Rest Insured


Posted on May 8, 2009
By Kristen Lainsbury

 

 You've gotta know when to hold 'em. Know when to scold 'em. Know when to walk the dog. Know when to run.

You never count your money while you're sitting in the lobby. There'll be time enough for counting when the vet is done.

Not to be crass (and not to go all Kenny Rogers on you), but as my husband says, pet insurance for dogs is a gamble. I prefer to think of it as an investment in peace of mind. Like health insurance, you hope you'll never need it. But when you do, you're awfully glad you have it.

Like many dog owners, my husband and I have grappled with the idea of pet insurance for years. We've always opted against it, but when Cassidy, our Golden Retriever mix, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) two winters ago, we were kicking ourselves. The surgery cost $1,500 in Maine (it would've cost more elsewhere) but the alternatives - putting her down or letting her lose the use of one leg - weren't an option.

We wished we had purchased insurance beforehand. We had the surgery weeks before Christmas, and the bill was as painful for us as the surgery was for Cassidy, if not more so. There's no anesthesia for sticker shock.

I've read many articles that weigh the benefits and costs of pet insurance. Many of them conclude that the choice centers on what kind of dog owner you are - if you're the type who considers your dog a part of the family, the type who would do anything for your pet, then it's a logical choice. But my informal research, which draws from my own experience as the owner of two large dogs and the experience of my friends who own dogs, shows that dog insurance may pay off either way.

When we discovered that FetchDog now offers PetsBest Insurance, we were intrigued.
Would it be worth the money? According to the American Pet Products Association, the average American spends $672 annually on routine and surgical vet visits. We ran a quote for Cassidy on PetsBest and a half-dozen competitive plans, and only the most expensive plan topped $672. That doesn't take into account deductibles or exclusions, and coverage for routine wellness visits is an additional monthly fee, but it did give us a basis for comparison.

Though price was obviously an issue, here's what really won us over. At 12, Cassidy qualifies as a geriatric dog, and now is the time that she really needs coverage. Many of the competitors wouldn't even insure her. But PetsBest would. Even taking into account her pre-existing conditions, arthritis and a recent stroke, the quote was on par with the competition.

And the coverage was comprehensive and easy to understand. Emergencies, alternative treatments and lab work were all covered. Pre-existing conditions weren't, which was no surprise. What was surprising was the fact that they don't generally raise the monthly rate.

Routine vet visits are eligible if you add the Best Wellness option for an additional monthly fee. There were no weird exceptions, and unlike several of the competitors, PetsBest clearly lays out what its exceptions are. Though you can opt for a variety of plan levels, PetsBest reimburses 80 percent of qualifying vet bills after deductible, which ranges from $100 to $500.

I definitely would've opted for this plan earlier in the game for Cassidy - it certainly would've cost less over the course of her lifetime - and we're seriously considering it for our 5-year-old dog, Stella, who is a Belgian Malinois. Because purebreds come with their own set of health issues, insurance is always a good idea, and from my research, PetsBest is the best bet.

It's no wonder Aetna recently chose to partner with PetsBest - the provider will soon offer pet insurance along with its health insurance for humans.

After reviewing the quotes, we're quite sure we're going to hold 'em. Because after reviewing PetsBest, we're quite sure pet insurance is one gamble we're going to win.

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