Hot on the heels of our recent discussions on pet health insurance comes this post on the question of non-traditional pet insurance. It seems Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the company boasting the largest share of this still small, but growing market, is raising the stakes and reaching out to owners of companion animals outside the dog-cat norm.
How about pet goose insurance, as for Boswell (profiled in the Boston Globe’s recent article titled, How Far Should We Go to Save Our Pets?)?
Clearly Boswell’s owner, an as-dedicated-to-his-goose-as-they-come sort of guy, might have done well to consider a pet insurance policy. But then...would radiation for a leg cancer be covered? Or would that’ve been considered waaay “experimental”?—for a goose, that is.
How about pet policies for the queen does of suburban Miami (my goats Poppy and Tulip)? I have a hard enough time finding them a vet who knows their way around a cloven-hoofed beast (none nearby). So would a pet insurance policy buy me the peace of mind I seek? Honestly, probably not.
But my guinea pigs? Though precious few vets in my area know how to properly treat these so-called “pocket pets,” (who in Miami spends money on these guys?) I’m pretty sure I could manage to take some comfort in a pet health insurance plan for them.
Yet in general, pet health insurance for exotic and non-traditional pets seems (at least for this vet) way behind the curve on what it can yet offer. Much of that is simply the result of my read on the level of care typically available to them (worse in South Florida than elsewhere, I’ll warrant). Unfortunately, veterinary medicine is not so standardized for them relative to the kind of care our dogs and cats (and horses, of course) receive.
Issues like these make me wonder why VPI would go out of its way to offer pet insurance for these species. How can there be enough information out there on pocket pet expenditures for an actuary to determine a fair price for the policy?
Despite my reservations, I applaud VPI for taking the first steps in recognizing the importance of non-dog/cat species to so many pet lovers. Here’s hoping their foray into exotic pet health insurance works out for them…and for their policy holders’ loved ones. If it does, it can only mean good things for the level of non-traditional pet care in this country.
P.S. Any of you considering a policy for your exotic pets? If so, let us know.
Add Comment27 Comments
I know people have looked into this coverage for ferrets and have found that it does not cover adrenal disease or insulinoma which are very common diseases in ferrets. They require surgical treatment and/or life-long medical management. They decided it was much better to put the money they would spend on the insurance into a savings account.
dawn August 3rd, 2008 01:48:00 PM
Another ferret owner here. I did some research on this a while back and came to the same conclusion as Dawn. I've heard that most people who purchased it for their ferrets found that diseases such as adrenal and insulinoma were either not covered or ended up being labeled as a pre-exisiting condition, even when the insurance was started on a young ferret. For myself, it seemed better to put the money into savings.
Sydney August 3rd, 2008 03:55:00 PM
If I could get insurance for my rabbits, I would. Unfortunately, in Canada no one is offering it ( and I have looked). When a trip to the exotic vet for Head Tilt costs $130 with meds and Critical Care, insurance would be a good idea. I don't even want to consider what it would have cost if I have to go to an emergency exotic vet (mine charge $80 just for an emergency exam). What if one of them when in to GI Stasis (a life threatening condition if not treated in a matter of 24-36 hours). This doesn't even cover broken bones, tooth problems and other accidents or illnesses. I simply don't know if I could afford emergency care if all 3 buns got sick. Just a yearly exam is about $60 per rabbit. It is totally worth it.
I also have 2 dogs. I have looked at plans for them, and one wants $100 per months for each dog. I don't spend that much a year on medical care form them as both have been relativity healthy.
I am really considering setting up a savings account for vet bills. I wold put money in every month for all vet bills. Yearly checkups and emergency stuff. The only disadvantage is that it can't cover stuff totally for a few months or years after started depending on the cost.
I would go as far as I can for my pets.
Kate August 3rd, 2008 03:57:00 PM
I haven't taken out an insurance policy on my 3 yo Socks, and was wondering which companies are worth looking into.. Socks ends up at the vet a couple of times a year with a cough, or ear infection.. plus his regualr check ups..
