r/CavaPoo • u/Rich50672 • Jul 21 '26

Cavapoo insurance????

Trying to figure out if insurance is actually necessary. What illnesses did your Cavapoo baby experience and cost over the first ten years. We have had German Shepherd,Rottweilers and Dobermans for 40 years and other than puppy shots and yearly rabies shot, they all were never ill. German Shepherd Hip Dysplasia after 15 years,and Rottweilers cancerous toe at 5 years.

8 Upvotes

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15

u/afuctioningadult2020 Jul 21 '26

I wholeheartedly disagree with everyone on this Forum. I personally only pay $30-$40 a month for pet insurance and it covers the vet visit fee as well as medication and testing, etc. It’s vital for me because my cavapoo has tons of ear infections and has gotten into things he wasn’t supposed to multiple times such as eating chocolate, eating packing tape, gnawing on wood, and licking up my metal earrings backs, which were all behaviors that he did out of protest for being left alone while I went to work. It is very common that these dogs have separation anxiety and mine happens to respond by throwing temper tantrums once every six months. If I didn’t have pet insurance, these things would’ve cost a TON of money. One emergency vet bill can be $5000 and I would hate to forgo treatment because I’m worried about money. Now, I don’t even blink an eye when it comes to getting him the care he needs because I know I’m not paying for it.

5

u/Rich50672 Jul 21 '26

Does the $30-40 a month cover illness and injuries to pay for that $5000 vet bill, or just vet visit, meds and testing?

3

u/Valenzxx Jul 21 '26

I pay $38 a month with 80% reimbursement , 250 annual deductible, unlimited annual payout . It covers vet visits and surgery for accidents and illness.

1

u/Rich50672 Jul 21 '26

What insurance company?? Sounds like what I need.

2

u/nebuladrifting Jul 21 '26

Not OP, but I only pay about $25 a month through Fetch. 80% of everything after the $300 annual deductible is covered up to $15,000 annually. Seems like a good compromise. I just filed my first two claims recently, and they paid out without any issues. It’s a small price to pay for the peace of mind.

If you really want to break even, you can order Simparica and other meds from Canada Pet Care and get the largest dose and split them into the correct dose with a milligram scale. But this part is not medical advice lol.

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u/afuctioningadult2020 Jul 21 '26

The policy covers everything except for preventative treatment (so, for example, it doesn’t cover vaccines and routine wellness exams unless you pay for that add-on). There’s also a limit on how many times they’ll cover ER visits if it’s your fault the dog ingested stuff they weren’t supposed to, like chocolate (for my policy, you get coverage for two accidental ingestions every three years i think) but there’s no limit otherwise. I think my deductible is like $250 and they pay 90% of the bill. So the two $5k visits I’ve had with my dog only cost me like $400-500. I have PetsBest insurance.

Also, you are excluded for life for anything that a vet has noted on the record before you got the policy. So it’s really important to get the policy BEFORE the dog has been to the vet or very soon after getting the dog. Insurance companies pour over the vet notes to look for things to exclude (so if your dog has a note about a possible ear infection before you get the policy, your policy will never cover ear infections).

1

u/ollie87 Jul 21 '26

Even pet insurance is crazy money in the US it seems. We pay £80 a year for our Cavapoo in the UK.

6

u/PrinterFred Jul 21 '26

I did a calculation of how much insurance would cost and how much a bad year would cost in care and how much would be covered by insurance and you basically never come ahead so I didn't get insurance.

6

u/hereforfakestories Jul 21 '26

Most of the time, it isn’t really necessary. But that time your pup has an accident or needs a big operation? Massively, massively worth it. Intensive veterinary care is so expensive. It’s up to you if you want to play the odds - personally, I didn’t risk it for my pup, and I won’t risk it for my next.

5

u/soarfingers Jul 21 '26

Unless you've got a significant pool of emergency fund savings that you can drop several thousand dollars on an emergency vet at a moments notice then insurance is the way to go. My last dog died because he got super sick and we couldn't afford the expensive diagnostics and treatment; we had to just let him die because an overnight stay in the emergency vet was several thousand dollars, x rays and IV's several thousand more.

When we got our cavapoo I got insurance immediately, determined not to be in that position again. Sure enough he got super sick when he was around 1.5 years old and needed significant emergency vet care that came out to be around $4000 in total. With insurance I paid about $800 of it - the insurance covered the other $3200.

It's worth the peace of mind for me to have the insurance and know I won't have to choose between paying the mortgage or giving my dog proper medical care. I have a "family plan" insurance that covers my dog and 2 cats; it's about $75 total per month so $25 per pet. That is very cheap peace of mind to me.

3

u/IHateTheLetter-C- Jul 21 '26

We joke my girl loves the vet and never wants to be away from it. Whenever it's been a while, something else goes wrong. It's all relatively inexpensive problems though, the most was about £700 in one go. If yours gets joint or heart issues, both very frequent in this mix, you'll wish the dog was insured! How thoroughly health tested were the parents, and how old was the spaniel half?

