Pet Insurance Considerations

Over the last few years, the yearly cost of all pet insurance has sharply increased. In the mid-2000’s, the yearly cost for robust insurance for a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog was about $450. This included accidents, diseases with a genetic component, or other unforeseen conditions at anywhere from 70-90% reimbursement with a small deductible (~$250).

Since ~2018, the cost of insurance has risen to nearly $1,000 a year for the same plan. For a plan that reimburses 90% with a cap of $10,000 and a $200 deductible, the annual rate is $1,392.

With these new rates, it doesn’t financially make sense for me to purchase health insurance for my dogs. Instead, I can invest $1,392 per dog per year into a high yield account. I now have financial resources to put towards any vet bills for any of my dogs.

I weigh this with the probability of life-threatening procedures that my dogs might face. For Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs, it is either bloat or splenic torsion. I have heard of the costs of both of those surgeries to range from $4,000-8,000. However, for a fraction of that, I can have a gastropexy and spleen removed to save my dog from those risks.

For pet insurance to make sense for me, I would need to be reimbursed nearly $17,000 over the lifetime of a dog (assuming 12 years) for each dog. This does not include the deductibles I would have to pay on top of the yearly premiums.

Because there are other medical issues that a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog might face, you may still want the comfort of having insurance. If so, the one that I recommend is Embrace.

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