If anyone has been satisfied, let me know..
barri August 3rd, 2008 09:13:00 PM
As far as I know, no-one in Germany offers insurance for exotic pets.I happen to have excellent vets for all my pets nearby, and I love them dearly for not charging very much (25 Euros for neutering a fancy mouse, with teeth clipping on a gerbil thrown in for example), but I still have a money stash for emergencies. That's the best I can do until insurances come along. But I just don't see any insurance company doing it for mice, gerbil or budgies and probably such important things as neutering won't be covered because they wouldn't be considered neccessary for such small, cheap (sarcasm!) animals.
Jennifer August 4th, 2008 03:51:00 AM
I've never known any guinea pigs to survive a bad visit to the vets, so I don't see the purpose in VPI insurance for them. They are tiny creatures with fragile systems and I wouldn't seem the point in insuring them because I don't believe that they can be saved. I would however insure a goat, as they are not as fragile and it costs more to see a vet for a goat than it does for a cat or dog.
Both of my cats are 5 years old (will be 6 in October) and they are covered under the VPI premium policy. While I know that this has been a waste of my money for the past few years, I have had a cat that has gotten very sick by the age of 9. Because animal life is volatile and anything can happen at anytime, I choose to pay a lot up front in order to be protected when I need it.
Like every other insurance out there, you're betting that something bad will happen and the insurance company is betting that it won't.
Wendy August 4th, 2008 09:55:00 AM
Wendy: Not a waste. A comfort. My two cents.
Dr. Patty Khuly August 4th, 2008 10:32:00 AM
This ferret owner is with all the others--and I also note that ferrets are not listed among the covered species in the link you provided. Ferret insurance might be seen as a losing proposition by the insurance companies as well. Our little noodles are all too prone to various cancers and disorders.
regina August 4th, 2008 12:22:00 PM
@Regina: There's a saying in insurance that goes "no such thing as a bad risk, just a bad price". Basically any event that is fortuitous can be insured, question always boils down to whether it's a smart thing financially for the individual or group involved.
Alex August 4th, 2008 02:03:00 PM
Dr. Khuly,
You said this: "How can there be enough information out there on pocket pet expenditures for an actuary to determine a fair price for the policy?" and it reminded me that one huge veterinary hospital conglomerate keeps extensive records on this type of information--Banfield, The Pet Hospital. Banfield has been known to share their statistics with outside entities before. Perhaps others do the same.
Somyr August 4th, 2008 04:10:00 PM
True, Alex, but I think the thing with ferrets is that it's fortuitous if they *don't* get a serious illness at some point in their lives requiring either surgery or lifetime medicating.
regina August 5th, 2008 10:26:00 AM
@Regina: Same is basically true for humans. Morbidity rises with age, especially over 50, so if you took 100 people of age 50+ then I would bet that many of them had health issues of one kind or another so from that perspective it's all about the size of the bills, not whether there will be any.
Our experience here at Embrace tells us that approximately 25 to 30% of our pets claim in any given year. Your point about it being fortuitous if pets don't claim is on the money, it's a question of severity when they do.
Alex August 5th, 2008 01:23:00 PM
Dr K, I think you should add Boswell's blog to your Recommended list:
The Daily Honk
http://dailyhonk.blogspot.com/.
Mary August 8th, 2008 06:45:00 AM
Transfer VHS to DVD Convert VHS
jeff June 10th, 2009 04:04:01 AM
AVI to MOV MAC
WERT ERT July 23rd, 2009 02:23:26 AM
Thanks for your sharing.Maybe you are interested in Abercrombie and Fitch.
AF September 20th, 2009 01:52:47 AM
tiffany jewelry
tiffany cuff links
JEWELRY October 26th, 2009 03:54:56 AM
However mean your life is, tiffany jewelry meet it and live it do not shun it and call it hard discount tiffany jewelry unt tiffany jewelry It is not so bad as you are.It looks poorest when you are richest.
tiffany jewelry November 13th, 2009 01:19:32 AM
my frindbuyahandbag,ilikeitsomuch,shetellsmeifiwanttobuy,tohere:<a href="http://www.byreplica.com">replica handbags </a>,<a href="http://www.byreplica.com">louis vuitton outlet</a>believemeisbelieveyourself!