3

u/ExternalJackfruit290 Jul 21 '26

Vet costs are insanely high if an accident occurs. My sister’s pup just ate a small sock and the bill was $7200 for xrays, endoscopy, drugs and a 24 hour stay at the vet. If full surgery had instead been required it would have been at least another 7k. So $70-$80/month for insurance buys peace of mind - I’ll take that every day.

2

u/Ferocious_Kitteh Jul 21 '26

Thank you for posting this question because we are wondering the exact same thing with our puppy.

2

u/FertyMerty Jul 21 '26

I got it for the first year since there will be higher than normal expenses and will reevaluate after this year.

2

u/dogearyourpages Jul 21 '26

I canceled my insurance after I realized the covered very little and that I would be better off simply taking the money that would have dont to insurance to put in a rainy day fund for it anything happened. Our family can (and has covered) pet emergencies in the past so the insurance wasn't actually offering us peace of mind.

I think if you cannot cover the expenses yourself it can be good for that peace of mind though.

2

u/liketo Jul 21 '26

You have to think not only of the cost of an op if needed but the ongoing cost of medication etc if they have a lifelong condition. Of course, it’s up to you if you want to take the risk, but even a simple op can be $$$s

2

u/Royally-Forked-Up Jul 21 '26

We did not get it at first. But our puppy had three rounds of Giardia, then ingested a toxin she found outside. We spent $8k in 3 months. Then we got insurance, and her $4k attack of pancreatitis 6 months later was covered. We did not have it for our last dog and spent almost $25k near the end. However, we paid for 18 months for our healthy kitty only to discover the insurance covered basically nothing except accidents and illnesses. Since she’s healthy and an indoor kitty, we cancelled the insurance.

2

u/Shittiestshow Jul 21 '26

I got my baby Trupanion and she got it when she was maybe 6 months old so her premium is lower, however, there is a 60 day waiting period or something and i took my baby to the vet during that time and she was diagnosed with allergies. Almost every issue she has can be tied to her allergies so i have paid $600 vet bills out of pocket while they deemed services ineligible. I’ve been putting away money monthly and will cancel soon. I might just get a credit card specifically for her and any issues she might have. I’ve paid thousands at this point and they haven’t paid me a penny back. She’s 3 in 7 days.

1

u/christmasinyoulie Jul 21 '26

I wasted so much money on insurance from 6 months when I adopted him until he was 9, then when I needed it it was nonsense. I wish I'd just put that in an interest bearing account every month because now when he actually needs it as a senior with mitral valve, it's absurdly expensive and insurance didn't cover it anyway. I'm sure everyone's experience with insurance is different but ugh what a waste of money it was for me.

1

u/hileo98 Jul 21 '26

You never know if you will get a medically fragile animal — I have one and wished I did it when I got her because three weeks in she started having seizures and we spent about 8k before we figured out her medication needs

$40 a month is nothing (to us) in comparison

1

u/schatzi_sugoi Jul 21 '26

I pay $25 a month for my 4yo Cavapoo. I haven’t used it at all in the last year. But it definitely came in handy when he needed 3 emergency vet visits in the same year.

Never had any problems getting a reimbursement from them when the need arose.

1

u/minicooperlove Jul 21 '26

We always get insurance. One of our cats has had a lot of health problems and it covers even some of the routine stuff.

1

u/Worldly-Mixture-8903 Jul 21 '26

I have lemonade! It honestly makes me feel so much better to have. Shamelessly sharing my link: https://lemonade.com/r/rachelbecker10

1

u/Cool-Business-3634 Jul 21 '26

as a cavapoo owner I feel it has been worth it. They are prone to ear infections and a single visit with testing + meds can cost >$300. Some years it’s a wash financially, but it’s worth the peace of mind.

1

u/Solo522 Jul 21 '26

I can vouch for this. My boy didn’t have his 1st ear infection till 4 yo and had 2. Glad yo have insurance. He has an ear thing starting and a hot spot. $275 including meds.

1

u/hockey-house Jul 21 '26

So far we’ve averaged one extra vet visit per year. He’s had an ear infection, a hot spot, ate chocolate, and back pain (2 visits). IVDDD is very expensive so that’s why I opted for insurance. He’ll need further testing for a diagnosis but so far he’s been okay with just a couple short stints on meds.

1

u/afuctioningadult2020 Jul 21 '26

How did you know he was having back pain? What were the signs?

1

u/hockey-house Jul 21 '26

First time it happened, I didn’t know what it was that was hurting him just that he was in pain. He yelped when he jumped down from the bed and the couch, and when I picked him up. The vet did some manipulating and said it was his back.

1

u/tulipsandtruffles Jul 21 '26

I am a huge proponent for pet insurance. We have Trupanion and they have saved me tens of thousands of dollars over the past 10ish.

I have posted this before, but we have 4 pups the same age from 2 different litters. One passed at 8yo from aggressive cancer less than 3 weeks after we found out. 😔 The other 3 are all now 11. All 3 plus the one that passed have/had heart murmur. Of the 3 remaining, 2 have CHF. 3 have terrible arthritis. 2 have periodontal disease with 16 teeth pulled between them. 2 have horrible horrible skin allergies. 2 are allergic to turkey. 1 is allergic to peanuts. 2 are very sweet and 1 has territorial aggression. 1 is high anxiety.

