I have always been told to just save the money you would pay for a policy and put it in a savings account to draw interest. That way you have an emergency fund for you and for the dog.

I have always been told to just save the money you would pay for a policy and put it in a savings account to draw interest. That way you have an emergency fund for you and for the dog.

True. I only have one dog. $35-40 a month doesnt seem bad but then again if you just have money set aside. it comes out to like $400 a year plus the deductible for insurance for 1 dog with a 80% coverage after either a 100 or 250 annual deductible.

Using the figures above, I calculated my vet costs for 2009 with and without insurance:

Without Insurance: $900
With Insurance: $700

So it would have saved me $200 dollars. Obviously, the savings are greater the more you spend, example if I had spent $3500, I would have saved $2280:

Without Insurance: $3500
With Insurance: $1220

However on the other side of the spectrum, if you only spend $500 per year, then its not worth the cost.

In my opinion, I tend to lean towards the don't buy insurance crowd.

I think what is more important than getting insurance is finding a good vet that won't medicate your dog at every opportune moment. This will go a long way in keeping your annual, routine costs down. Find an older, experienced vet that doesn't have a large staff and fancy building. However, this may be easier said than done...I'm still searching.

well sounds like you have an awesome vet. cheap BUT good vets are hard to come by

Well said. My vet also has a payment plan. If need be, I can write post dated checks if I need to.

I have always been told to just save the money you would pay for a policy and put it in a savings account to draw interest. That way you have an emergency fund for you and for the dog.