Pet Insurance - Recommendations?

schwinn on 14/09/2015 - 16:30

Hi All!

We're contemplating Pet Insurance recently for our two terrors terriers, aged 5.

The missus has gone through a whole heap of providers on productreview, and as always, I've advised her to take a pinch of salt, also that only unhappy people like to complain etc. Generally a lot of negatives from Woolworths pet insurance, and even RSPCA seem difficult.

One that stood out to her was Bow Wow Meow Insurance . However, upon (my) investigation to the reviews, it looks like a LOT of positive reviewers come in from 1 time reviewers, sometimes multiple on the same day, thus raising a red flag. Something doesn't smell right, either they are sock puppeting or actively encouraging customers to provide positive reviews. Can someone please tell me if my instincts are right? Also, it's like, the only Pet Insurance with a crazy amount of reviews (464)! Next highest amount of reviews is PetPlan (199).

So - A question to all pet owners on Ozbargain with insurance - Who are you with, and what has your experience been, and would you recommend them?

Hoping to build a good thread for future Pet Insurance queries.

Thank you.

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • try2bhelpful on 14/09/2015 - 17:02
    +1

    We have PetPlan and they have been good up to now. I will be able to give you an update if/when they pay for the bills we have for the kitty's current issues; we are waiting for them to get back to us about the claim. The people at the clinic we go to said that Petplan was one of the better ones. Make sure you get a plan that guarantees cover for life for anything that develops over the period of your insurance; Petplan does as long as you get in before a certain age. Some of them will cover you for the year that the animal gets an illness, and after that it is considered as a pre existing condition and is excluded. You can look all that up on the Petplan website.

    Unless people are absolutely sure they can make the decision to put down their animal I would suggest people get Pet insurance and make sure it is one that will actually pay for treatment. You might want to run a few "what if" scenario's past them.

    • schwinn on 14/09/2015 - 20:21

      thanks please let us know how your claim goes

      • try2bhelpful on 28/09/2015 - 08:46
        +1

        Got the cheque from PetPlan. We got a $500 dollar excess as they have $125 per illness and my little girl had 4 different issues at the same time, however, we did get a cheque for roughly $6800 so we aren't quibbling. We will see what happens with the subsequent follow ups.

        • schwinn on 28/09/2015 - 11:00

          Thanks, that's great news. We are still twiddling our thumbs and the Pet Insurance issue has dropped off the radar for now. Thanks for yourrecommendation and feedback.

  • silkysmooth on 14/09/2015 - 17:06
    +1

    Medibank never had a issue always pay up

    • schwinn on 14/09/2015 - 20:20

      thanks, that's good to hear. Have you been claiming for accidents or health issues?

    • eatwell365 on 14/09/2015 - 21:51

      MBP offers discounted pet insurance for existing member.

  • CheapCoffee on 14/09/2015 - 17:45

    I think Petplan is generally considered to be better within the veterinary profession due to better medical coverage. Unfortunately, I am not so familiar with the specifics.

    You should ask your veterinarian next time you visit as they should be familiar with different products available, and see what their experiences are like with various insurance products.

  • bym on 14/09/2015 - 19:10
    +4

    I recommend you don't get pet insurance and just save the money you were going to spend on the premiums. If you don't take my recommendation onboard, READ THE FINEPRINT for exclusions to the policy. You will note that there are many.

  • try2bhelpful on 14/09/2015 - 19:51
    +2

    That is true of any insurance product, which is why I suggest you ring them and do a "what if" scenario.

    • schwinn on 14/09/2015 - 20:19
      +1

      Thank you that is good advice, we just did with Bow Wow Meow and they told us they would not pay out under our hypothetical circumstance.

      • try2bhelpful on 14/09/2015 - 20:34

        Out of interest what was the scenario you outlined and are you going to try other insurance companies with this as well.

  • abbz0id on 14/09/2015 - 21:05

    I've got my two dogs on insuranceline. It worked out cheapest when I got my first dog 9 years ago, and got some quotes for my puppy earlier this year and Insuranceline still works out the cheapest for me. The 9 year old has addison's disease (diagnosed in 2010), and requires an injection approx every 5 weeks. No problems claiming treatments at all. Would definitely recommend checking them out.

  • Shout It Out on 14/09/2015 - 21:09

    I'm with Pet Insurance Australia and have had no issue with claims or anything. If you join online you get a discount for the first to year.

  • altomic on 14/09/2015 - 21:13
    +2

    The Checkout from ABC did a segment on pet insurance which is worth watching.

    Link to clip

  • snook on 15/09/2015 - 10:50

    I have had 10 small dogs starting in 1986. I looked at pet insurance during that time and they previously only covered an accident. So your dog had to have an accident and that's the only thing they paid for. I decided that i was quite happy keeping my dogs in the yard, or on a lead, so they didn't have an accident … hmm, and that has worked out ok so far.

    I understand how market share on that product would have been low, and now some graduate with stars in their eyes has since tapped into the lucrative market … but I bet it costs more than you'll ever get back. I think pet insurance is a con and i've noticed that some vet places charge more if they know you have vet insurance … or they are just charging more, expecting people to get insurance.

    In my experience, in the beginning of pet ownership - just like your first child - you will go to the vet more because you don't know what's wrong or right. Also in my experience, when and if you end up with a dog that has to constantly be at the vet, then maybe it is kinder to take another option. I've always worked on the principle that as soon as they need pills to stay alive, and quality of life is affected, then it's time to go. It isn't fair that we can't euthanise ourselves. Dogs have it way easier. There are hundreds of dumped dogs out there and so keeping one alive is nothing but selfish on the part of the owner.

    Apart from the odd vaccination and desex, my dogs don't go to the vet. Do they pay for vaccinations and desexing?

