Why would I get pet insurance? 

August 12, 2021

By Dr. K.

So…I got a new Springer Spaniel Puppy!  And guess what the first thing is that I did?  I GOT PET INSURANCE!!!!

But…I’m a vet.  Why would I get pet insurance?  The answer is: because the expenses of treating serious accident, injury, illness or underlying orthopedic conditions can get VERY expensive very quickly and require specialty care that I cannot provide for my own animal (never mind the average dog owner).

In addition, there are many genetic diseases that could be an issue for my dog before I even have any other problems!  Check out this website and find your breed (or the parents of your breed if a known mix) and see how many possible diseases your breeder should have screened for BEFORE breeding your dog/puppy:

ofa.org/browse-by-breed

For the English Springer Spaniel here are the suggested screenings:

• Hip Dysplasia
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Eye Examination
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test
• FUCOSIDOSIS
• PFK
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Autoimmune thyroiditis
• Cardiac Evaluation

These are just SOME of the possible underlying genetic diseases that are common in the breed I chose.  I will hope I never have to deal with any of them!!

So how much is Pet Insurance, anyway?  Here is the chart I was sent by the insurance company that I chose.  Obviously, as your deductible goes up, your cost goes down!  I ultimately chose a higher deductible since I am mainly interested in covering catastrophic issues.  Keep in mind that this chart may be significantly different for other breeds and ages:

Deductible Taxes Recovery and Complementary Care (Optional) Monthly Cost
0.00 0.00 15.56 136.09
50.00 0.00 12.45 110.28
100.00 0.00 10.78 96.43
200.00 0.00 8.87 80.62
250.00 0.00 8.20 75.07
500.00 0.00 5.94 56.26
750.00 0.00 4.47 44.04
1000.00 0.00 3.36 34.79

I chose the company Trupanion, because they were willing to waive all wait periods for any issues I had provided I signed up for a policy immediately after my dog was examined by a veterinarian.  I also considered Healthy Paws, a very good company that QK owner Jennifer Broome has had excellent experience with over several years with multiple dogs.

So, food for thought – consider pet insurance, especially if your dog is young.  It is best to get insurance before any underlying issues surface which are then considered to be pre-existing conditions and are excluded from coverage!

Doc K