One of my dogs has insurance because he eats things that aren’t food and I’m very worried about him.

Getting it ahead of time is good. Pet insurance still declines for pre-existing conditions and is very liberal on the term.

One of my cats had pancreatitis and was hospitalized. I didn't have pet insurance and looked into for next time. If he gets pancreatitis again they wouldn't cover it.

I read horror stories that they consider anything pre-existing. In OP's example if the dog ate another rock it would be pre-existing.

Back in 2018 when vet cost was much lower, we had a 120€ vet bill because our 3 month old dog refused to walk. Turned out she had a mosquito bite on her belly near the left hind leg and she was just being dramatic.

I had a dog who started throwing up after every meal. The vet initially thought it was pancreatitis, so put her on meds and sent her home. Nothing improved so we took her back and they decided to open her up. They found two athletic headbands and a sock in her digestive tract.

Sisters dog ate compost and got ill on Christmas day. We were at a beach holiday house and had to drive 1.5 hrs to the nearest vet. That was not a cheap day for them 😅

My cat would like a word. She ate an entire KFC drumstick, bones included. 12 hours at Kitty ER, and $1200.

Insurance companies don't make money by paying out

Pet insurance is a better deal if you get it on a new healthy baby animal with no preexisting conditions, so they'll cover more of what happens later. Like our kitten, 30 hair ties in stomach, $4500 endoscopy, covered. But our older rescue we knew we'd just have to pay for getting all her teeth out at once and to treat her various other ailments that were already apparent.

On the lower end of the scale, but last month we spent £150 on a trip to the vet because my kid left a packet of Dreamies on the side in the kitchen and Milocat can't be trusted to not eat the whole fucking thing.

It would have been more, but we get two consultations a year included in the monthly pet plan. So that's something, I guess...

My wife's favorite cat has pica. We learned this when she needed emergency surgery to remove a bowel obstruction. For the low price of 6500€ (about $7⁴00 USD), we received a cured kitty and a tangled mass of 38 elastic hair ties. That's only about 170€ per hair tie!

I had named the cat - Eris. This was inadvertantly my fault.

Mine was born with weird knees due to her breed, and needed invasive surgery on both hind legs to fix her ACLs. $6,500 later… she is a happy doggo that can run and jump.

12/10, would do again.

"You're the ones who bred us to be dumb!"

That's why insurance is a fucked up system. It's a tension where you need it in case the worst happens, but they try to weasel out of helping you as much as possible and rip you off. In an ideal world insurance wouldn't exist, or at least not work the way it does

My cat decided to eat a small dried decorative starfish, it got stuck in the little idiot's throat last year. That was a very expensive emergency vet visit.

Two family dogs growing up. Smol Westie had no issues besides old dog health stuff near the end. Second was Golden Retriever. Got smoked by a porcupine he bothered, but didn't want to end his run with mom in the early morning dark, so only noticed when he ran into the room before I went to school and came over to me for pets. Besides that vet bill, best dog ever.

After moving out I became a cat guy but my parents still have one dog at a time. They started buying Poodles and the first one wasn't very bright. Kept eating random crap on the ground. Eventually he ate some abandoned piece of clothing in a park and managed to damage his throat even after surgery to the point he ate blender meat soup until he died a few years later because not being able to swallow solids didn't stop him from trying. I think a stray tennis ball did him in after he tore off his muzzle to eat it in a dog park. Truly a dog of all time. I remember my dad saying it was expensive enough to save dumbo's life that he was on the fence about it but mom convinced him lol.

If you live in the US, consider buying pet insurance for these situations. Private Equity has ruined the veterinarian industry.

i love my dogs and cat and tell them each they have a 1000 deductible. after that it’s the farm. i think the dogs get it. i know the cat is plotting something.

The fuck you are.

I don't know what they put in Dreamies but my otherwise normal cat turns into a crack addict the moment she sees a a bag of them. Its like catnip x10. Fiending, shameful behavior.
I decided long ago not to buy them anymore because of her reaction to them, but a coworker got me like 15 packs for secret santa a few years ago, so she still gets some occasionally for now.

edit: wait I think I replied to the wrong comment lmao

It was a corncob, but yes.

