New Bully Owner - Pet Insurance, Is It Worth It?

[Rondo5]

Hello all! I will be formally introducing Rondo on the introduction board. I have already done so on the guest forum but I was glad to hear I got approved today. We've had Rondo for a week today and unfortunately we already had to go to the ER because his heart rate was over 100 bpm. The vet suspected pneumonia and the x-rays showed a minor upper respiratory infection and a yeast infection in both ears. Obviously having a vet bill the first week like that has my wife a little concerned with the future being it the first week. I've looked into research and the examples they show say it's about $26.00/month for the top notch plan and about 90% of the bill is usually reimbursed. Is this accurate or is that just a optimistic example? If so I will most definitely be buying into pet insurance. I've heard about people spending $15K in vet bills and I'd much rather have the peace of mind with insurance. Please let me know what your experiences are with pet insurance and if you have any recommendations it would be much appreciated. Thank you!!!!

[ksdstny]

Yes yes yes!!! I spent about 14k on harlow with insurance!!!

When i first purchased i got aspaa ins. It was not great as it didnt cover anything genetic or  n most "breed specific" issues ex. Cherry eye, luxating patella. 

When i got steeler i did way more research and now have pets best! Fantastic imo. Covers virtually everything. Steeler had acl surgery in feb. Cost a fortune and they covered almost all of it.

For both my dogs i pay abt 50 bucks a month.

Good luck!

[buddha]

We have Embrace pet insurance with Buddha.  He had ACL surgery which they covered 90% of plus virtually everything else we've submitted claims for.   Some of the things I really love about them is that they cover genetic & breed specific issues (a lot of companies do not) and you can really customize your coverage.  Their customer service is excellent & after a slight mix up with a reimbursement, we received a gift card & personalized thank you note from the CEO.  She even sent Buddha a toy too.   I highly recommend them.   www.embracepetinsurance.com 

Whoever you choose, just make sure to check into what they will not cover.  We originally had VPI & they ended up denying a bunch of claims saying that they were breed specific issues that weren't covered.

Good luck with your search!

[BabeEnglishBulldog]

Do you have any recommendations for a reliable pet insurance company? I want to have one for Babe but I'm afraid to get scammed.

[joy217]

I have ASPC and DO NOT recommend it. As said above, they don't cover a lot of stuff they consider "hereditary". Additionally, the things they do cover, they only pay a fraction of the cost. For example, when we had Brutus neutered it only would pay up to $75.

[egreen28]

YES to insurance!!! That is a must with a bulldog!!! I have AKC insurance for Axel. It's their Essential Plus plan. It costs $42.08 a month (including a $4 admin fee). It has been the best insurance ever!!! Everything I have submitted has been approved and covered from skin issues to x-rays and hospitalization for pneumonia. It doesn't cover his yearly exam and shots (there is a plan that does) but his shots last year were $52, so it wasn't a big deal at all. Your dog doesn't have to even be AKC registered to join. I looked at a bunch of other plans and this one was by far the best!!!! I have spent over $6,000 in vet bilsl and got just about 80% of that back from his insurance!!

[buddha]

I still recommend Embrace.  Our experience with them over the past few years has been great.  When Buddha got sick and passed away we had a ton of claims to file.  Their customer service & claims specialists were beyond supportive during that time.   Besides their awesome customer service, you can completely customize your plan to fit your needs & budget.   As long as we have a dog we'll have them covered by Embrace.