Veterinary Pet Insurance
Berkeley Parents Network >
Reviews >
Insurance >
Veterinary Pet Insurance
June 2006
Does anyone have any experience with veterinary pet insurance,
good or bad, s/he would like to share? What I'm trying to
figure out is whether it is worth the cost (considerable, as we
have three older dogs). We just spent a fortune on medical
care for an (uninsured) dog; if insurance pays a significant
share of the cost in the event of a catastrophic illness such
as cancer, it might be worth doing. Thanks for your help,
ljz
We have used VPI for about 5 years now and are very satisfied.
We have two dogs and two cats, all fairly young, and didn't
want to face the dilemma of finances versus giving them necesary
medical care in the event of an accident/injury. We have the
highest level of coverage, which covers vacinations,
preventative stuff like heartworm medication and flea/tick
medication, and maybe one annual ''checkup.'' VPI only pays up to
a certain amount - it never covers the entire vet bill - but
there have been several times when our dogs have been injured
and we've been charged a huge amount for stiching up
lacerations, etc. --- and we were glad we had insurance. We've
never had a claim turned down and when I've had to get on the
phone with the company, they've been very helpful
anon
I had bad experiences with them about 6 years ago. I had an
older rottweiler who I got insurance on when she was about 4 or
5, with the cancer policy. They covered barely anything and
the type of cancer she got when she was 7 was not covered under
the policy, and told me it was a pre-existing condition, which
it wasn't. They have so much fine print, it is hard to find
anything that they do cover and you have to play a lot out of
pocket before the insurance will kick in. I think I got
*maybe* $300 back total for 2 dogs being covered for 6 years,
for incidental things like teeth cleaning and shots, nothing
major. But when major things ($$$$) went down with my dogs
(cancer, vomiting, eye lesions, fox tails in the nose), they
totally screwed me and I got such a lousy return for it, like
$25 for a $600 vet bill. It was a very unwise investment for
me. It was worth it once when our second dog was a puppy and
we had her spayed, but now days, any vet will fix your dog on a
sliding scale and sometimes free! It makes me sad just to
think about it. When times were tough with my dog suffering, I
*thought* I had planned well for her care, only to find out
that VPI was heartless and found every way to get out of
covering her bills.
Hope my 2 cents helps
We have been using VPI for several years now. Our dog had a pre-
existing condition (hip displaysia) so anything related to this
condition is not covered but we decided it was worth the $160 we
spend each year just in case something does happen. It is like
any insurance - you wish you had it if something bad happens and
dogs can do crazy things sometimes. We have gotten some money
back for testing we did earlier and medications we had to give
to her. One thing though - they might not cover older dogs or
charge a lot if they have not been covered before
Wendy
I have VPI for my two dogs (5 and 9 years old). I have only
needed to submit claims for my 9 year old so far. One of the
last times was for teeth extraction, and I think VPI ended up
covering about half of it. They have a defined schedule of
what they will pay for what illness/treatment, regardless of
how much your vet charges (they don't pay a certain
percentage). If you sign up your dogs with them, they will
also review their medical records and probably will exclude any
prior problems from coverage. You can talk to them about the
details if you're concerned. Their customer service is very
good.
I believe that having health insurance for my dogs is worth
it. I have the basic plan, so it's not that expensive, but it
gives me peace of mind. In fact, I've always said that I hope
I never have to use the insurance, even if I pay for it their
entire lives
Hope this helps
this page was last updated: Sep 2, 2007
The opinions and statements expressed on this website
are those of parents who subscribe to the
Berkeley Parents Network.
Please see
Disclaimer & Usage for
information about using content on this website.
Copyright © 1996-2013 Berkeley Parents Network