Why would I buy the private equity provided insurance that's part of the same fucking problem with private equity buy ups of vets? If not the same investors in separate equity groups.

I did the hard work of finding the privately owned vets in my area and take my doggo there. Before my other dog passed from a rare form of cancer, I had sought out treatment from an independent mobile vet oncologist that traveled to different locations in her converted RV. Insurance would have covered his initial diagnosis and treatment, but would have quickly started denials. I'm just glad I was in a finical position that he got another 16 months of good health and adventures with his family.

Sounds like a sheep problem.

the whole veterinary supply chain has been corrupted by private equity. even veterinarians not owned by private equity still have to send their lab tests to labs owned by private equity, and buy supplies from companies owned by private equity.

a veterinarian recommended to me to buy pet insurance because of this.

I think (or at least very much hope) you mean coverage instead of deductible

ha no. i meant max expense. dogs dont gotta worry about a deductible. cat though.. chairman meow can get to work.

Vet prices are absolutely absurd these days. It’s fucking bullshit that they are exploiting people like this. If your response is, “just buy pet insurance”, you are part of the problem. Pet insurance should NEVER have become a thing.

My poor pup may have the same issue. He only just turned one and he has the back legs of an old dog.

Seriously, what is the point of pet insurance, when no vet accepts it?

I am of the opinion that Medicare for All should include pets. No living creature should have to pay for healthcare.

It’s the same basic principle by which human health insurance companies operate. Make maximum profit by taking in premiums and denying as many claims as possible. Our whole system is fucked. In 2025 United Healthcare made $9.425 billion in profit. How many people had to die or live in abject misery to enable that?

Why dont anyone start up a small business veterian with fair prices?

Nothing wrong with pet insurance being a option. Here many people get it because a random 500€ bill in the wrong month can really fuck you up. Unfortunately older dogs aren't eligible.

Question is, why are vets increasing their prices? Is there just not enough competition? Insurance alone can't be the answer.

Because vet practices are getting bought up by private equity and monopolizing

I'm sorry to hear that. The surgery we did was the TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy), and it can be a somewhat difficult recovery, especially for larger dogs. She had to be in a crate to avoid walking/running, could only go outside on the leash and move slowly, no jumping, and we had to do some massage and heat/cold applications as well as pain medicine. It wasn't easy, but it was doable. I really hope you find something that helps your pup!

cured kitty

This is looking highly applicable to my dog. :(

Thanks for the well wishes, we'll do out best for him.

It was an entire bag of whole coffee beans. Weirdly the vet had personal experience of the issue, having done the same thing while at university.

Nope, my last dog just loved sticking her head through cat doors and pulling it back too fast and giving herself 4 separate ear hematomas. What an idiot. I'd give so much to have another day with that idiot though...

You think it's cheap to run a medical facility?

Mine just slipped on some ice and tore his cruciate ligament requiring VERY costly surgery.

why are vets increasing their prices?

They're getting bought up by PE.

I've held my dog in my lap while my partner drove us to the 24h vet. My job was to hold the thread sticking out of my pup's mouth so he didn't swallow more of it. "How long is a piece of string?" indeed.

Vet induced vomiting. Pup was fine. String was plenty long.

no, but if a single visit costs 10'000 dollars, then Im sure it could be crowdfunded by local pet owners who thinks about the future.

idk, Im trying to think without the box.

Biggest vet bill I ever had for any pet was when my husky got pyrometra.

You just described pet insurance.

The vet doesn’t have to take it, you pay for what ever and they reimburse you. Worked great for my two dogs until a certain age then it’s not worth it anymore

they never didn’t reimburse me pretty much full costs. I think outside the $500 yearly minimum

I’d avoid animals then, that won’t even cover lab tests to figure out what’s wrong with them. Could be ending a life prematurely

It's great that is your experience. How do they make money?

Monthly premuims I paid weren’t cheap at the end

I love pets. This is why I'll have no more new pets. The bills just are too much.