Hey everyone I was wondering if anyone had experience with pet health insurance.  My last dog had quite a few things that it needed done and so the expenses added up.  I have a new pup now and was contemplating getting pet insurance but don't know anything about it.

We adopted a rescue a couple of years ago and bought Trupanion.  Before we bought the insurance, the vet did a physical and treated an ear infection.  Turns out the dog has chronic yeast infections in her ear.  The insurance will not cover the chronic ear treatments as they are considered a preexisting condition.  HOWEVER, at one point the vet determined that the ear had a polyp that might have been contributing to the problem and recommended surgery.  The insurance covered all costs of the surgery over the deductible.  The amount the insurance paid covered my premium cost for a year.

I was surprised and happy.  It looks like a good policy.  I pay about $60/mo with a $700 deductible.  You can pick your own deductible.

Yes. 100% get it. My mom has it for her dog, and it even covers preexisting conditions. I was in Africa last year and she was watching my dogs... one of my dogs and her dog got really sick with a virus and ended up in emergency for 2 nights. Cost $1800 each. She got most of hers refunded. I was out the money. Do it.

I have not bought insurance for my dog(s).

My last Beagle got cancer at 10y/o. cost me $10,000 over 10 months
all my choice, I helped him until help wouldn't help anymore.

One of my new Beagles blew out two disks in her spine.
No idea how it happened. just happened.
Surgery at UT Vet school/hospital was 6k
She is 3 y/o and paralyzed from rib cage back.

So, I am thinking yea, insurance may be a good idea.

most of the people in my Retriever Club use Pets Best? I have a policy too.

I read a few posts on reddit about it, and the big consensus was you should take that monthly payment and just stick it aside in an account, as a lot of what you would want to use it for anyway isn't covered.

Personally, if something chronic came up, or something they couldn't recover from well and it cost maybe over 7 grand to fix it, I would probably just have the dog put down, depending on the circumstances of course.

I think I’m going to try it for the four months of heavy hunting I do.  Last two years it would have saved me money.  

Last years porky and this years Lyme and anaplasmosis treatments would have easily paid for three dogs for 4 month.

Have a puppy coming in Jan.  We agreed to get insurance this time. Looks like policy will be 75 bucks a month.. Last pup cost me 12k in surgeries and still had to lay him to rest at a year and a half...   keeping my fingers crossed for a better outcome with this one.

I got Embrace on my Brit when he was about 6 months old.  The price creeps up a few dollars every year. at 5 1/5, it now cost me $40/month.
One rip from a barbed wire fence that needed fixing and an 3 hours scope surgery into the gut to retrieve some needle like wires that were in a Christmas Ornament he ate,  and we are way ahead cost wise.  They paid without issue on both.

Insurance is never a good deal, but it only takes one time to pay years worth of insurance.

If you have bird dogs, it makes sense.