E3W December 17th, 2009 11:42:48 AM
Have you ever meet the problem that your movie and music files are not compatible with your iPod? It is really a big trouble for us who are eager to enjoy the movie on our iPod.However, luckily, now with this wonderful iPod Video Converter, we can easily convert our favorite video foramts to iPod with fast speed and also can enjoy the movies in the iPod with excellent quality! Wonederful!!This fantastic software can not only convert video formats to iPod, such as MPG, MPEG, MPEG2, HD MOV, HD H.264, HD RM etc and also convert audio format like MP3, AC3, AAC, WMA to iPod, iPhone, Apple TV and many other devices as well. It is really very powerful. Come on to download and have a try! Enjoy movies and you will enjoy this wonderful iPod Movie Converter!
cynthiachen December 22nd, 2009 11:03:39 PM
Despite my reservations, I applaud VPI for taking the first steps in buy nike shoes recognizing the importance of non-dog/cat species to so many pet lovers. Here's hoping their foray into exotic pet health insurance works out for them...and for their policy holders' loved ones. If it does, it can only mean good things for the level of non-traditional pet care in this country.
buy nike shoes December 25th, 2009 10:32:54 AM
Cheap Links of London sale jewelry for any special occasion, for instance, weddings, anniversary or birthdays. What's more, buy our cheap links of london jewelry for wholesale, and you could have access to a discount or even free gifts.
cheap Links of London December 29th, 2009 08:23:21 PM
Mac M2TS Converter (M2TS Converter for Mac) is a simple-to-use and splendid video converter, which can easily convert M2TS on Mac.When you use Sony camcorder to record, you've got M2TS format files. For Mac users, if you want to enjoy these precious M2TS videos, you should convert M2TS on Mac to any video/audio formats like MP4, FLV, 3GP, VOB, MOV, Xvid, AVI, etc. This Mac M2TS Converter has intuitive interface and various functions of editing such as trimming, cropping and adjusting effects. In addition, preview window, capture picture and batch conversion functions supported as well.How to convert M2TS to video/audio you want on Mac? This versatile Mac M2TS Converter can help you efficiently and losslessly convert M2TS on Mac to any video/audio you like. M2TS Converter for Mac is so easy to use. Why not download to have a trial? Key Features of Mac M2TS Converter * Easy to use Mac M2TS Converter can convert M2TS videos to all sorts of video and audio formats with just few intuitive steps. Preview window and batch conversion supported as well. * Trim, crop, adjust effects and merge With M2TS Converter for Mac, you can easily trim video/audio, crop video, adjust special effects and merge added M2TS videos to one file. Convert video for most portable devicesMac M2TS Converter is a practical video converter, which can convert M2TS on Mac to portable devices such as iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox 360, , Creative Zen, Archos, etc. Designed for Mac and capture pictures(bmp, jpg)This Mac M2TS Converter is specially designed for Mac users. Capture pictures from videos faultlessly.
acer December 30th, 2009 11:48:49 PM
Yet in general, pet health insurance for exotic and non-traditional pets seems (at least for this vet) way behind the curve on what it can yet offer. Much of that is simply the result of my read buy nike shoes on the level of care typically available to them (worse in South Florida than elsewhere, I'll warrant). Unfortunately, veterinary medicine is not so standardized for them relative to the kind of care our dogs and cats (and horses, of course) receive.
buy nike shoes January 3rd, 2010 12:19:21 AM
Links of London silver may be the best presents for lovers. You can receive high quality and affordable price products at Links London Store. Links of London jewellery will make you interested and surprised.
Links london January 14th, 2010 12:32:35 AM
Links London silver with high quality are provided on links London store, which is optimal gift for weddings，anniversary or birthdays. Linksukstore is your best choice, come quickly here!
Lewis January 20th, 2010 03:40:31 AM
The color of the dial on this replica watches is Black, designed for easy viewing no matter what the lighting or time of day. The simple to open and close clasp is Deployant, ideal for anyone who's ever tried to get dressed in a hurry! No more bumbling and fumbling to get dressed when you're on the run when you buy this watch replicas.
retail replica watches March 11th, 2010 02:03:53 AM
Add Commment