    In my experience, the worst thing a small dog can get is luxating patellas. If surgery is required it's around $2k per leg. If you get a dog that requires two legs, that's $266 a year over 15 years. Usually it's just one so just $133 a year. But you can get away with not doing it depending on the dog - but, a vet is not going to tell you this.

    However, I'm also pretty sure that as a congenital condition obvious from the first vet exam, it wouldn't be covered under insurance. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

    Does any of this insurance pay for congenital conditions like this?

    I am very curious about what people are paying …Can someone put the prices for the premiums in please?
    Or give us the figure of what you've paid over the life of the animal? Does it increase with age?
    I would think their premiums would increase anyway.

  • srhardy on 15/09/2015 - 23:15
    -3

    pets are a luxury for westerners, spend the money on aid for a human and unless its a working sheep dog, have it put down first time it has a problem. god knows you can get a replacement for free easy enough! 1st world problems, you dont get to heaven for looking after a pet after all!

  • cimrak on 18/09/2015 - 18:33
    +1

    I used Medibank "Silver Paw Cover" for my dog (King Charles X Maltese), from when he was ~2yrs until he passed at ~13yrs - http://www.medibank.com.au/pet-insurance/medibank-cover-opti…

    Premium was around $55/mo, or roughly $7200 over the 9yr period of the insurance.

    I didn't need to claim until the last few years. The first few claims were for an abscess caused by a grass seed under the skin. Total cost was ~$2,500 (blood work, xrays etc). Then there were a few other issues until he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had to be put to sleep. Total cost of that was ~$16,000 over a few weeks.

    Comments:
    * When he turned 10yrs old, Medibank sent me a letter saying that due to his age my total claimable cover was being reduced from the policies original 100% down to 80%. That pissed me a bit, as you would expect more issues when they're older.
    * You need to pay all costs up front with your vet. Once you have paid, you can submit a claim (usually your vet is able to do this for you as well). Some people think they don't need to have any cash when they have pet insurance - this is incorrect.
    * All of my claims with Medibank resulted in a cheque being received ~3 weeks after the claim was submitted.
    * The claim process was very smooth from my side.
    * When my dog passed and the final claim was submitted (which included the euthanisation), Medibank recognised this and automatically stopped my direct debits as well as sending me a letter saying they were sorry to hear of his passing.

    • snook on 07/10/2015 - 13:48

      Thanks for that info. I wouldn't have paid for any of that stuff at the end. Had a dog that could hardly walk one day. Suddenly, no warning. Vet took xrays. Said he was FULL of what was likely cancer. Did I want him to go in and look, do tests, charge me a motza when the likelihood of any positive result was 0%? No. Put him down.

      I realise it's kind of harsh but I think it's kinder to put them to sleep and move on. As long as they have had a good time while they're here.

  • cisco on 10/10/2015 - 09:34

    A friend was has got couple of birds. He was looking into pet insurance but couldnt find one.
    Any pet insurers that covers pets other then cat, dog and hourse?

  • hsk on 22/10/2015 - 12:16
    Merged from Advice for Pet Insurance Please

    Looking at getting pet insurance can anyone recommend a policy please? I have a husky puppy and he is 5 mths old.

    • toniyellow on 22/10/2015 - 12:58

      If you search, this was discussed pretty recently https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/211243

      I would also use https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/215205 to read https://www.choice.com.au/money/insurance/pet/reviews-and-co…

    • try2bhelpful on 22/10/2015 - 14:29

      We have PetPlan insurance and have just made a very serious claim for our pussy cat, who was suffering from multiple issues. We had no issue with PetPlan paying for our claim, but be aware that there was a $125 dollar excess per illness and this sort of insurance does get pricey as the animal gets older, especially for dogs.

      My suggestion is get a list of questions together and ring each of the insurance companies as a "what-if" scenario.

      Are there any issues with my dog breed?
      What are the current premiums?
      What are the excesses/co-payment costs?
      What would the current premium be if my dog was 12 years old?
      Is this illness/injury only or do you cover standard vet items?
      Do you cover prescription feed?
      If my pet is hurt during a routine operation like desexing will this be covered?
      Do you cover dental, if so what do you cover?
      Do you have "cover for life", or is it a year by year proposition such that any existing illness he has in one year is considered pre-existing in the next.
      What is the total coverage?
      Is the coverage a plan year, or a calendar year?
      What extras do you cover, and what amount?
      etc.

      In my case the insurance was, quite literally, a life saver for our cat. That said we were still out of pocket by a reasonable amount due to the $125 per illness excess, (she had four things wrong with her); Pet Plan will only be paying 65% of the bill for the next year due to her age.

      My view is either be really prepared to put down your animal if it comes to it or get Pet Insurance (even if you have insurance not all animals have good enough quality of life to keep going; our kitty is doing reasonably well but she does have ongoing conditions). The bills add up very quickly. There is nothing worse than people who let an animal suffer because they can't make a decision.

    • hsk on 22/10/2015 - 14:33

      we had a previous dog and they were misdiagnosed with a bowel blockage last year by our local vet, so by the time we were diagnosed it was major and we would have had to pay $5000 or get the dog put down, so we had to make the hard decision. It was mentioned by a few people including the vet hospital that we should have pet insurance, well now almost a year later we have a puppy who is just 5 mths old and I am wondering about insurance this time. Have had advice to use RSPCA, who seem to be around $25 a fortnight. Does anyone have RSPCA pet insurance?

  • Dalmington on 16/07/2018 - 14:13

    for anyone needing something in 2018, Karingal vet has a consultation for this kind of thing. I don't think they provide the insurance but its pretty cool to just call a vet and he just tells you where to go for pet insurance. Find em here all http://www.karingalvet.com.au/

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