# Preventative tests and pet insurance



## Sabrina Henneman (Sep 23, 2020)

Hi! Our puppy is joining us at the end of May. I am considering pet insurance but even wellness plans seem to cover only a vet annual wellness exam and basic vaccinations etc, not preventative tests like the recommended annual ophthalmologist eye exam.

Does anyone have pet insurance that will cover these kinds of tests? I’m calling today to a local vet hospital with an ophthalmologist to find out how much it costs.

I’m also reading the HKC list of tests that should be done on knees, hips etc. Idk if they have additional costs or are usually covered by annual wellness fees from the primary vet? 

Thanks for sharing your experiences.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Sabrina Henneman said:


> Hi! Our puppy is joining us at the end of May. I am considering pet insurance but even wellness plans seem to cover only a vet annual wellness exam and basic vaccinations etc, not preventative tests like the recommended annual ophthalmologist eye exam.
> 
> Does anyone have pet insurance that will cover these kinds of tests? I’m calling today to a local vet hospital with an ophthalmologist to find out how much it costs.
> 
> ...


knees, hips, elbows, and cerf (opthamologist) evaluation of the dog’s eyes are things that only need to be done for a dog that you plan to breed. There is no nee to do them for a pet dog. They are to look for things that might notcause a problem for THAt dog but could be passed on to the next generation. They are rarely covered by insurance.

MOST people get insurance to cover major or “catastrophic” illness or injury... the kind of thing that can suddenly put you in the poor house in a few days. That kind of insurance is quite affordable if you get it on a puppy... often $25-30 per month. Wellness plans, that actually pay for regular maintenance are much MUCH more expensive, because, of course, they have to pay out on every single dog they cover, not just on some unlucky few. IMO, it is better to pay out of pocket for the run of the mill stuff, and carry “major medical” insurance at least for the first couple of years of your puppy’s life, unless you are SURE you have enough money in the bank to cover a major medical problem and are willing to take the gamble. A swallowed sock could cost you several thousand dollars, for instance, if your pup needs surgery!


----------



## Sabrina Henneman (Sep 23, 2020)

krandall said:


> knees, hips, elbows, and cerf (opthamologist) evaluation of the dog’s eyes are things that only need to be done for a dog that you plan to breed. There is no nee to do them for a pet dog. They are to look for things that might notcause a problem for THAt dog but could be passed on to the next generation. They are rarely covered by insurance.
> 
> MOST people get insurance to cover major or “catastrophic” illness or injury... the kind of thing that can suddenly put you in the poor house in a few days. That kind of insurance is quite affordable if you get it on a puppy... often $25-30 per month. Wellness plans, that actually pay for regular maintenance are much MUCH more expensive, because, of course, they have to pay out on every single dog they cover, not just on some unlucky few. IMO, it is better to pay out of pocket for the run of the mill stuff, and carry “major medical” insurance at least for the first couple of years of your puppy’s life, unless you are SURE you have enough money in the bank to cover a major medical problem and are willing to take the gamble. A swallowed sock could cost you several thousand dollars, for instance, if your pup needs surgery!



This is good to know, thank you! We plan just to have our girl as a family pet, but of course want to do our best with her. I called our local veterinary hospital with an ophthalmologist and the initial fee is $315, $225 thereafter, so it’s good to know that’s not really necessary for family pets.

I wonder if a wellness plan for year one would make sense to cover cost of spaying, microchip, and vaccines. I guess I need to do the math.

Thanks so much for your advice!


----------



## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

There are wellness or preventative plans available, but the cost seems to be about that same as insurance covering unexpected/major medicals costs. It would be an added monthly cost. It's been awhile since I've checked the cost of different plans. We have Healthy Paws Insurance and highly recommend it. Scout had two big surgeries which were completely covered. I had chosen a $500.00 deductible which was my cost for each surgery. We have Scout and Truffles teeth cleaned every year or two and it is expensive and not covered. I wanted to be able to chose where they received medical care before deciding on an insurance plan. I just feel the monthly cost of a wellness plan might be more than our yearly routine care excluding flea, worm, tick etc. preventatives. If the plan covered dental and preventative meds it might be worth it, but you probably would need two different plans.


----------



## Sabrina Henneman (Sep 23, 2020)

Heather's said:


> There are wellness or preventative plans available, but the cost seems to be about that same as insurance covering unexpected/major medicals costs. It would be an added monthly cost. It's been awhile since I've checked the cost of different plans. We have Healthy Paws Insurance and highly recommend it. Scout had two big surgeries which were completely covered. I had chosen a $500.00 deductible which was my cost for each surgery. We have Scout and Truffles teeth cleaned every year or two and it is expensive and not covered. I wanted to be able to chose where they received medical care before deciding on an insurance plan. I just feel the monthly cost of a wellness plan might be more than our yearly routine care excluding flea, worm, tick etc. preventatives. If the plan covered dental and preventative meds it might be worth it, but you probably would need two different plans.


Thank you! Some of the wellness plans cover dental cleaning, so that is good to know. I forgot to ask about teeth cleaning costs when I called vets today.


----------



## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

We have healthy paws as well - major issues only, not wellness. I agree with covering the "routine" stuff out of pocket and then have the plan for major things. We pay $50 a month with Healthy Paws (and got it when Perry was about 10 months old). While we could cover major issues "out of pocket" - I'm glad we have the insurance (even with a fairy high deductible) because we had 1 knee surgery and are now looking at probably 2 other surgeries (plus all of the related tests) and maybe other treatments so it's been well worth what we paid/ are paying.


----------

