EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Seems like I've missed a couple interesting dog health discussions. And this is on my mind since I just called VPI to have my insurance premium reduced. I opened up a pet insurance policy for Sadie as soon as I got her. Originally I had the full medical package plus wellness. It's a $50 deductible plus 10% of the procedure below the allowance, so that paid for most of her spay and first year of shots. I finally got the wellness taken off because I don't use it, she's on a minimal vaccine schedule now, gets wormed with the other hog dogs and has never had so much as a cough.

Now I'm paying a monthly premium of $21. I could have bumped it down to $12 a month, but that reduced the cap on procedures by about 40 to 50%. I decided I'd rather pay the $9 a month than an extra $1,000 for some surgery down the line. I really grilled customer service about what was included in my policy and I'm still satisfied that it's comprehensive enough to cover pretty much anything. In addition to all the major viruses and infections, including $1305 for parvo, it covers stuff like cancer, bloat, allergies and pretty much every accident you can think of. Snake bites, poisoning, fractures, blunt trauma, even $700 for heat stroke. I verified that yes, even a hunting dog is covered. The example I used was if she got a laceration that became infected and required the amputation of a limb, would that be covered? They said yes, after my $50 deductible and 10% copay, they would cover up to $1040 for a limb sparing procedure. If that didn't work or wasn't feasible, then they cover an additional $900 for an amputation. I would also get an $330 for miscellaneous medications and tests involved in wild mammal encounters.

Am I the only hog dogger with pet insurance? It seems like it could save some people a lot of money. And unless she was faced with a seriously diminished quality of life, I know I'd spend whatever was necessary to save my dog, so it makes sense for me considering the risk she faces hog hunting.

Its funny you bring this up because for some reason I thought about pet insurance policies last week while I was driving. I haven't thought about it or heard someone talk about it in probably 6-7 yrs so I figured pet health insurance had gone away because of the difficulites in underwriting such a risk.  I was thinking about how it could be a great way to CYA if a major incident occured but dismissed it because I figured there was no way a hog dog would qualify.  I guess I was wrong. 

I don't claim to be an expert on these type of policies but I would assume there are some requirements that would eliminate alot of doggers.  As an example, most doggers don't take their dogs to a vet for regular upkeep, shots, worming, ect.  Instead they do it themselves. I would imagine regular documented vet visits would be required to become a policy holder.  If so the added cost of such visits may not make the risk transfer worthwhile.  I don't know I'm just rambling.

If obama's health insurance plan is going to cover illegals do you think we can get it to cover our dogs?  At least their owners pay taxes.  ;)  8)

Julie, is your dogs policy an annual policy?  If so, are you subject to premium increases if you file several claims and your dog becomes classified as "high risk"? 

I have thought about insurance to protect property owners who allow me to hunt their properties. Think it might help persuade the land owners who worry about the dogs or personal injury.

I have been turned down by some land owners because they think it is to big of risk to have an idiot chasing hogs with dogs and a knife. ;D

Given your stated levels of coverage, the $50 deductible, 10% copay level and $252 annual premium, your insurance is a really great buy for those with only one or two dogs. A very good value.

For the folks with a kennel full however, they'd be better off (spend less in the long term) being self-insured. The problem with being self-insured is that it only works if you have the discipline to force yourself to add the required amount to the self-insurance account each month.

 I think to be bonded and insured it runs about 100/mth. That is with a 1mill limit. If I remember right.



  I would insure one of my dogs if I had a bad to bone real deal.

Cull Buck, my premium does get reassessed every year. Once a dog gets to a certain age, it will start increasing, because this policy does cover cancer and other medical conditions common in older dogs. But unlike other companies, they don't increase the premium based on claims, which is one of the reasons I picked them. They don't cover pre-existing conditions, but anything that happens after your start date is fair game, and stuff like cuts and accidents wouldn't be pre-existing nore would they increase your premium. Plus they don't do a medical exam or anything, it's pretty much open to whoever wants to sign up. I can't think of anything in my policy or in the screening process that would exclude hog doggers.

Waarheid, they do offer discounts for multiple pets, but only 10 to 20%. So it probably wouldn't be feasible to insure a large pack. I only have one dog, and she is not disposable, so it makes sense for me. I'd also say it's not a bad idea to insure dogs you consider indispensable in your hunting program, especially one you plan to build a bloodline off of.