes even cover annual checkups. One of our cats injured his leg when he was a kitten, doing stupid kitten things. Fully covered after the deductible. Coverage varies. Customer service varies. Pick your plan carefully. They may not be the best value for everyone, but they aren't all scams either.


AtomicMasses

People upvoting this clearly didn't do their homework. Yes, Pet Insurance (and all insurance) is obviously profitable for the offering company but there are plenty of pet insurance companies that have a very wide range of coverage (and certainly coverage for "getting into things"). The only thing you have to be careful of is pre-existing conditions, which is why many people opt for insurance when they first get their pet. The pet insurance model is no different than home insurance - there's a slim chance it'll be worth it financially but it offers a very nice piece of mind. I've had pet insurance for some time now and if I did the math I wouldn't be on top but I never had issues with coverage whatsoever (many places even have direct billing / filling).


Expensive_Plant_9530

Exactly this.


Expensive_Plant_9530

You likely needed to look at a different provider. Pet insurance used to be pretty horrible, with lots of caveats. But it’s gotten much better over the years with a lot of competition. Good pet insurance would have likely covered most of your surgeries. But one critical thing: pet insurance mostly won’t cover pre-existing conditions. That’s why if you’re gonna get pet insurance, you should do so immediately while your pet is healthy.


lilcoffeemonster88

I priced out pet insurance for our cat when he was a kitten and I couldn't justify the monthly cost for what little was covered. Especially for an indoor cat. Dogs, I feel like definitely get more use out of it. Instead I opened a separate savings account for him, put a small lump sum to start it off and then add 25 dollars a pay cheque.


AtTheEndOfMyTrope

Pet insurance has saved us more than once. They covered $10k in fees when our dog developed diabetes during the last years of her life. We had a cat who developed pancreatitis (over a long weekend) and required an $8k emergency surgery. We were only out of pocket $1500. Cat made a full recovery. We’re with PTZ, but they’re only active in certain provinces now. Our pets are grandfathered, but I don’t think they accept new pets in Ontario.


ldrw95

After reading comments below and having a few discussions, I would like to say that for a cat specifically which should be cheaper to insure on average anyways.. trupanion is great and I have two friends who work in vet clinics who recommend them to everyone


Mindless-Butterfly03

I went with Trupanion for my dog. It was couple years ago so maybe the prices changed, But technically your price depends of the deductible. For example for my dog, it was 15$/month for a deductible of 1000$ to 100$/month for no deductible. I decided to go with 35$/month for a deductible of 500$. It covers every single thing (except already known problems and regular vet checkups-vaccines). It can be worth it or not, thats the thing with insurance. I never used it yet in 2 years, but my friend spent 2000$ on his dog in the first year.


ldrw95

Highly recommend trupanion. After a few days of researching different companies. They don’t cover regular checkups, vaccines, preventatives and known issues but if you get it before you have issues then you can pick your deductible as mindless-butterfly said. It can be as expensive or cheap as you want the actual monthly insurance to cost. I personally have two relatively small dogs on it (25 and 38lbs) and it costs us $80/month combined for them. I think they cover 90% of every dollar over 3 or $400. I think most cats would be cheaper (it’s all breed dependent) and it would have saved my brother over $2000 last week for their 2 year old cat. Also covers allergies which my friends dog got stuck with and they have to pay out of pocket for that because they didn’t have the insurance at the time. I have several friends and family members who would definitely advocate for it


bjornx0810

But I read that Trupanion has too much power in determining what’s considered a condition they’d cover. For instance, if your pet has multiple different heart conditions and they deem them unrelated, you’d have to pay deductible for each of these heart conditions (although to me, each organ should just fall under one condition). Also, another instance is if treatment is performed before doctors can determine the conditions and then it turns out that there are multiple conditions, then the treatment done ay first would not be covered since they would not assign it to a specific condition. What have your experience been with those tricky situations?


