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Pet Insurance, Vitamins/Supplements?

2K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Remy 
#1 ·
I got a golden puppy and am looking into Pet Insurance. What pet insurance do you have, why, and about how much does it cost on average per month for you?

Another question is, do you feed your golden any supplements or vitamins? I have read posts about people giving their golden omega-3's and some giving pro-biotics.

I was just curious and wanted to know more as this is my first golden puppy and I want the absolute best for him. :smile2:
 
#2 ·
We use healthy paws for insurance. It costs us about $52/month for our 5 year old Oggie. That’s with a $100 yearly deductible and 90% coverage.

Doctors exams and preventatives are not covered but they’re pretty fast with the claims and everything happens via the phone app.

These are the supplements we give him every day







And lastly for prevention of joint pains





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#3 ·
We use Trupanion for Maggie who is 10 months old tomorrow. The cost is $45 a month. We had a claim for giardia and they paid very quickly.
The supplements we give her are Cosequin, Nordic Naturals omega-3, and a cranberry supplement. We went through a period where she had a UTI that took 2 round of antibiotics. Hope to not go there again.

Jules
 

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#4 · (Edited)
The rate you will pay for insurance depends on where you live and how much vet care typically costs in your region.

I have Trupanion, too, and while it started six years ago at about $55 a month, it is now $81 a month.Everything is more expensive in Canada and I live in downtown Toronto, which makes it even more expensive. But I do love Trupanion and have had very good experiences with them.

As for supplements, if you are feeding a balanced dog food, you do not need supplements unless your pup has some condition that would lead your vet to prescribe them. Just adding them on top of a good balanced food can actually lead to your pup getting too much of a good thing.
 
#12 ·
That's fine if your dog has an orthopedic issue that would be helped by supplements. I'm not anti-supplement at all. My dog has grade 1 elbow dysplasia and was prescribed supplements be a veterinary sports medicine specialist to help keep her elbow joints as healthy as possible and keep her symptom-free. But I personally would not be giving her any of the supplements she is on if she didn't have an issue. It's just not usually necessary in a young healthy dog who is eating a balanced diet.
 
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#6 ·
Sweet Girl is absolutely correct, extra supplements can cause trouble down the road. A high quality food should supply the levels of all vit/min needed unless the dog needs extra recovering from a surgery or other condition where it needs extra. You run the risk of creating excesses when supplementing when it's not needed. Things like joint care are fine and can't really over do it with that as there is a point of diminishing returns starting at roughly 750mg of glucosamine. So instead of OD'ing you just waste giving extra joint care.
 
#7 ·
We just switched over to Embrace. Still too soon to know if that was a good idea.

As far as supplements... I agree that if your dog is young and healthy, has no known issues (digestive, illness, dry coat, etc.), and you are feeding a high-quality food there is probably no compelling need to supplement, although I think probios and some sort of Omega 3 is a good idea for most dogs, and if you are feeding a kibble-based diet, I think there are advantages to giving them a little "real" food now and then (cottage cheese, canned mackerel, eggs, lightly cooked meat, etc.).

That said, based on recommendations from our breeder(s) and holistic vet our dogs get several supplements from www.springtimeinc.com, including Fresh Factors (moving to Longevity as they get older) and Bug Off Garlic. We also keep their Vit. C product on hand, though we only use it sporadically. My dogs also get a probiotic recommended by the holistic vet (refrigerated and canine-specific), and phytoplankton (supposedly a healthier source of Omega 3s than fish oil). We also give them a splash of organic apple cider vinegar as part of their pest control regime.
 
#10 ·
Great thread. Interesting to read about what supplements etc. We have Nation Wide through my employer actually (sort of a bonus) but we pay for full wellness for both my senior and pup. 60 month each. 250 deductible per year and 90% paid back up to 8k per year. No restrictions except pre-existing or recreational boarding of course. I’m doing Cosequin for both. Ashes my senior does have meds for early stages of arthritis and alternates meds and addition glucosamine. But this is all the vet has her on.
 
#13 ·
I use Embrace. With a 5 year old shorthair domestic and 2 9.5 year old golden's I think I am paying around $125 per month. I think. it's auto billed to a credit card that is already a deep dark black hole so I do not look anymore in fear of fainting.

They have a $1000 deductible, a $10000 limit, and the Co pay is 10% after their deductible is met.

Do not expect any bargains out there:)

milo's cancer has easily pushed him over his $1000 deductible and I am starting to get checks back.
 
#14 ·
I got a golden puppy and am looking into Pet Insurance. What pet insurance do you have, why, and about how much does it cost on average per month for you?
I live in NY, I have Healthy Paws 80/250 with no caps. It's 45. for my 2 1/2 y/o female. I just added my two male pups 8 months and 5 months and they are $59. each. They said boys were more expensive...
I've had a few claims for Shea. They don't raise the price based on claims but the price goes up each year, much like my own health ins. We started at $38, in 2017 and up to $45.
Good luck with your new pup.
 
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