The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

Hi,
I am a new cocker spaniel owner, as of yesterday. I am curious if getting pet insurance is worth it? I haven't actually priced it out yet, but just curious. Oakley is only 12 weeks old and he came from a professional breeder (not a puppy mill thank heavens.) Thanks for your feedback ahead of time. I'm very excited to have a cocker spaniel. He is truly the sunshine of my day.

-cjc

There have always been two schools of thought - either put a set amount away monthly for vet bills or get insurance. My personal feeling is, just like with humans, costs add up FAST and I personally don't want to be in a position where I have to determine what I am going to do for one of mine by how much it costs. I have pet insurance. I went with Embrace for several reasons the most important being they cover breed specific issues (such as luxating patellas for cocker spaniels, etc.). They also have reasonably good rates and a good drug/dental plan. Another plus is they reimburse based on what you actually have paid - not based on a national average (in my area vet costs are very high).

We use PetsBest because you can go to any vet, they reimburse very quickly and it seemed to cover a lot of illnesses other pet insurance companies don't. (Tracie Hotchner on DogTalk radio and author of "the Dog Bible" raves about them.) Thankfully we haven't had to use them yet, knock on wood, but as money is tight for us right now I'm glad to have a safety net. Also, every time you call you get a real, helpful person on the other end of the phone which I think is important. I think they cover 80% of the costs and the premium just depends on how high your deductible is. Check it out, but so far we've been happy with their service!

After my last Cocker I swore I'd get pet insurance for my next dog... I used to tease my vet that I was single handed paying for his kids College education!

So when I got Chesapeake I got insurance! I have Embrace. I've been very happy with them to date. I get discounts for Chessie being spayed and because I pay up front yearly. Once I get Chessie hip tested I'll get an additional discount. I have both Comprehensive and Wellness Plus. I pay something over $300 per year for Comprehensive and $299.00 for a $400.00 allowance for Wellness Plus. Between her routine yearly heart worm test and heart worm meds, I easily use the entire Wellness allowance every year which means I get back more than I pay out. I have not had a reason to use the Comprehensive but frankly I'll gladly pay for that her entire life and be happy if I never use it! Like Vickie, I find the peace of knowing I won't be in a position where I have to determine what I am going to do because of how much it costs ~ is priceless.

BTW... your pup is adorable! I wish you many happy and healthy years with him!

I also went with Embrace pet insurance. When I was working I didn't feel like we needed it but since early retirement things add up quickly and like Vicki never want to decide on treatment based on cost. The rates are reasonable and they are easy to work with. I too liked that they covered breed specific illness (cherry eye, patellas etc.) Worth the money for my piece of mind.