Pet Insurance - Worth it or not?

Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

I lost my 12-year-old border collie to cancer this summer, and without insurance, the care still cost me around $10k in the last month. I just got a new puppy and insurance this time. She’s been sick since I got her, and I’ve already been reimbursed more than I’ve paid in premiums.

The biggest benefit is that insurance could mean the difference between treatment and letting your pet go, especially if the costs are in the thousands.

Parker said:

Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

I lost my 12-year-old border collie to cancer this summer, and without insurance, the care still cost me around $10k in the last month. I just got a new puppy and insurance this time. She’s been sick since I got her, and I’ve already been reimbursed more than I’ve paid in premiums.

The biggest benefit is that insurance could mean the difference between treatment and letting your pet go, especially if the costs are in the thousands.

[deleted]

True said:

Parker said:
Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

I lost my 12-year-old border collie to cancer this summer, and without insurance, the care still cost me around $10k in the last month. I just got a new puppy and insurance this time. She’s been sick since I got her, and I’ve already been reimbursed more than I’ve paid in premiums.

The biggest benefit is that insurance could mean the difference between treatment and letting your pet go, especially if the costs are in the thousands.

[deleted]

We found out about the cancer because someone poisoned my dog with rat poison in a public dog bowl. The $10k included saving his life from that and then his end-of-life care.

And honestly, for the extra time I got with him, I’d pay it all again.

Parker said:

True said:
Parker said:
Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

I lost my 12-year-old border collie to cancer this summer, and without insurance, the care still cost me around $10k in the last month. I just got a new puppy and insurance this time. She’s been sick since I got her, and I’ve already been reimbursed more than I’ve paid in premiums.

The biggest benefit is that insurance could mean the difference between treatment and letting your pet go, especially if the costs are in the thousands.

[deleted]

We found out about the cancer because someone poisoned my dog with rat poison in a public dog bowl. The $10k included saving his life from that and then his end-of-life care.

And honestly, for the extra time I got with him, I’d pay it all again.

What kind of monster does that? I’m so sorry you went through that.

Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

I pay $70/month, and it’s saved me multiple times.

My dog tore her ACL, and the surgery was $8,000. Insurance dropped that down to $1,600. Very worth it.

Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

We spend about $90/month for 90% coverage on three pets. Before this, we paid $7,500 for one of our cats’ urinary surgeries. We love our pets, but we can’t drop that much money again!

Morgan said:

Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

We spend about $90/month for 90% coverage on three pets. Before this, we paid $7,500 for one of our cats’ urinary surgeries. We love our pets, but we can’t drop that much money again!

Maybe it would be better to put that $90/month into a savings account instead. Over 15 years, that’s over $16,000 saved, and with interest, it could be even more.

Hollis said:

Morgan said:
Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

We spend about $90/month for 90% coverage on three pets. Before this, we paid $7,500 for one of our cats’ urinary surgeries. We love our pets, but we can’t drop that much money again!

Maybe it would be better to put that $90/month into a savings account instead. Over 15 years, that’s over $16,000 saved, and with interest, it could be even more.

[deleted]

True said:

Hollis said:
Morgan said:
Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

We spend about $90/month for 90% coverage on three pets. Before this, we paid $7,500 for one of our cats’ urinary surgeries. We love our pets, but we can’t drop that much money again!

Maybe it would be better to put that $90/month into a savings account instead. Over 15 years, that’s over $16,000 saved, and with interest, it could be even more.

[deleted]

Exactly. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. Some people save money with insurance, and others end up paying more in premiums than they ever get back.

True said:

Hollis said:
Morgan said:
Thorne said:
I have two cats and two dogs, and I’ve always just paid out of pocket for their medical expenses. None of them have any preexisting conditions or need medication. The only big issue I had was a $1,500 emergency with one of my dogs.

A coworker recently had a scare with her senior cat, and her vet bill was close to $8,000. Thanks to pet insurance, she only paid about $1,800 out of pocket.

So, I’m curious—what’s everyone’s take on pet insurance? When does it become worth it, or is it better to just set aside money for emergencies?

I realize this depends on your personal financial situation. I’m at a point where I’m not living paycheck to paycheck, but one big emergency could send me back there. My current goal is to build an emergency fund of $10,000.

We spend about $90/month for 90% coverage on three pets. Before this, we paid $7,500 for one of our cats’ urinary surgeries. We love our pets, but we can’t drop that much money again!

Maybe it would be better to put that $90/month into a savings account instead. Over 15 years, that’s over $16,000 saved, and with interest, it could be even more.

[deleted]

You’d have over $3,000 by that point, which covers most pet emergencies. Even with preexisting conditions, insurance just didn’t make sense for us.