VPI Pet Insurance

[fluke]

Has anyone ever gotten insurance for a chinchilla? I'm definitely thinking it might be helpful now since Buckie is going to need alot of care. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the subject.

 

[lolanu]

I was actually wondering this too, since Caboose will have to probably have her spay surgery sooner than later, she can't fight off uterine infection with antibiotics forever and money is tight. In another forum someone linked an insurance company that covers exotics?

 

[fluke]

well VPI covers exotics, I just wanted to know if anyone had used it before

 

[fluke]

well crp..just called VPI...said since my boy has had dental issues in the past, any future dental problems would be excluded from the policy. and goes without saying, the heart murmur is already documented so...that'd be excluded too....crap...

i mean who thinks about pet insurance until they need it?

 

[Airyn]

I looked into VPI last year and thought their pricing was pretty reasonable at $11/month for each chin. It's a shame they don't cover pre-existing conditions, but that's most insurance plans these days...regardless of species.

 

[Dreamlite]

I have never found a pet insurance that covers anything worth while. I work at a vets office and everytime we turn them in, they are always denied. I think 1 out of 20 we send in works. Its really sad, they are much worse than people insurance. What we always fnd is better is care credit. It gives you 6 plus months with no intrest (depends on you min balance).

 

[fluke]

yea i saw something about carecredit in another post. im thinking of applying for it. have to fix something with my credit first though so i can be sure i get it. for some reason my parents have me as an authorized user on a credit card that has more on it than i make a year so it makes my debt level look terrible. once i get that taken care of im going to apply for carecredit. wondering though how it compares to other credit cards. i mean, do they give you a higher limit because its for medical expenses? cuz otherwise, the interest rate is rather high. so if they give the same kind of credit limit as a regular credit card, i may just go for one of those.
sorry for the questions, i don't know if you know all the details about carecredit. just trying to make sure i can take care of whatever needs to be done to make my Buckie well again.

 

[greychins]

I have care credit. At the time I applied my credit card had a limit of $3500. My care credit limit was like $3700. So, at least for me, it wasn't like a higher balance. But then, I'd be hard pressed to spend $3700 all at once on one pet, so I'm ok with it not having a high limit.

The advantage of care credit, over a normal credit card, is that they dont charge you interest for the first 6 months or maybe even longer if the bill is huge. So if you pay the care credit bill off in 6 months, you dont pay any interest. But if you miss a payment or don't pay it off in 6 months, they retroactively calculate interest. A regular credit card would charge you interest regardless. I use my care credit card when I'm not sure if I'll be paying off the balance before my credit card rolls over into the next month. If I think any portion of the bill will roll over...better to use care credit.

 

[amandac]

I looked into VPI last year and thought their pricing was pretty reasonable at $11/month for each chin. It's a shame they don't cover pre-existing conditions, but that's most insurance plans these days...regardless of species.

i don't think the traditional insurance companies are worth it when it comes to pet care. they'll always do what they can not to cover and then you have to wait around for a reimbursement. i think at the end of the day you're better off with a discount plan like 'pet assure' which gives you the savings right when you pay.. my sister uses them with her dog and she has been recommending them to her friends. or you could just start a rainy day fund lol