+19 votes
by (270 points)
We had our 4 dogs on pet insurance and we never used it. Last night I cancelled it. We had it for 5 months and last night I kept thinking I could have put that $610 in a savings account for any emergency vet bills. I originally just put them on insurance for just in case. Does anyone have any recommendations on how much to set aside for emergency pet bills per dog? I'm looking for a specific amount that I can use as a savings goal.  
We had our 4 dogs on pet insurance and we never used it.

12 Answers

0 votes
by (370 points)
Honestly? Save as much as you can. I do NOT have enough saved for them. Vet bills are so unpredictable.  
by (370 points)
To start, I would save $500/dog. Not including their yearly exams/meds. My goal is to have $1000 per animal (we have 2 dogs and 2 cats) but if something happens, we would have $4k to use.  
by (270 points)
@ahoy98 good idea. Very true we will never know exact dollar amount but thanks for the initial goal
0 votes
by (150 points)
Idk my friend just spent 14k her dog broke his back. I would keel the insurance
0 votes
by (150 points)
I have an account for my dogs. my goal is $2000 each that way there’s enough there if something goes wrong. if not I can use a bit out of that to cover their shots when needed
by (270 points)
@lark486 we also have them on wellness plans that cover their preventative stuff like shots and physical exams.  
0 votes
by (150 points)
2000-2500 per Dog should Cover 'normal' stuff.  
0 votes
by (150 points)
I have 2 dogs, both of which have needed emergency surgeries within a year of each other. One had two back to back surgeries within a month, both at $1, 500. I'm so thankful for pet insurance, it's the best investment and has saved my ass on more than one occasion. I'd keep it, it's worth the investment.  
0 votes
by (200 points)
We put away $100/cat/month.  
0 votes
by (150 points)
My last MAJOR vet bill ended up costing a bit over $6000. We did not have pet insurance.  My fur-baby has a stroke last year but it took several overnight vet visits and testing before we were able to determine what was wrong. He’s still with me and I don’t regret spending a dime of that but really made me reconsider pet insurance.  
0 votes
by (150 points)
We have $1000 put aside. We had to have a blood test done (just one) cost was almost $500! Annual rabid shot is $150. Flea & tick meds are another $50 annually. We also budget $50 per month for her needs.  
0 votes
by (200 points)
I say 500 per pet
0 votes
by (250 points)
I guess it depends on your dog and how much you could cash flow immediately. We have a great dane (foolish accident prone dogs, but they are amazing) so she has insurance. I just spend 700 because she somehow tore a 3" diameter hole in her side (complete mystery). I will get most of that back from ins in the next few days. But that was a mild incident that cost a lot. 1k is not enough. My gsd is less accident prone and is now to expensive to cover due to idiopathic epilepsy, but one too long seizure will mean ER vet and untold $$$$ so 1k is again not enough for her. That'll be spent in 8minutes  
0 votes
by (200 points)
If you have a pet that eats something they shouldn’t that surgery can be $4k
by (270 points)
@schnell we have had to deal with that a year ago. She just eats everything even toys she chews up. Luckily whatever she ate didnt require surgery but we did pay the vet about 600 for xrays, blood work, and fluids since she was also dehydrated from not being able to keep anything down  she has gotten better since she isnt a puppy puppy anymore but still
0 votes
by (270 points)
Thanks everyone for feedback. I cancelled the insurance last night and after reading comments today I got scared and called to get my dogs pet insurance reinstated. I was told last night I have 2 business days to reinstate without fees. They did reduce my monthly premium from $122 to $100 by increasing my deductible to $300. I'm working on lowering my monthly debt so we can open up more funds to make larger debt payments. But I'd rather be safe than sorry  
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