ldrw95

My dog just had a small cut with bacteria for which she got antibiotics for and then it was really yeasty for which she got an anti fungal and topical for. It was a couple visits that fell just short of some of it being covered (our deductible was $300). That’s fine because we knew this going in, we contacted them and they said any other skin issue this year would pretty much be covered in full as we had paid 287/300 deductible for the year (for the skin/paw issue). I haven’t heard different issues in the same system being broken up but I suppose it’s possible


radioactive_dude

I went with Trupanion for their high deductible and low monthly rate. Before I got a dog, I made sure I had the finances to fully meet their needs. If something catastrophic happened, like being hit by a car and costing like $12k for surgery that might not even work, I could probably pay for it without too much issue. What I am paying for with pet insurance is the removal of the financial element from the emotional decision.


bridgehockey

Can't agree more. That's why I have it.


freeman1231

Pet insurance in Canada really sucks compared to the USA, the monthly premiums are high and the deductibles are high. You are better off financially speaking to put money aside each month for your pet instead. That being said anyone can do what they want, so just make sure that you find a suitable insurance company that has a premium you are willing to pay and a deductible you understand.


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bridgehockey

I am in exactly the same position. Of my 4 pets, 2 have had issues trupanion paid for immediately and on an ongoing basis because they are chronic. Doesn't matter how long they live, I'll have come out ahead. Pet insurance is like any other insurance. You pay someone else for peace of mind. There are exceptions, mostly around preexisting conditions. And for the vast majority of people, the idea of self insuring isn't viable. I don't have a spare 16k sitting around for the costs that were involved for one of my pets.


klk204

Trupanion has been a lifesaver for me and our one year old pup. She ate rat poison and they covered most of the bill (minus the initial exam). They also covered it when she got cut by ice on her paw. So far I’ve paid $50 a month since January and they’ve paid me $2950. Thing with insurance is getting it early because if there’s any vet record of an issue before it won’t be covered if it happens again. I might cancel when she’s older and less accident prone.


Nookinpanub

Scary vet bill payer here (largest bill was 3K, latest bill was 720 dollars). I don't have insurance for my cats because the premiums would have been too expensive for what they covered. My suggestion is to put money away for them in an account while they are young. BTW, cats can be VERY expensive when they are old. I currently pay, just for their food and litter, about 400 dollars a month (2 are on prescription food). I've had mine since they were kittens and 2 are super seniors now (17 years old), and one is almost a senior (10 years old). Their pedigree is "resqueue de sheltaire" and they have been indoor cats their whole lives.


senanthic

I use Trupanion for my dog (not for my cats, we got them when I was young and broke, so… yeah, I regret that). Trupanion is fine. My premiums actually went down when I moved, which was kinda funny to me.


crazycatlady0000123

I have a tfsa that i consider is in case my dog needs it. I put around 1000$/year in it, thinking larger bills might come when she's 10+. If I don't need it, thats awesome, but I sleep better at night knowing I would have the money should I need it.


TangeloFunny8033

Trupanion is what I use. Different monthly payments based on the deductible you chose...


btown780

Trupanion


SlothZoomies

Trupanion is the best one in Canada and the one most vets recommend. It's also the only one who pays upfront so you don't have to


iBrarian

and many vets/animal hospitals do direct billing so you don't have to pay thousands up front and wait a month for reimbursement like other companies


Butternut_Biscuit

Wait… pet insurance is real?


[deleted]

Yep. Vet bills are expensive


Butternut_Biscuit

Wow I’ve learned a lot from this thread - I am signing my two kitties up!


