So I signed up for pet insurance since I just got a puppy, but there's a 14 day waiting period. What kind of crap is that? Its a puppy, so obviously the responsible thing to do is take him to the vet a few days after getting him to have him checked out, but the insurance I'm already paying for doesn't cover it.

That just seems pretty stupid. (Are routine pet physicals expensive?)

9/26/2006 9:46:26 PM

what pet insurance did you get?
i got pet insurance for sabrina and i must say it's been well worth it so far. she's a very healthy pup by most means, but being in a townhome/apartment area she gets worms on occasion ...pet insurance has covered her treatment for it everytime.

and you should be fine in the next 14 days. and being in NYC...i can imagine a regular physical up there is much more expensive than down here. though a physical isn't that much.

[Edited on September 26, 2006 at 9:51 PM. Reason : but right now i think she may have snorted coke when i let her out cause she's riled up ]

9/26/2006 9:50:22 PM

^haha, thanks LK.

Well, when I bought her it was a requirement of the breeder that I take him to the vet in 48hrs to one week. So I think I should follow that. (I found a breeder less thank a mile away, yay)

9/26/2006 9:57:09 PM

Lesse. I'm thinking for the yearly shots and physical for my dog it was $66 or so in ATL. However, remember that vets can differ GREATLY in price and value of services. Shop around and a find a vet you truly trust, it's worth it!

For the chins, an exotic, I pay $45 here.

9/26/2006 10:01:08 PM

waiting periods are pretty standard for the insurance industry.

it keeps people from taking advantage of insurance companies, so they cant just buy insurance for an immediate purpose that they would monetarily benefit from, then cancel it right away.

9/26/2006 10:04:16 PM

^^thank you. This place was recommended to me and its close by (I don't drive up here and you can't take pets on the subway unless they're in a crate, etc.)

He already has all his shots except for rabies and one other I can't remember, but I might wait for the insurance to kick in for those, unless its not a big deal ($$wise).

^I understand that, but if you're just getting the puppy how's that gonna work? I mean you can't purchase the insurance before you have a dog b/c you don't even know what you're insuring.

[Edited on September 26, 2006 at 10:07 PM. Reason : It should be retroactive with some exceptions]

9/26/2006 10:06:11 PM

You didnt know two weeks ago that you were getting a dog and what type it was? I got insurance on our pets probably 3 weeks before we could even get them so the insurance really didnt go into effect until about two days after getting them.

9/26/2006 10:27:43 PM

i think sabrina's pet ins kicked in 14 days after as well and shit didn't hit the fan until after that (thank goodness)...do what the breeder says. you should be fine.

BTW! what are you doing thanksgiving??

9/26/2006 10:30:25 PM

How much do you guys pay for pet insurance? I can get it for my dog at any time right? I may possibly get some for my dog if the costs aren't too outrageous!

9/26/2006 11:30:48 PM

what companies did you all go with? Got any links to websites? Cheapest I can find for my bird (tiel) is $250/year, and that's kinda steep for me right now

9/26/2006 11:34:23 PM

take the dog to the vet, then send the bill to the insurance company. see if they pay it.

9/26/2006 11:58:19 PM

I have PetCare insurance...I pay $10.00 a year and $9.95 a month. (for a 3 yr old mutt)

yeah...awesome.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 9:08 AM. Reason : ]

9/27/2006 9:07:27 AM

Quote :

" You didnt know two weeks ago that you were getting a dog and what type it was? I got insurance on our pets probably 3 weeks before we could even get them so the insurance really didnt go into effect until about two days after getting them. "

Well while I had an interest in this breed of dog, I'd never even seen or been around one in person until I went to the breeders. So I wasn't going to take out an insurance policy for mainly that reason.

LK right now I plan on driving home to Charlotte for Thanksgiving with the pup. When were you and Caster thinking of coming up to visit?

I'm paying $30/month with VPI...its a pretty comprehensive package but after he's had all his shots and his neutered, etc I'll probably scale it back.

[Edited on September 27, 2006 at 1:07 PM. Reason : k]

9/27/2006 1:04:13 PM

that's what we're trying to decide on. i'd like to come up when the decorations are up...and all i wanna do other than have a good time is go to the Met and go see spamalot but it may not work out w/ our vacation time so we'd have to wait until after new year's.

9/27/2006 1:07:53 PM

Well Thanksgiving weekend itself will be a very tough time to travel, and the city will be PACKED. You'd have one hell of a time getting Spamalot tickets then (a show I also want to see).

I'd recommend the weekend after that.

9/27/2006 1:31:33 PM

Where I work ( http://www.carrboroplazavet.com/ ) the basic exam is $44 & then its a little more for the vaccinations. The number $16.50 comes to mind, but I'm not sure on that since I'm still new there. I know for rabies we require it to be given by a doctor (which might be a legal req for rabies stuff) & I believe the DHP/P vaccination (which covers distemper, herpes, and parvo ect I think) needs to be done with an exam, which might be another legal requirement b/c you have to have a doctor client relationship.

I hope thats atleast a little helpful on knowing average prices. The phone # there is 929-0031, if you were to call, any of the receptionist could tell you our prices since they have cheat sheets by the phone & could load them on the computers.

But it wouldnt be exact pricing since I doubt you are looking for a vet in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.

9/27/2006 1:52:33 PM

pet insurance has been proven to be a waste of money so pat do yourself a favor and put the money into the 'teg.

9/27/2006 5:34:44 PM

we took our 7 year old bichon in for his yearly shots on monday. my girlfriend's sister is a vet so she always gave him his shots and meds for free, but since we moved we had to take him to a new vet. my girlfriend had them do the more through exam, for older dogs and the total bill was like $350! that doesn't even including the new meds (just heartguard, advantage), plus they want him back for another visit.

$50 checkup
$60 shots
$150 through checkup with blood work, uninalysis, etc.

and the last $90 is because apparently he had an abnormal build of of smegma ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smegma ) and they had to clean it and have it analyzed for bacteria/disease.

9/27/2006 6:03:53 PM

i can buy a new dog for less than that.

9/27/2006 6:23:13 PM

most of our clients that have insurance LOVE it, some say it's not that great, but they don't pay more monthly than they would for a yearly exam and succh

9/27/2006 6:25:15 PM

When I was looking into insurance for my rabbit, most of the places said you had to have your pet for 30-60 days before the insurance would cover them. However, if you had owned them for that long, it would be effective immediately. Obviously you could lie, but I don't know if they'd try to make you prove anything if you took him to the vet right after you took out the policy. Also, if he's really young, it would be kind of obvious you hadn't had him for that long.

I don't know if that's the kind of thing you're running into now or not.

Be sure you look at how much the plans cover before you buy. I decided getting the insurance wasn't worth it because they don't always cover the full cost, and sometimes it's substantially less.

9/27/2006 6:29:30 PM

^well I already got it. I'm gonna roll with the insurance for a while and see how it goes. If I don't think its worth it then I'll cancel.

Quote :

"pet insurance has been proven to be a waste of money so pat do yourself a favor and put the money into the 'teg."

Lol, I doubt that putting the money into a 14 yr old car with 256k is better, even if it is a rare model, lol.

I just got back from the vet. The check up was $38, not bad at all. Oh, and my pup's in perfect health

9/27/2006 7:19:48 PM

I think if you are going to pay more than $150 for pet insurance (after the first year when the dog is a puppy and gets more shots, fixed), you are paying too much money. The pet insurance thing seems like a good idea when the dog gets on in years but then some insurance programs won't cover a bunch of stuff...

9/27/2006 9:11:25 PM