Anyone have pet insurance advice??

$280 ph doesn't seem unreasonable. By the time the vet takes out nurse, reception, professional development, rent and all the other costs that go with a shop front business they're probably not making much more than a plumber.

Can't speak about all the other charges you mention, as I don't pay them. I know my parents dog needs glasses because it keeps bumping into things - eye test not necessary.

I guess I'm lucky. In 5 years of cat ownership all I've paid is the desexing and an annual grease and oil change.

 

We were like that, other than our cats breath getting worse and worse for years (sometimes she would yawn and you could smell it 2 metres away) but our trusted vet just said "Some cats just have bad breath".

Eventual the Vet clinic got a new vet, we expressed our concerns of our cats breath and he didn't even look, he just said "She's got a rotten tooth", then he opened her mouth and showed me (covered in blood, really quite sore looking). I know there was no way I could have known but I felt terrible, apparently it's quite painful but she never made out that it hurt.

$700ish later and she was all fixed, stoned out of her mind the night we got her home (which was just hilarious) but much happier and less stinky now .

Of course, teeth are not covered by insurance .

 

what??

I'm exaggerating on most part... some vets I talked to did feels like encouraging unnecessary tests and I'm in predicament of what if something IS wrong and I didn't take those tests .
It's not easy to be in vet business. Vet clinic needs to have a lot of expensive equipment - it's basically a small hospital on its own

 

On reflection I realise I should have questioned it but at the time I knew no better. Now she is all good though, loving life and loving owning humans as pets

 

We budget about $5k a year for unexpected animal emergency costs (but we have many rescue animals) not including general check ups/$100 here and there for antibiotics. My MIL is also a vet (though not experienced with surgery and doesn't work in a practice) so we get all medicines/etc at cost but anything drastic requires mainstream treatment.

Many of ours we rescued when they were older than 9 (cats and dogs) so cannot be insured by most insurance providers. Many also have pre-existing conditions that the majority of insurers cannot cover. They also only cover up to a certain amount a year - so be aware that some procedures can easily exceed this. Also make sure to read the fine print, I'm told some require you to be very very diligent with check ups/vaccinations/etc etc (alike to getting a car serviced to stay under warranty!).

If you have one to three animals, I highly recommend it. Surgery can be intensely expensive (we've had a few shockers) and believe me you don't want to be in a situation choosing between re-mortgaging your home or putting your beloved family member to sleep.

If you have animals with existing issues, manage them carefully, insure them for everything else and save funds for times when care doesn't cover it.

 

After my indoor (2 year old) cat managed to break its leg a few years ago and it cost $2500 to fix, i've always had pet insurance- absolutely worth it for peace of mind for our (fur) child.

 

Recently got dog insurance through Vets Choice as they are endorsed by the Australian Veterinary Association. My vet mentioned them... seem fine so far.