I just got a new puppy and we got pet insurance. And am I glad we did!
We went with a company whose name escapes me right now (wife handles that stuff). Anyway, we got higher coverage for the first year b/c it came with wellness protection and shots, etc. The cost of the first year preventative shots were almost as much as the premium. Yes, we have a $50 co-pay per incident, but a lot of our puppy's shots, de-worming etc., were handled in one "incident" and so we were able to keep the costs down.
Then, on inauguration day, tragedy struck. our puppy fell off of the bed and she broke her leg. Needless to say, three x-rays later and five cast changes, along with two emergency visits, we were out $800. Oops, no we weren't, b/c we had pet insurance. Total cost $50 plus 10%. About $130 for the whole ordeal.
She's out of her cast and getting better as we speak (atrophies hind leg aside).
We'll cut her benefits back int he years to come, when she has less shots, etc. that are expected, but we'll always keep that emergency coverage in place in case she has to have surgery. Option C - letting her live as long as she can without help is inhumane, and not an option for me. Doing the math, I think that insurance for her whole life (avg. 15 years) will cost around $2000, I think. One surgery and a couple of random vet vists will easily make up the difference.
I also had a friend whose older dog got sick with a turned over stomach, causing a block. He works at an inner-citty school for peanuts, and was faced with the choice of a $1000 surgery, or saying goodnight to his buddy. He chose the surgery, and is eating raman noodles every night. He wishes that he got the insurance.
THere are plentyof reputable places to go to look for this kind of thing. I'll post back with the company that we went with later.
