A question we're hearing more and more often is...
…“should we buy pet insurance for our new puppy?” There is definitely a new generation of pet owners who are increasingly purchasing insurance. While some of us who are older just can’t seem to rationalize an insurance policy for a pet, it’s probably wise for a couple reasons. First, a new puppy can be a substantial financial investment. Some breeders and pet stores charge up to $5,000 for Doodles. And AKC
puppies, depending on a dog’s lineage, can be expensive as well.
Additionally, there’s nothing worse than seeing your new family member injured or sick. During those instances, it’s enough to worry about your puppy’s recovery without having to worry about the impending bill.
Note: Before we continue, be sure to flip through the Trupanion booklet at the bottom of this post for lots of details.
What changed our minds about Pet Insurance?
In 2020, one of our Border Collies named Patsy Cline (the blue merle on the right in the photo) was injured in a random accident. She was a young puppy, maybe 12 weeks old, and was playing in the front yard with several other dogs. One of the kids was playing fetch with two older and larger dogs. When he threw the ball, the larger dogs turned to chase, just as Patsy walked into their path. The older, larger dog ran right over the top of Patsy, which broke one of her back legs. Complete accident.
It was a terrible injury and for a while we didn’t even know if Patsy would survive. But the vets did an amazing job and not only saved Patsy, but saved her leg. Several thousands of dollars later, Patsy came back home to the farm. Her injury is almost unnoticeable today, but the experience caused us to begin recommending pet insurance to all of our new puppy owners.
What company do we recommend, and how much does it cost?
Inside every Puppy Pack that we send home is information about Trupanion Pet Insurance. We are in no way affiliated with Trupanion, but for full transparency, we must also admit that we’ve never used it with our dogs. (We have more dogs than the typical American family! Haha.) We recommend it, however, to new puppy owners for a couple reasons. First, if you activate the policy within 24 hours of receiving your puppy, you get the first month for free. (Click here if you have your puppy and need to activate your “Go Home Day Offer”.) Use offer code BR1LD71321. You can technically activate the offer the day before, the day of and the day after your puppy goes home. Second, there is no waiting period. So if something happens in the first month, as happened with Patsy at our farm, you’d receive the benefits. (*Note* – please read details provided by Trupanion as these policies and offers change from time to time.)
Pricing varies, so you’ll need to obtain a quote from Trupanion, or whatever company you select.
This information will come with your puppy, but of course feel free to shop the policy or even check with your existing companies to see if they offer coverage.
Are there other companies that offer pet insurance?
Yes! There are many companies that now offer pet insurance. If you don’t use Trupanion, our next suggestion is to try your existing insurance companies you use for life, health or home/auto insurance. Companies like Allstate, Liberty Mutual and Geico offer pet insurance. AKC also offers pet insurance, if you purchase one of our AKC English Labs, or if you own other pets with AKC numbers.
Or, if you like to do research…
If you like to compare prices and benefits, visit one of the 3 sites below. All are excellent at rating and recommending pet insurance offered by many different companies. And because prices and benefits sometimes change, it might be worth shopping every once in a while! Check these out if you’d like some unbiased comparisons:
Here's the bottom line:
While we have not used pet insurance, we acknowledge the need for it. Anytime you spend a significant amount of money on something that also grows to have tremendous sentimental value, insurance is worth considering. These puppies are amazing and they grow into wonderful family members. They’ll hopefully spend long lives in your household, and a few dollars each month might help you sleep better at night, at least, and at best, might help you take care of your loved one should something bad and unexpected happen!
