We decided to cover our dog with pet insurance shortly after bringing him into our household as a puppy. We have a friend with an older dog that has paid thousands on vet care and so we took his advice and got insurance. We didn't want to be placed in the position of someday making a decision whether to pay for an expensive or ongoing treatment (e.g. cancer). (Even though we would).
So far, covering with the insurance has been the right decision. Augie, our 90 lb goldendoodle is only 2 1/2 but has required two knee surgeries. Not only has the insurance covered the surgery but it has also covered physical therapy at a rehab center (including hydro-therapy and acupuncture).
Our insurance covers any illness or accident at 90%, including any medication or ongoing treatment. The only things that it does not cover are office visit charges, routine preventive medications (vaccinations etc.), and pre-existing conditions. So, for instance if you took a dog to the vet for something like an ear infection, the office visit would not be covered but the ear drops, pain meds. etc. would be covered.
We pay the vet at the time of treatment and they fax the claim form to the insurance company. We have been very pleased that the insurance company responds almost immediately via Email with claim status and we receive reimbursement within a couple of days.
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