jmackdaddy said:

But insurance for your rat? Are you joking?

Say it's a rabbit, then (but it will probably be a hedgehog). I'm really incapable of just sitting by watching a sick or injured pet without taking him to the vet, as I recently learned.

Pet insurance came in handy during my ferret's triple-bypass surgery.

My wife breeds chinchilla's (yes, I'm serious), and we don't even take them to the vet. No rancher does. These "budget pets" are meant to provide some fun and companionship, but you shouldn't be putting serious money into them. Don't get me wrong, we take good care of them, feed them the best food, best bedding, air treated room, etc, but they don't have the intellect or personalities to justify such veterinary costs. I once had one of these little guys neutered as I just couldn't part with it and it had to be pulled from breeding. Heck, I've done more expensive vet visits and such myself but looking back we wouldn't do it again. And as for pet insurance, on a dog? Sure! I have it on my american mastiff.. and it comes in handy! But on a rodent? No way.

no24moryrsofbsh said:I think it depends on how much one thinks a pet is a family member. I think insurance is for people who consider pets a family

I personally love my dog but i dont think he is family. there is a limit to which i am willing to spend on my pet. I would rather save the money for future emergencies for my family. Again it depends on how close to family you consider pets to be.

Good way to put it, I can think of plenty of people who cherish their animals wayyyy too much. One in particular, who is awful with normal social skills. She's flat out obsessive over her dog and would sell her own limbs to pay for helping it. Scary!

JTFH said:lol, this is a fakepost... And a pretty funny one at that too.

I swear it's not. I'm really looking for information on what insurers people have used, how willing the companies are to pay out, whether they saved money, etc. I know for dogs and cats, for instance, some insurers aren't willing to cover problems that are "typical" for a given breed (e.g., hip problems in most dogs).

I'm glad you're amused though.

JTFH said:lol, this is a fakepost... And a pretty funny one at that too. Ya, when I read The vet found a tumor and also said he had an infectionGood try, though, OP. Who are you really?

toybuilder said:

The problem with pet insurance is that the coverage is usually dropped after a claim, or the premium shoots way up. So it is only good for handling one catastrophic event needing many thousands of dollars.

That's very good to know. I wasn't aware of that. I might opt for routine well-care if I had the insurance though (at least at the beginning with a new type of pet), and presumably that wouldn't lead to higher premiums. Sorry about your cat.

As far as the cancer and infection seeming incredulous... it's 100% true. He'd been biting at the tumor, which I hadn't noticed, and this led to the infection (which presented more easily identifiable symptoms). Absolutely no joke.

My friend has pet insurance for his dog and is still paying out a ton of cash on medical bills. Apparently some of the "problems" with the dog are not covered because of genetics or whatever term the insurance companies are trying to pawn off.

Definitely read the fine print of the policy.

I've done the math a few times based on what I have spent on three dogs, all with cancer, and determined it is financially smarter to put money into high interest savings instead of pet insurance. Premiums get higher and higher as the pet ages. Many things are not covered so you really need to read the fine print. Then there are deductables, maximum payments, and on and on...
It might be a benefit if you had a young pet that was injured and needed surgery without further complications in life.

It is an emotional and not necessarially financial choice to make. If you are financially secure and would be able to take a hit of several thousand dollars to save a pet then insurance does not make sense IMO. If you can handle the montly premiums and would be emotionally ruined if you lost a pet that could be saved if only for the money, then the insurance might be better for you. No right or wrong answer here.