Typically my critters are older when they join the family. I've looked into insurance, but with multiple critters and the high cost of premiums for older ones, in my case it appears to be more cost effective to put money aside for veterinary care as opposed to pet insurance.

I even found one company that wouldn't insure a cat over 16 years old!

Haven't heard many good things about this insurance. Personally have no direct experience with it. Also have heard that for expensive procedures insurance company only lets you know after procedure is done if they will cover it and for how much. Probably has the same reputation as human health insurance which isn't good.

If you consider a policy read it carefully. Many of the policies I have considered stop providing benefits when the pet reaches a certain age. Since a lot of times pets do not develop cancer until they are elderly, the argument for Pet Insurance as a financial support against cancer treatment costs would be invalid in those cases.

What I suggest to people who get puppies from me is to consider pet insurance for the first year, when the dog is most likely to accidentally escape and be hit by a car but to also place $50 or so a month in a savings account for the dog. When that account accumulates $1200 or so, and the dog is two and a half years old and has not shown any signs of ill health, consider dropping the pet insurance and keeping up the savings account for the rest of the dog's life. By 10 1/2 years of age the account will have around $6000 in it and if the dog dies suddenly or has an untreatable terminal illness you still have the money to keep as a health fund for the next dog.

Also some animal emergency rooms have access to institutions that will loan funds for paying off a large vet bill. Along these lines you can also see if you can obtain a credit card with a $5000 to $10,000 credit limit and NOT use it except for emergency pet medical expenses.

You must still have the money to pay your vet up-front for services rendered, and then file a claim for reimbursement with the insurance company. In this way, pet insurance is certainly *not* like medical insurance.

I have purchased pet insurance for my new dog. I made the decision based on the fact that my last dog I got from the pound cost me several thousand over the course of her 13.5 years and there were times when coming up with the money was a challenge. Hopefully I won't have to use it but it also has a wellness plan plus I got a discount on it so that helped. I guess until I use it I won't know how it works but the reviews are good.

The above comments are spot-on! I researched MANY different Pet Insurance policies and they are all way expensive, you are required to pay up front to the Vet any costs to which you then submit to the Pet Insurance company the receipt to get up to 80% reimbersed. Also, usually, many policies reduce or quick altogether when the dog hits 9 years of age (cats a little older, not much) which is when I want the coverage the most! I pulled out the calculator and figured that instead of paying for over priced policies, I made the "payments" to myself, into another bank account (to resist the temptation of spending it) and when my pets have an emergency, I just grab the checkbook for "their" account. End of Worries!

After spending $6000 on two TPLO surgeries for my previous Lab there was little doubt in my mind about insurance. There are web sites which compare different insurance companies and some are better than others. After doing my research I chose PetPlan. The cost will go up with age but they won't drop me, nor will they drop me if my dog develops a chronic condition like diabetes as many do after the current year. I do sleep better at night knowing I won't have to face an insurmountable expense.