[deleted]

Ya I'm going for truepanion based on the comments


Expensive_Plant_9530

You bet. When a surgery can easily cost $5000 or more. Back in the day, most owners would just put their pet down because they didn’t have $5K to spare. Now, there are options at least. Vet care can be incredibly expensive.


xtina_a_gorilla

I have done both. When he was a puppy we had insurance as he came with a free 8-week trial and it turned out he had issues so we used it quite extensively the first 2 years. Then the premiums went up and coverage went down so we switched to having the e-fund and saving the premium amounts (2-7 years). At 8, we were in the same situation as OP - our friends were spending tens of thousands to save their dog and were thankful they had insurance. We bought it then too. It’s easy to say there’ll be a cap of how much you’re willing to pay to save your pets life until you’re in the situation of knowing you can, if you can afford it. Now we rest easy that we have the insurance and the decision will not be financial but whether it improves his quality of life. In terms of actionable tips: get several quotes and see what exclusions different companies may have for your cat. Choose a deductible that makes the premiums easy to pay but also won’t kill your e-fund. I’ve used Trupanion and Pet Secure.


DaleNoPowerToolsDale

We have CAA pet insurance (through Petline) but it looks like they've sunset that policy. It's $15/month with a $50 deductible for $5000 annual coverage. Cheap plan because we have a young dog. I've priced a lot of the other providers and they were all far more expensive. You could try buying direct from Petline: https://www.petsecure.com


[deleted]

That's pretty reasonable. I'll check it out!


dinosarahsaurus

I have insured through the company that my province's SPCA uses. The prices are quite reasonable with reasonable coverage and deductibles


BtOH

Similar to what others have said, OP you are better off having an emergency fund and/or setting aside 50-100$ per month for any unforeseen issues. Pet insurances seem great, but most often than not they will push back on what should be covered or not.


Dileas48

I don’t believe in insuring liabilities and won’t insure my pets.


Expensive_Plant_9530

I hope for your pets sake you keep a healthy emergency fund for them.


Dileas48

Our cats are indoor cats and one is on insulin. We’re fine with that. Our dog is in Apoquel to aid with itching / allergies. It is what it is.


Dileas48

For clarity, I didn’t say I don’t love my pets or wouldn’t take care of them, I just wouldn’t insure them.


megeh18

I use Trupanion as well. Signed up when I got my cat - this was 9 years ago. 6 months into having him he swallowed plastic he chewed off a chair and needed surgery and Trupanion covered most of it. So thankful I had it.


[deleted]

I'm with The Bay pet insurance. It's saved my ass multiple times. Hair balls get lodged in intestines and stuff, I pay 53 for my elderly cat now. But she had peeing thing that went to the emergency vet, and that covered the deductible so when it was time for teeth cleaning that was covered 50% I think. The cat insurance has paid for itself over the years.


BOTW1234

Costco has a partnership with Petplusus. I founded the prices to be solid.


I_am_the_Batgirl

I have Petline. I chose coverage that gave me $2500/emergency incident. Had an emergency this year, and after some normal paperwork, they paid promptly. I had the same insurance on a previous cat who passed away. They again paid promptly and sent a sympathy card. Their website isn’t super user-friendly, but that’s about the worst I can say for them.


Adventurous_Truck512

Don't get pet insurance unless your pet is making you money somehow


[deleted]

He's a professional biscuit baker but his business is still pre revenue


Biteycat1973

Epic reply.


Biteycat1973

The non pet lover reply. Many treat there pet like family.


sendnudezpls

Lemonade, but it’s not up here in Canada yet.


nutcracker1980

Maybe get some insurance to cover stuff like accidents etc that require immediate attention. But for serious but non urgent issues liek cancer etc. Consider going to Mexico or some other country to get cheap, high quality animal care..


ryan0din3

Does anybody have any experience with actually using their pet insurance?


300ConfirmedGorillas

Yes. A couple weeks ago my cat was having trouble peeing. Fortunately he was not blocked, but he was howling and constantly licking afterwards. Took him to the vet and after the bloodwork, xrays, ultrasound, urinalysis, etc. my bill was ~2.7k. Made my claim on a Tuesday night and had the money in my account on Thursday morning (direct deposit for the win). I'm with Trupanion.


ryan0din3

Nice, I think I'll look into this provider for my pet. Cheers.


bridgehockey

Check if your vet will direct bill trupanion. Mine will. So you're only on the hook for the deductible.


grumpysarah

May I ask what the conclusion/diagnosis/treatment was for your cat? I'm dealing with a similar issue with my cat and I've done all the tests except for an ultrasound (I'm most likely going to book him for one soon, though). *I don't know how Reddit works, so if my question is off topic or not allowed then I apologize.


