Who has pet insurance?

[RebelOne]

I have been checking out a lot of pet insurance groups and I'm not sure of which one to select. My Rottie is now 7 years old and at this time in perfect health. But since Rotties, being big dogs, do not have a long life span, I thought I would look into pet insurance. My last Rottie lived to almost 12 years old, which is quite old for a dog of her size (she was almost 100 pounds). I went into credit card debt trying to save her life, so that is why I want to get pet insurance on my current fur baby. And most of these pet insurances charge more for a Rottweiler. I e-mailed one of them to request their reasoning as to why I should be charged more because of my dog's breed. I have not received an answer yet.

[Phentex]

1. Our rottie made it to 13 and a half!..

She had always been healthy too. In the end, it was her heart that just grew weak.

We had issues with owning a rottweiler too. We could barely get homeowner's insurance. It was hard to find a rott-friendly vet. People wouldn't let their kids come to our house. This from a dog who wouldn't even chase a squirrel!

I hope you have years and years to come! :)


edited to add an s

[lukasahero]

2. I don't but

I will definitely do so for my next pup. My lab has had surgery on both back knees, has epilepsy and a penchant for getting into trouble. Unfortunately by the time I heard insurance existed, he wasn't a "good candidate" for insurance.

My guess for the added expense is that it's not limited to Rottie's but to all of the larger dog breeds that have a history of problems. Check out the rates on Labs or St. Bernards who have a history of hip displaysia - I suspect Rottie's also have that problem - and see if they compare. I don't think you'd be facing higher costs in the same way you face them for housing insurance (i.e. - Rottie and Pit owners get charged higher rates because of the perception of higher aggression problems) since they're not insuring you against his behavior so it's got to be something health related that makes him a greater risk.

(BTW, I believe the higher home owner's insurance rates are bogus. Just thought I'd throw that in there because I didn't want you to think I agreed with the "aggression" myth.)

Do you have links to the companies you're looking into? I'd be interested in reading up on it myself. Thanks.

[sleepyhead]

3. VPI is a good insurance company.

They have been around for a while and rely on veterinarians for input rather than bureaucrats. Lots of my clients use them and have been happy with them. Bear in mind that they have set "allowances' for certain categories of illness and may not reimburse you for the entire bill. Nor will they cover pre-existing or congenital illnesses. But they will get a check out to you fairly quickly, and it will at least help to defray a good percentage of the bill. You may also want to look into Care Credit as an adjunct. They will issue you a line of credit that can be paid back over time (depending on the balance, up to 24 months) interest-free. It's a good thing to have on hand in case of emergency, especially if you already have insurance.

[Suziq]

4. I Wish I Did . . .

When my doxie Molly developed intravertebral disk disease, major spinal surgery plus a 5-day hospital stay was needed. Needless to say, it cost me and Mr. Suziq almost $4,000! Unfortunately, her hind quarters are paralyzed. She does get around with the aid of a cart and does quite well most of the time. We noticed that she is selective. She will run for a treat, but will not move just for the heck of it.

:hippie: