Is Dog insurance worth getting?

[Deleted]

I had a Labrador swallow a corn on the cob whole from our corn field when I was little. Had to have it removed in surgery from his esophagus, and then he did it again. I think he learned after the second time.

Thought of getting a leash? x3

[Collegeguy]

Thought of getting a leash? x3

I'm afraid I don't understand. It's impossible to leash a dog 24/7, especially if it's a family dog.

[primusl0l]

Unless you're loaded and can afford the absolute best insurance possible for your pets then don't bother. Because even with the very best and most expensive pet insurance they're EXTREMELY vague and you would be surprised at how much things are not covered, even on the best available insurance plans for pets.

You're much better off putting aside cash into a zero-fee-interest savings account so you can just have the money there in cash.

I spent a lot of time looking over pet insurance and I was put off while reading all the fine-print, incredible amount of very common illness and diseases are just not covered. They might say "Covered from illness and diseases" but once you look into the fine-print, it will say "Covered from illness and diseases...besides...90% of the most common ones" especially the breed specific problems.

[Kaniinchen]

I wouldn't bother with insurance. The best insurance you can give your dog is taking care of him/her properly throughout it's lifetime CONSISTENTLY.

-Make sure to feed your dog a variety of dog foods (different flavors hard and soft) and bones to keep their teeth strong and healthy.
-Don't overfeed your dog.
-Get that vaccination (2-in-1) for fleas and heart-worm yearly at your Vet and while you are there might as well do a check-up. Here is Aus for both the check-up and vaccination costs $130, so probably less in the US.
-The best long term investment (with a good diet)for your dog is taking him/her for a walk DAILY and by this I mean every day for the rest of his/her life.

I took my dog for a walk every day since I got her when she was a puppy (with the exception of rainy days) and she's as healthy as a horse. She will turn 11 this year and up till now has had no medical problems AT ALL. (She's a small dog and I kept her outside from the start).

[timtim89]

If I was going to do this id look into to his father/mother see if they have any health issues if not I wouldnt worry about it.

[Deleted]

1st of all look at the breed..
That there looks like a Basset ..If I'm wrong dont bother reading the rest of this post :P

Then look at what health issues the breed can have .. I work for the Danish Kennel Club and we spend many hours at our shows promoting the health issues..

I don't own a basset so I can't really remember, however after having looked it up on our internal network I found 3 - 4 things concerning the bassets

1: The back - obviously the back is under a lot of strain on such a short stemmed dog.
2: Eyes - Bassets have a tendency to develop these "hangy eyerims" - opening basically a channel for bacteria and etc, which can become infected and become INCREDIBLY expensive
3: Luxating patella - this is basically when when the knee caps shift out of position - as the bassets have these crooked legs this can happen alot -and can end up in surgery
4: skin - the skin of the bassets some times "folds". These folds become harbors for bad things and again cause infection where treatment ends up becoming quite expensive

Most of these problems can be avoided by exersice and common sence... However Bassets are in the danger zone .. so as one suggested I would probably take the insurance at least for a couple of years or 3 till he is fully grown and reevaluate from there....

[primusl0l]

If I was going to do this id look into to his father/mother see if they have any health issues if not I wouldnt worry about it.

This is why you should always buy from a proper registered official breeder and not a random person or from a random pet store. Always best to see the parents if not also the grand-parents if possible.

But even that does not guarantee a healthy dog. It makes it much less likely you'll have issues, but yeah...better than going in blind and buying a dog from a pet store without any knowledge of it's history.

[Deleted]

I'm afraid I don't understand. It's impossible to leash a dog 24/7, especially if it's a family dog.

Well, thought of locking the door? Or getting a front yard fence with a door thingy?

[kmorris892]

Pet insurance is generally only helpful if your pet has a serious ailment that requires regular trips to the vet. Even then still subject to their terms and conditions as far as coverage goes. I tried it in the past but ended up canceling once they started giving me the runaround on what they would and wouldn't cover. I then made my own 'insurance' fund and contributed to it when I had some extra cash. I also signed up for a vet discount plan 'Pet Assure' which gives an upfront savings at the time of payment.It is only about 10 dollars per month to cover my boxer and combining this with my rainy day fund has proven to be a winning combination!