If Only I Had Pet Insurance! Vet Bill Horror Stories

Posted in

October 19th, 2009

Photo by Petr Josek/Reuters

Pets are like family to many Americans, so when emergencies occur people will often spare no expenses. You shouldn’t have to pay extreme amounts out of pocket, however. Getting proper pet insurance coverage can help pay the vet bills for the things that happen to your pet, like gastric torsion! After reading the horror stories below of pet owners, you’ll no doubt be thinking about purchasing pet insurance coverage soon if you haven’t already.

1. Dogs with Autoimmune Disease?
Jane Schultz told the story of beloved her pet, Shelty Lacey, in a recent news article. According to Schultz, her 9-year-old dog put some major dents in her wallet over the years, including $1,000 in vet bills in just one month. The culprit is deteriorating health. While she absolutely loves her dog, costs associated with two knee surgeries, as well as medication for Shelty’s autoimmune disease leaves her dog’s bills higher than her own. Schultz admits, in retrospect, that acquiring pet insurance would have been a much better idea than paying for the mounting medical bills out of pocket.

2. No Payment Plan Nightmare
Sometimes, pet owners find that their own limited income stops them from getting the care they should for their pets – something that pet insurance could help fund. This is true for Mary Madigan who explained that after taking in her beloved Muffin, a stray cat, she found she was unable to pay his medical bills after he fell ill since she lived on fixed Social Security benefits. She approached numerous vet offices to see if they offered payment plans, but none did. Her only recourse was to hand him over to the SPCA. Nowshe acknowledges her regret in not purchasing pet insurance, as she believes it could have helped her keep her little friend.

3. Death the Only Option
In an MSNBC story, Lara Yount talks about the emotional and financial tragedy she suffered when her 2-year-old beagle, Daisy Mae, was hit by a car. Not only had her husband been laid off of his construction job, but Yount was only making a meager $7.50 an hour – not enough to pay for Daisy’s fractured pelvis and shattered tibia. Faced with $3,200 in vet bills, she had to do the unthinkable – put Daisy to sleep.

4. Expensive Emergency Surgeries
Everything was going well for Nancy Ryan and her 4-year-old Bernese mountain dog Winston when suddenly he needed emergency surgery for gastric torsion. She explained how difficult it was for her to pay $4,965.60 out of pocket for diagnostics, surgery and treatment. Unlike many other pet owners, however, she was able to rejoice because she owned pet insurance. Soon after filing a claim, Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) reimbursed her $2,735.10.

With there being so many issues that can occur with pets, experts are recommending more than ever that pet owners invest in insurance coverage. Since pet policies are often as low as $7 a month, the investment is worth the tradeoff of an inability to pay thousands in out-of-pocket expenses.