Protecting the Dogs We Love: My Pet Insurance Story

I almost titled this post “13,000 Reasons to Get Pet Insurance”—because that’s what Quill’s vet bills totaled when he was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in 2023. But really, there’s only one reason: protecting your ability to make life-saving decisions at the vet’s office.

 

In this article, I will share why I encourage all dog owners to have pet insurance based on my own experiences caring for dogs with serious medical problems.

Is Pet Insurance Worth It? Or a Scam?

My answer to whether pet insurance is “worth” it or not is a resounding YES. In reality, whether it’s worth it depends on your dog, your budget, your risk tolerance, and your ability to absorb surprise bills. 

 

I have heard people say that pet insurance is a scam, that it’s not worth the money. I have seen conversations online in which people discuss the ROI of their monthly premium, and where some people suggest that it’s better to put the same amount in a high-interest savings account for when your pet is older.

 

I used to think that way too. When Jax and Tink were healthy, young dogs and their premiums kept rising, I let their policies expire. However, I regretted that decision deeply once they developed expensive medical problems.

 

Pet insurance is for protection against a catastrophe. It is not an investment. You may never see ROI on the money you spend. It’s similar to car insurance, home insurance, and health insurance. You might pay your monthly premiums for years and years and never need it, but once something happens, you will be glad you were protected.

Pet Insurance Math Versus Investing

Let’s do the math to see what it would look like to set aside $100 a month for your dog for 9 years instead of paying for pet insurance. 

 

No interest: $10,800

2% interest: ~$11,874

5% interest: ~$13,472

 

That’s great—if your dog never gets sick or injured when they are young. But illness or injury can strike at any age and cost far more than $13,000.

With my Jackson, the monthly savings would have worked for his medical bills. He was a healthy dog until his melanoma diagnosis at ten years old. His vet bills were around $10,000, including surgery to remove his affected toe, Oncept treatments, and tests to check for cancer in his lymph nodes and lungs. 

 

However, my Quill went from a completely healthy dog with zero preexisting conditions to near-death in the canine ICU and $13,000 in vet bills in less than 6 weeks. He was just over a year old.

 

We had paid $68 a month for less than a year, and our insurance covered every single thing that we submitted.

 

If anyone can turn my $680 into $13,000 that fast, I need your financial planner.

 

Quill is the first dog I have had with medical bills like that at such a young age, so you might be thinking, “Well, this will never happen to us!” And I hope that it never does.

 

But the truth is, there are over 20,000 people just in our support group for megaesophagus and Myasthenia Gravis. Many of them also had their very young dogs develop Acquired Myasthenia Gravis or idiopathic megaesophagus. 

 

I cannot tell you how many people in that group I see ask about pet insurance after their dog has been diagnosed with either condition. Unfortunately, after the diagnosis, it is too late, because it is now a preexisting condition and will most likely never be covered by any of the pet insurance plans I’ve explored.

 

If I am freaking you out, good. That’s my goal. One of my motivating factors is to help people learn from my experiences as a lifelong dog owner. I see way too many desperate pet owners starting GoFund Me accounts to help save their dogs’ lives, and it breaks my heart every time. 

 

Of course, you may pay your monthly premiums and never even meet your deductible. For the sake of your dog’s health, I hope that happens! In the second year of Quill’s life, we had only checkups and did not even meet our deductible. Just like any insurance, you pray you never need it.

Why I Chose Embrace For Quill’s Pet Insurance

When Quill was a young puppy, I conducted extensive research before signing up for a pet insurance plan. In the past, I had used AKC pet insurance and FIGO. When I was choosing Quill’s policy, there were many newer names in the industry, and I wanted someone who had been around for a while and had a good reputation with other pet owners.

 

At three months old, the cost of the monthly premium was the same for Quill at all of the providers I tried. I was also looking for coverage for Tinkerbell, who was nine at the time. Those costs varied wildly, due to her age.

 

Embrace was the most affordable option at her age, so my logic was that it would likely remain affordable as Quill aged. Although I had no idea he would end up with an autoimmune disease at just over a year old, I knew from my other dogs that I wanted a provider who we could stick with his entire life to avoid having preexisting conditions.

Most pet insurance plans work on a reimbursement model: you pay the vet bill first, then submit a claim for covered expenses. As a result, you will need to have available funds or a credit card to pay the original bill. There are a few providers who pay bills directly, like Trupanion and Healthy Paws. I do not have experience with either of those providers, but I read in this article from Forbes that there are caveats to both.

Quill’s Myasthenia Gravis Veterinary Bills

Quill’s most significant medical expense was the $6000 for us to leave him at the canine ICU when he was first experiencing megaesophagus and had developed aspiration pneumonia. We had to pay that up front before they would keep him and we were reimbursed within a few weeks.

