I paid $85 for a vet to tell me my dog is fine. Here’s why I’m not claiming the bill
Key takeaways
- I took my dog Maple to the vet convinced she had an ear infection. She didn't. She was, in the vet's professional opinion, completely fine.
- The visit cost me $85, but I won't be submitting a pet insurance claim.
- Here's why "false alarm" vet trips aren't what pet insurance is for.
For the last week, I've noticed my dog Maple frequently shaking her head, like she was disagreeing with everything I said.
A quick Google search told me that she could either have an ear infection, water trapped in her ears or ear mites.
Fantastic.
So off we went to the vet, me bracing myself for the worst case scenario and Maple overjoyed to be going for a ride.
After a quick 10 minute chat and a onceover, the vet tells me she's fine and that her ear might just be a little itchy.
Then, $85 later, we went home.
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Why I'm not making a pet insurance claim
Maple has had pet insurance since the moment I brought her home. Fortunately, I've only had to use it twice.
For many Aussies with pet insurance, the instinct is to want to claim everything.
You're paying a monthly premium, so surely every vet bill should be claimed, right?
Not quite. Almost every pet insurance policy has an excess, which is the amount you agree to pay yourself before the insurer covers the rest.
In Australia, the most common default excess is around $200 (mine included), making an $85 claim impossible, and let's face it, pointless.
Even on a policy with a lower excess, it's rarely worth it, because claiming small amounts can count against you at renewal and your premium can creep up.
What pet insurance is really for
Pet insurance isn't there to reimburse the little stuff. It's there for the day your pet needs serious medical attention.
Recent PetSure claims data shows the average dog hip surgery costs $9,268. The highest claim the insurer saw was for a spinal condition called IVDD at an eye-watering $72,732.
Without pet insurance, these are the kind of bills that can force a person to make an impossible decision.
So with that said, I'll keep paying Maple's premium every month, and secretly hope I never have to use it.
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