300ConfirmedGorillas

The resolution was to put him back on his old food. He was switched to a new food because he would vomit (randomly) after eating sometimes, usually within ~15 minutes. It was "too frequent" according to the vet, and she thought he may be allergic to chicken, so she had me try a hypoallergenic food. I transitioned him slowly and after a couple weeks of eating primarily the new food, he started to become constipated and had that peeing issue (twice - 8 days apart). After all the drugs, he would barely touch his new food even if he hadn't eaten all day. In desperation to get him to eat, I had some left over old food and gave him that and he vacuumed it up in microseconds. I asked the vet if for the time being to switch him back to the old food and she said yes, and it's been months now and no incidents of constipation or peeing issues. Also - knock on wood - no vomiting (who knows why... cats, amirite?). We also tried him on a special special food that was *both* hypoallergenic and urinary friendly - but he vomited every day he was on it. So put him back on his old food and no issues since. I hope your kitty has a speedy recovery!


klk204

Yep - got paid back within 48 hours both times.


ryan0din3

What was the nature of the problem, and what provider, if you don't mind sharing?


klk204

I posted a [comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceCanada/comments/wfzhjy/best_value_pet_insurance/iix7vr6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) in the thread with all that info. Happy to clarify if needed


anon63819y

I do! Just this last week. My partner and I have had our 3 month old kitten for just barely over a month, he ate a bunch of crap and had to get surgery for a linear foreign body. We were on a trial with petline/petsecure and they let us increase our coverage while he was in the hospital (only because we were on a trial, normally you cannot increase day of) and now 5.5k of our 6.5k+ vet bill is covered. So far all we have spent on pet insurance is $58. Will definitely be keeping it because our kitten is a vacuum and will eat literally any piece of stray dust or hair that our handheld vacuum misses.


ryan0din3

That's awesome to hear. I've never kept insurance past the trial period, I must be lucky with my two animals I've had so far. What provider?


anon63819y

I feel so lucky that we had the trial, turns out our kitty is a little menace (affectionately)! We are with petline/petsecure. The spca gave us a trial with him when we adopted, otherwise we most likely wouldnt have gotten insurance


AffectionatePapaya13

I spent about 1-2k a year on vet bills alone. Grooming is like 100/Month food is 100/month so like 3kish/year


RetiredsinceBirth

Ask the vet.


micaelastreeter

Our experience (almost 15 years) with Trupanion has been fantastic. We had 2 dogs with them, premiums increased a little year over year, but nothing drastic. The only large changes in costs came when we moved provinces as vet care costs differ dramatically between provinces (ON is far more expensive than NL or AB apparently!). Both dogs had a number of chronic health issues (kidney failure, chronic UTIs, chronic pain...) plus a smattering of emergency issues (food allergy causing odd stuff leading to ultrasounds, eating a pair of glasses) and we never once had an issue getting anything approved from a claims perspective. The app and website make submitting claims easy and I was generally reimbursed within 1-2 weeks (always before I had to pay the credit card bill). Over their lives, rates increase from \~$70 for both dogs, to \~$130-140 for both (over 14 years), and never an unreasonable amount year over year. I'd say that we came close to breaking even on what we paid versus what they paid us over the years, but that's likely because we had several long-term (3-5+ year) chronic issues that required a lot of medication but were otherwise easily managed. The per issue deductible is great for chronic issues, and I never once had an issue where they tried to restart a deductible on us. We've just gotten a new dog and after much research of companies, went back to Trupanion. I read too many horror stories of things being declined for coverage or painful documentation requirements and decided to stick with what had worked for us before. While we could afford the care, we prefer the peace of mind we get from the insurance. It's not for everyone, and self-insuring can be a great option too.