 

That first claim took longer than usual because it was our very first claim, so the provider requested a full review of all of his medical records, of which there were virtually none. It was never said, but I wondered if they did not believe me that he had gone from perfect health to near-death. I mean, I could hardly believe we were in that situation.  It was also the week between Christmas and the New Year, so that may have delayed our claim, too. After that first claim and review, we were usually reimbursed within a few days. 

 

It took two months of vet visits, including a variety of tests and medications, before we received a correct diagnosis and a plan that worked for him. Our bills for that period totaled $12,582. Embrace paid all of our bills according to our policy. I had chosen a $500 deductible, 80% coverage, including office visits and prescription medications, with an unlimited annual maximum. The only line item that they did not cover was for a box of FortiFlora, a probiotic. They even covered his prescriptions from Walgreens.

 

I have since learned that they would have covered the chiropractic visits that we tried, as well. I erroneously assumed those would not be covered so I never tried to have them reimbursed. 

The Cost of Not Having Pet Insurance

Letting Tink’s insurance expire is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made as a dog owner—and one I hope you never have to make. Tinkerbell’s allergies, yeast skin issues, copper storage disease, arthritis, and chronic liver issues equaled well over $20,000. While her laparoscopic biopsy was several thousand dollars, the most expensive part of her treatment

was monthly medication in excess of $500/month, frequent bloodwork, and repeated X-rays and ultrasounds each time her liver values flared. As a result, I highly recommend choosing a plan that includes prescription medicines. 

 

 

You may be thinking that I had a streak of “bad luck” with my dogs. However, as a dog-obsessed human, the majority of my friends have dogs, and I am in quite a few dog-owner Facebook groups. One friend’s young Great Pyrenees recently needed both ACLs in its knees repaired, for $9,000 each. Another good friend had a dog with a ruptured gallbladder, which required an extremely expensive surgery and ICU stay. 

 

 

I spent several days in the waiting room at the University of Wisconsin while Jax, Tink, and Quill each had appointments, overhearing many of the owner consultations that were happening. There were dogs getting MRIs, heart tests, and other costly procedures for survivable conditions. These aren’t rare cases—they’re everyday realities for dog owners across the country.

 

 

I remember when my late Labrador, Babe, tripped over the sidewalk while at a full run, rolled several times, and hurt her ACL. I was in my 20s, young and broke, and terrified of how I would pay for surgery. Thankfully, her knee resolved with rest and anti-inflammatories. I am not sure how I would have covered that sort of procedure.

 

 

Pet insurance can also help with less extreme situations. Tinkerbell received Cytopoint shots for several years, with each one costing several hundred dollars. I often see memes on social media with a photo of a dog in the car saying, “Get in, my tummy ache is going to be $500!” While funny, those are not far from the truth, I have spent that much for random upset stomachs, by the time you pay for an exam, x-rays, bloodwork, and medicine, you have reached that amount easily. 

Making Veterinary Decisions with Pet Insurance

The idea that “I wouldn’t put my dog through that costly procedure because it’s about the quality of life” is hugely inaccurate. There are plenty of expensive illnesses and injuries that are curable or treatable. Having pet insurance might be the determining factor between treating your dog and not being able to save them.

 

Of course, even if you have pet insurance, there are procedures and treatments that you might still opt to not pursue, covered or not. Pet insurance helps you make decisions for your dog or cat based on the quality of life and what is in their best interest, not just because of the cost. Having pet insurance does not mean you will automatically put your dog through something that will not improve their quality of life or save them from a fatal illness or injury. But it gives you more flexibility in making those decisions. 

 

When Jackson was going through his melanoma treatment, he became eligible for a clinical trial that would have necessitated him receiving radiation treatment and being in total isolation for two weeks. It would have been zero financial cost to us; in fact I think we might have been paid a small amount to participate. However, I opted to not do it because the outcome was uncertain and I did not want to give up two weeks of his life or put him through the mental strain of total isolation. 

 

Pet insurance gives you the ability to make the best decision for your pet’s welfare without the usual financial concerns. In some instances, it could be the difference between saving your pet’s life and not being able to provide life saving care. 

My Top Tips About Pet Insurance

• Research, research, research! The Canine Journal has some great information on their site. 
• Insure new puppies or rescues THE DAY they come home! 
• Submit your pet’s vet records and ask for a review of pre-existing conditions before you file your first claim so you know what will or will not be covered. 
• Plan on staying with your provider for your pet’s entire life to prevent pre-existing conditions from not being covered. 
• Use caution with Nationwide, as they recently dropped a large number of clients, leaving them unable to cover their dogs’ pre-existing conditions with new providers. 
• Read all of the fine print in your policy before purchasing. 
• Look for a provider with an annual deductible instead of a per-condition deductible. 
• Look for a provider who covers breed-specific genetic health problems.