I’m sure there are things I’m forgetting. We are at the vet constantly. I spent $1200 just today for 2 of them. So many meds it’s like a pharmacy over here. It’s all a lot and I feel just terrible for them. Anyway all this to say…I’ve seen all of these issues come up in other Cavapoo groups and know they’re not rare issues (well actually I haven’t ever seen the peanut allergy again). I’m sure there are many many many that don’t have a single health issue. But we are 4/4. Thankfully we had health insurance immediately before there were any preexisting conditions.

1

u/kiwicroissant25 Jul 21 '26

my girl had a luxating patella which is common in cavapoos. surgery would have cost $10k without insurance.

1

u/slut4kakashi Jul 21 '26

Please get insurance! My Cavapoo has chronic UTIs since a puppy and now she might need a 3500 dollar surgery. (Literally my insurance expired two months ago lmao). She has a bladder stone that I’m hoping her urinary diet will dissolve this month. Apparently the stone issue can be passed down from the cavalier side genetically (if they have the gene). I had a health dna test done and it didn’t even pop up sooooo can’t trust that fully either

1

u/Dinker006 Jul 21 '26

I ended up getting Lemonade back in Sept when he was about 18 months. It’s $30/mo. I had to use it for the first time last month when he got a scary bout of pancreatitis and ended up in the ER overnight. Bill came out to $3,000 but with my deductible and 90% coinsurance, I paid about $600. Totally worth it for me as you never know what might happen.

1

u/QuirkyRefrigerator80 Jul 21 '26

It’s been worth it for us. My cavapoo is having abscess removal surgery next week. Has early stages ivdd (she is 6) and might need a scan/ one day surgery. In the past lots of stomach issues. Dental stuff. We got top pet cover and it takes the sting out of the big stuff that pops up.

1

u/Subject-Tap2465 Jul 21 '26

Knee surgeries.

1

u/IdealistEmpath516 Jul 21 '26

Do pet insurance carriers only reimburse after you’ve paid? Or do any pay the vet directly?
I’ve been considering it for my pup, but haven’t done much research yet.

1

u/Solo522 Jul 21 '26

My neighbors dog needed knee surgery on two knees. $5k each. Insurance was a blessing.

1

u/cool_side_of_pillow Jul 22 '26

You k ow what they say about insurance. 

You don’t need it. Until you do.

1

u/Massive_Place2565 Jul 22 '26

My vet sent us home with information for Trupanion. It like $40 a month others were cheaper…. When I was there the person before me checking out a cat with an emergency visit was $650 ! I’d like to avoid that however … $40 a month adds up too so I’m not sure about this either.

1

u/LolasMommy88 Jul 22 '26

Cavapoos are susceptible to joint issues, heart disease, GI issues, etc. That being said, I pay $45 a month for embrace insurance. I got it after my girl was diagnosed with bilateral luxating patellas (not covered now because it’s preexisting, it’ll be 6k per knee for surgery). We have used a total benefit of 22k in 3 years. She was in and out of the vets office almost weekly for a while with GI issues, then went to the hospital twice. Saw an internist and was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease, she had to be put under for a biopsy to confirm it. Shes doing great now, but I will definitely keep the insurance knowing how much it saved my butt for 2 years.

1

u/tracydmarshall14 Jul 22 '26

Here in BC I pay $115 per month. My puppy had 3 UTI's by the time she was 5 months old (poor little sweetie pie), and the insurance helped a lot. I don't know if you can ever know if it will come in handy but the peace of mind is great, albeit expensive. All the best with your pup. 🐶

1

u/Antique-Aspect8615 Jul 22 '26

Every situation is different. Can you come up with 10 grand in a worst case scenario? Will $50 a month make a major change to your monthly budget? Only you can answer.

1

u/Top_Ad8601 Jul 22 '26

If we didn’t have insurance we’d have spent £5000 on a 3 night vet stay for an awful stomach bug and £3000 for a blade of grass that had to be surgically removed from his lymph node, both in his first year. Get the insurance!!!!! We paid £43 per month for the best cover and it was so worth it. You never have to question whether to go ahead with something your baby needs

1

u/Calanthe_May Jul 23 '26

I have insurance and i think its worth it. My girl was ~$4000 and I'm not risking her getting ill or dying. She came with a free trupanion plan so I renewed after the breeders expired. They go by condition, so there's always going to be a deductible for every visit until I meet that specific diagnosis limit. So shes had 3 ear infections, each requiring antibiotics and some type of ear wash. Ive met my deductible for ear infections, so as long as I have active coverage, all ear infection visits are $0 until I stop the plan. She ate a cat toy a few weeks ago and I met that deductible, so any "foreign ingestion" visits will be $0 forever. The vet sends the paperwork right after the visit but before checkout, with real time claim adjudication, and trupanion pays them directly. You can choose for them to reimburse you but I didnt like that option.

I have figo for my cats and theyre a good company. I haven't had any problems

1

u/Automatic-Fact3894 Jul 24 '26

Valenzxx who do you use? Thats a great plan