Pet insurance

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heavenlywild

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Topic # 126872 22-Jul-2013 19:38

Hi guys,

Looking to get pet insurance for our cat. Any suggestions on a good provider with a good deal?

First time getting pet insurance so the more advice I can get the better.

Thanks in advance!

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Reply # 863834 22-Jul-2013 20:05

FWIW I looked into insurance for our dog and then the Mrs got home and told me off... She works in the insurance industry and said it's pretty much a scam. I don't know either way, but I trust her judgement.

heavenlywild

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Reply # 863845 22-Jul-2013 20:08

What exactly makes her think it's a scam? It's quite a bold statement.

blakamin

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Reply # 863849 22-Jul-2013 20:12

Might not have been her exact words but that was the gist. Getting them to pay out for things is very difficult, lots of fine print, expense, lack of value for money.
Probably best to see if someone that has it will reply and relay their experiences.

ajobbins

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Reply # 863856 22-Jul-2013 20:28

Yeah I looked into it when we got two cats. Basically everything you could claim was capped at such stupidly low amounts it wasn't worth the premiums.

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nzkc

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Reply # 863861 22-Jul-2013 20:37

blakamin: Might not have been her exact words but that was the gist. Getting them to pay out for things is very difficult, lots of fine print, expense, lack of value for money.
Probably best to see if someone that has it will reply and relay their experiences.

Would you care to share the company she works for? Just so I can ensure none of my money is going their way (if they're not going to pay out when I need to make a claim).

heavenlywild

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Reply # 863864 22-Jul-2013 20:38

All this negativity, surely someone has had a win by having pet insurance?

bcourtney

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Reply # 863866 22-Jul-2013 20:47

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heavenlywild: All this negativity, surely someone has had a win by having pet insurance?

We're with PetPlan for our 2 dogs. One ate a BBQ kebab, stick and all, and did a lot of damage. Required major surgery not to mention all the initial scans/x-rays to initially diagnose. Cost was upwards of $2,500.

Our claim was emailed off to PetPlan and reimbursement came in a matter of a few days. No issues and certainly far less painful than any time I've had to try and make claims on contents or vehicle insurance.

Couldn't recommend PetPlan highly enough. My initial investigation found them to have the least exclusions etc, however this was 3-4 years ago so other players may have upped their game.

mattwnz

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Reply # 863870 22-Jul-2013 20:51

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Why not self insure, by putting aside the money into a bank account? The only thing I have had to take cats to the vet for are bad abyss, where they got into a fight with the neighbors cat.

heavenlywild

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Reply # 863872 22-Jul-2013 20:52

mattwnz: Why not self insure, by putting aside the money into a bank account? The only thing I have had to take cats to the vet for are bad abyss, where they got into a fight with the neighbors cat.

Hey mate, how much did your vet charge to remove the abscess?

blakamin

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Reply # 863875 22-Jul-2013 20:54

nzkc:
blakamin: Might not have been her exact words but that was the gist. Getting them to pay out for things is very difficult, lots of fine print, expense, lack of value for money.
Probably best to see if someone that has it will reply and relay their experiences.

Would you care to share the company she works for? Just so I can ensure none of my money is going their way (if they're not going to pay out when I need to make a claim).

She doesn't do pet insurance, and we're not in NZ :-D

mattwnz

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Reply # 863888 22-Jul-2013 21:01

heavenlywild:
mattwnz: Why not self insure, by putting aside the money into a bank account? The only thing I have had to take cats to the vet for are bad abyss, where they got into a fight with the neighbors cat.

Hey mate, how much did your vet charge to remove the abscess?

Depends if they just give it antibiotics, or install a drain. Can be 200-300 for an abscess removal and drain.

heavenlywild

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Reply # 863893 22-Jul-2013 21:11

mattwnz:
heavenlywild:
mattwnz: Why not self insure, by putting aside the money into a bank account? The only thing I have had to take cats to the vet for are bad abyss, where they got into a fight with the neighbors cat.

Hey mate, how much did your vet charge to remove the abscess?

Depends if they just give it antibiotics, or install a drain. Can be 200-300 for an abscess removal and drain.

We were charged $350 for two fairly large abscesses, an overnight stay, and minor surgery to remove the dead skin, and the installation of a drain.

Reasonable?

This is the reason why I am thinking about pet insurance so if this happens again I would be covered.

dickytim

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Reply # 864005 23-Jul-2013 06:59

heavenlywild:
mattwnz:
heavenlywild:
mattwnz: Why not self insure, by putting aside the money into a bank account? The only thing I have had to take cats to the vet for are bad abyss, where they got into a fight with the neighbors cat.

Hey mate, how much did your vet charge to remove the abscess?

Depends if they just give it antibiotics, or install a drain. Can be 200-300 for an abscess removal and drain.

We were charged $350 for two fairly large abscesses, an overnight stay, and minor surgery to remove the dead skin, and the installation of a drain.

Reasonable?

This is the reason why I am thinking about pet insurance so if this happens again I would be covered.

I would not have an issue with this much, but that is pretty muck a small monthly bill from our vet!

damn horses, calves and travel costs!

I am not sure on the cost of pet insurance but for me if it was more than $2-300 a year I wouldn't bother.

That said it costs me $800 to insure my horse, but that is similar to a car insurance policy that animal insurance.

heavenlywild

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Reply # 864027 23-Jul-2013 07:52

From my research it really comes down to Ellenco and Pet n Sur. I have to read through the policy documents carefully to find out the exclusions. So far I am leaning towards Pet n Sur - quite an active community on Facebook is always a good sign that the company is open to communication.

Cats are relatively cheap - can go for as low as $9-12 per month.

BTR

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Reply # 864034 23-Jul-2013 07:57

Have just insured a dog with Ellenco, have had to make a claim yet and hopefully won't ever have to. We have two cats as well but they aren't insured as being indoor cats mostly they are less likely to be injured IMHO.

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