you are not even able to pay the money up front to pay the vet before you are able to file a claim
a basic exam at my vet costs at 55.00

As a general rule, pet insurance isn't worth buying. If you live in a large city, then it really isn't. Read the small print and I think you will find the payment for the really expensive things, like cancer treatment or hip surgery, is so small that you would be lucky to re coop the money you have paid out for premiums.

probably not. most pet insurance companies require you to pay your vet bill then you will get reimbursed.

ALSO, check the BBB (better business bureau) before signing up with any pet insurance company. There are A TON of scams out there.

FYI - check with your employer...I recently found out that I get a big discount on Pet Insurance through the company I work for.

I did some research and from what I could see, routine medical care wasn't covered by a lot of the insurance providers.

Also, they base it on the pet's age. My youngest pet is 5 years old. The rest, ages 7-15 were considered "seniors" (like a 7 year old cat is old) and had premiums almost double the 5-year old. It was going to run me over $300 a month to cover everyone for medical conditions they may never get.

A lot of people just put $20 per pay check aside for vet care. I've talked to some people who have a separate savings account for their pets. They put money in every pay period, it gains interest, and it's there if they need it but they don't lose it if they don't need it.

Good luck!

dont go to the vet

Forget about the insurance, if you can't afford to pay a vet when your pet needs one, you can't really afford the pet. Would you deprive a child? No, of course not. A pet is just as dependant.

it depends on the insurance company and the coverage. some places bill you for the difference(insurance company).

I found a website that seems very good take a look.

Pet insurance is a great thing - we have it for our two cats from VPI Pet Insurance. Yes you have to pay upfront and then submit your claims (and I suggest a plan that covers part of your regular visits) - but they are quite good and quick about reimbursing you part of the amount and a great help if your pet gets really sick. One of our cats had some swelling in her thyroid and couldn't eat at all - we had to take her to emergency and then to our regular vet where they had to put her under to take a closer look - it cost us a total of $500 and that was a lot of money to pay out - but our insurance reimbursed us over $350 - that is more than half what we paid upfront - so yes you have to wait ...but if something big happens you'll be glad you have it. I totally recommend VPI - one of the oldest and most reputable...but you can use the in-house insurance if you go to a place that has vet services like PetSmart if it's easier.