Pet Insurance: What 6 Pet Owners Have to Say About It

I do not have pet insurance, because, quite honestly, I cannot afford it. I am, however, making many trips to the vet with my dog that has an ongoing medical condition. Her medical bills and special diet are getting expensive. I continue to figure out how to pay for all of her needs. I began to wonder how other pet owners handled their pet's medical needs, and if they had pet insurance. Here is my poll as to what 6 of them had to say. I'd like to thank all of them for their comments!

How Pet Owners Handle Medical Issues

1. Of the 10 people that responded to my poll, only one of them actually had pet insurance. Keith, who lives in Pittsboro, Mississippi, told me he has two Jack "Rat" terriers. He said that he did have pet insurance, but only because it came with his auto insurance policy. Keith said he thought the pet insurance had a maximum pay out of $1500.00. So far he hasn't exceeded that limit.

2. Anna Marie, from Coffeen, Illinois says she counts her blessings that she is able to "pay as she goes" for her 2 dog's veterinary care. She has paid as much as $500.00 for a visit to the vet for one of her dog's that was extremely ill during the first year of its life. She says she loves her pets and will continue to pay for their medical needs, even without pet insurance. How much she would be willing to pay, she says, depends on the prognosis and outcome of treatment.

3. Danny, from Walshville, Illinois stated that he did in fact check into pet insurance on the ASPCA web site. He says that pet insurance for his German Shepherd was quoted at $11.00 a month for accidents only and at $85.00 for full coverage pet insurance. His Chihuahua was also $11.00 for accidental coverage and $77.04 for full coverage pet insurance. He says there is no way he can afford that amount of money every month.

"I'll just take them to the vet when they need it, and bite the bullet, pay the bill and hope they never get anything to serious!" The German Shepherd is a recently acquired rescue dog and has already cost around $130.00 at the vet's for treatment of heartworms and other ailments. Danny says that if he were a richer man, he would definitely have pet insurance.

4. Emma Riley Sutton is also a freelance writer living in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has done extensive research on pet insurance plans. She says that she has found that most of them are too expensive. According to Emma, most of the time a vet will work out a plan to help people pay for their pet's needs.

Emma Riley Sutton's situation is different than some pet owner's. She is disabled and her dog is a service dog. She stated that she spent $40.00 a day for Adequin injections for her dog. These injections lasted 6 months. She says, "Thankfully, there are programs that help pay vet bills for service dogs, but we've been known to pay 'til it hurts, so long as it doesn't take away from our daughter."

5. Alina lives in Oregon with her husband, 2 boys and 2 yellow labs. She says her family cannot afford health insurance for their self right now, so pet insurance is out of the question. She considers herself lucky because, so far, the labs have only needed to see the vet for routine shots.

Alina stated that she would figure out a way to afford the vet bills for issues like broken bones, stitches or minor illnesses, but if it came to something worse, like cancer or internal failure, she would probably have the pet "put down." Alina told me that she has seen people spend countless amounts of money on their pets to try to save them, even while the pet suffered in pain. She would choose to be unselfish and let the pet go to God.

6. Derek, from Yucaipa, California has 5 cats and a tarantula. Derek stated that while he does not have pet insurance, he does "keep a little set aside in case one of them gets sick." He believes pet insurance is a "little out of line" and states, "I don't think we would purchase it."

Derek spent $400.00 trying to save one of his cats that had a severe urinary tract infection. He ended up having to put the cat to sleep. "Honestly," Derek told me, "I love my cats, but 500 bucks is about my limit."

5 out of these 6 pet owners do not have pet insurance, and do the best they can for their pet's medical expenses. Considering the state of the economy, and my own situation, I can understand why they do not have pet insurance to take care of their pets medical needs. How about you? What is your feelings on pet insurance? Do you have it? Leave a comment and let's discuss it!