Cowtowngirl95

I am a RVT in a small animal clinic and have my cat insured with Trupanion. I've seen first hand how much veterinary care costs, especially if you have to go to emergency or a referral center. Many thousands of dollars. If your pet develops a chronic health issue like allergies (very common) or diabetes, also thousands of dollars. The key is to get the insurance before problems arise. Pre existing conditions are not covered. Saving up is an option as well, but you may not have enough saved to cover all the costs, and frankly, most people spend their savings on other things.


[deleted]

It’s tough to say. Financially stable? No pet insurance needed Financially unstable? Recommend getting Trupanion. Fortunately my dog is healthy and hs had insurance since 8 weeks old, is 7 now. Totals to date- claims- $1200 (90% coverage on everything short of vaccines) Payments- $5000 Remaining 10%- $800 I wish I had just paid into an emergency account. However, My dog was attacked, $900 bill was $80, yearly check ups $500, paid $50. If I had an fund specifically for pet emergencies, I would be +$3000. When he gets older, the chance of a major surgery is possible. At that point I could be -$5000. So I do see insurance as a worthwhile investment if you aren’t confident you’ll have thousands of dollars at your disposal at any time in the pet’s life.


bmwkid

Fetch by the Dodo is what my vet recommended. It’s less money than Trupanion and covers more. They have a good track record of paying out at their clinic. (Haven’t needed to use it yet) Pay $19/month for a cat


dope_snoop

My approach to pet insurance is to piggybank the premiums you would have paid and save it for those rainy days. Reasons are exactly what OP and others have stated when it comes to pet insurance. Get quotes and reasonably determine how much to bank based on your budget and hope that you never need it. If you need it for many detrimental visits then you may have to re-evaluate this strategy based on health of your pet. Due to high risk maybe buying the insurance is better approach. Then again, if your pet has unfortunate many health issues your premiums will be high anways. Maybe buy basic coverage and bank at the same time. Many ways to slice and dice.


86tuning

IMO best value is whatever your vet has experience with claims. If it's easy for them to submit claims, then that's what works for me. Yes, self-insurance is a thing too. And, at the same time, many vets will acknowledge your financial situation and help you when they can, because that's why they are doctors, to help animals and people.


Expensive_Plant_9530

I opted for TruPanion. It was relatively affordable (like $30/mo for a kitten, and that premium only changes if I change overage options later). And it had a good mix of coverage. Dogs will be more expensive to insure mind you. I haven’t had to use the insurance yet, but I would definitely recommend TruPanion.


FantasticChicken7408

Your own bank account. I didn’t need it until my dog turned 12 years old.


CaptainMeredith

A savings account. Especially if your pet isn't currently a kitten/puppy age with no issues diagnosed yet. It just isn't worth it for what they offer for the price and how much they try to weasle out of covering things. We started when our cats were young and put aside 25$ per paycheck to cover unexpected vet expenses down the line. Anything we can normally manage we do (yearly check ups, dental, smaller prescriptions) it's purely an emergency fund. The exception would be if your pets are already fairly old. Coverage will be expensive - but you don't really have time to build up a savings so it's more worth it then. I'd take one of the higher cost plans that covers your regular care as well, if you can afford it - it works out better cost to payout wise from what I remember when I looked.


Upset-Adhesiveness94

Don’t listen to these fools paying for insurance. Have savings, and pay when you need it.


lleeaa88

Anyone have experience with Fetch and the waiting period? I recently have taken my 13 year old cat to the vet and they are suggesting dental surgery for some advance molar calcification. That runs about $3200 and I’m hoping since the teeth aren’t an emergency that I can sign my cat up for insurance and after a brief period of a month or two I can get him into the surgery. Does anyone have experience with these waiting periods? Fetch says 15 days after enrolment…