socals

we have pet insurance on both our dogs. My male dog (shadow) has had the following issues in the 4 years we owned him

-last year... needed rear knee surgery (acl and miniscus) (spelled wrong) 3K
-year before bumped his head on the bathtub during a bath, abscss -- 500.00
-this year poked his eye (scratched his eye ball) no long term damage - 600.00

each of these incidents were covered and were 50.00 per incident

teeth cleaning is not covered and is 150.00 each dog / year .. you can opt for well being on our insurance but that is an extra 100 /year / dog

our female dog (sasha) is pretty much trouble free, although she got a bee sting and we had to rush her to emergency as her throat was swelling.. this emergency vist was 250.00 again our part was 50.00


so for us the pet insurance has paid off on the one dog and not on the other, but the problem as with human insurance is you never know when something could happen and our dogs are family members and i would like to avoid having to make a decision for them based on not being able to spend the $.

our other problem is dog food, our pets have food allergies and the food that works best for them is 200/ month. we recently switched to natures plus (dick van patten - eight is enight) and this cut that cost to 80.00 a month.

We are finding that owning pets in this day and age can be expensive particularly in this economy, but we love our dogs.

S1997

I just spent $287 yesterday at Tara's vet, getting a yearly checkup and booster shots -- with fecal and urine analyses and whatever else they do -- heart worm exam. She is fairly young, so we haven't considered getting pet insurance, but my daughter who has a 10 yr old German Shepherd keeps telling us we need insurance. She has saved several thousand dollars by having insurance for him, and just feels better about his health since she has the policy. He's a real sweetie, and I don't know what she would do if something bad were to happen to him.

valentine

^^ I used to take BB to a boutiquey-high class vet who only saw dogs and cats and was near my home. When I took in my son's dog for about a year, he was seen at the country vet I now use. I noticed that BB's annual visit was about $300 and Max's annual visit for the same type of shots, exams, etc. was $125. I did the math and switched when I discovered that boutique vet was not available on nights/weekends (when bad things happen) and country vet was available. Max had a terrible accident and needed care on a Friday night. The vet was front and center and EVEN SPENT THE NIGHT with Max. The fees were totally within reason. I like my country vet.

Lainey

I find our vet reasonable as well. We've never thought about pet insurance.

Surgery for a wound on our cat was around $150.00. More than reasonable when I compare notes with others. She just had her annual check up. They split the check up into two visits so she doesn't get too many vaccinations at once. No office visit charge for the second visit, I just pay for the vaccinations. I think we spent less than $150.00 for her check up and four vaccinations.

The vet is available 6 days/week, but after hours you are referred to an emergency facility. Get out your wallet.

Our cat needs special food. I buy it at the vet for about $24.00/case (24 cans), if anyone knows where I can purchase CD cat food for less, let me know.

RC - Ryder

Some breeds of dogs can be expected to require much more vet care than others. In that case, shopping for pet insurance might be worthwhile.
I'm very dated when it comes to "reasonable costs", regarding vet bills. Nevertheless, if you think you are paying a lot, you should consider shopping around. It is a competitive business.

Kyras

In my experience vets are far more expensive here, in Orange County, than it was up in northern Los Angeles County. But then, so are hair cuts (two to three times the cost) and movies (twice the cost).