What type of pet care do you think is generally better and affordable- going to the vet on base, using one of the pet insurances such as the banfield pet plan, or just going to a regular vet and paying for each visit separately? :dunno

i've never used the pet insurance thing. i think on base vets are cheaper but they tend to have other rules too (such as ours has no children under a certain age are allowed in the vet) and they have limited appointments.

I used the base vet for vaccines and such because it was cheaper than out in town. but they don't do emergencies and other appys are hard to come by. I say a combo of the two have a regular vet that you take them to for emergencies or things that the base vet doesn't do and the base vet for vaccines.

Depends on your needs.....we got the banfield insurance for Charlie and actually ended up saving ALOT of money in the long run. He had to have his surgery to get fixed, and he's been to the vet for 2 other appointments. All his shots were covered as well. So, for the first year of his life, it made MUCH more sense to use the pet insurance.

I have only had cats and dogs, and I would say cats.My dog was MUCH more expensive to get fixed and get shots for than my cats have been, although I think that depends on the vet and the area as well. I don't know about pet insurance because whenever I priced it, it was super expensive. Mostly, my dogs always went through a chewing phase, and even after they grew out of that they were still destructive to a point. THAT was the biggest expense for me, not the vet. My cats have never destroyed anything except they knocked my camera off of a table once and that was my fault for leaving it sitting on the edge of a desk in a room with no carpet. LOL.

I have no idea about guinea pigs or rabbits or ferrets, or any other animals. :dunno

Depends on your needs.....we got the banfield insurance for Charlie and actually ended up saving ALOT of money in the long run. He had to have his surgery to get fixed, and he's been to the vet for 2 other appointments. All his shots were covered as well. So, for the first year of his life, it made MUCH more sense to use the pet insurance.

Dakota is our family doggie that my gramma has and he's going through the same thing right now. He's only 6 but he's a BIG lab and is having some hip problems and other leg issues. So, she's having to come out of pocket for soooo much right now between surgeries and medications and things like that. She just goes to a regular vet so she just pays as she goes. I was wondering if things like surgeries and what not would be covered under a pet care plan if you had one.

We have always just had a vet that we take the pets to. PSNS (Bremerton) didn't have a vet on base and I fell in love with the Ridgetop ladies (Silverdale) so that's what I've always done...just have a regular old vet.

Dakota is our family doggie that my gramma has and he's going through the same thing right now. He's only 6 but he's a BIG lab and is having some hip problems and other leg issues. So, she's having to come out of pocket for soooo much right now between surgeries and medications and things like that. She just goes to a regular vet so she just pays as she goes. I was wondering if things like surgeries and what not would be covered under a pet care plan if you had one.

I would think surgeries would be covered.....that is generally why people get the pet insurance - for the unexpected possible surgery costs. Generally, annual office visits for regular check-ups are not that expensive. But if you think your animal may have problems - I think the pet insurance is the way to go.

We have always just had a vet that we take the pets to. PSNS (Bremerton) didn't have a vet on base and I fell in love with the Ridgetop ladies (Silverdale) so that's what I've always done...just have a regular old vet.

i've been to ridgetop they are super nice. we had to do cosby's pre-flight checkup there

I fell in love with the Ridgetop ladies (Silverdale) so that's what I've always done...just have a regular old vet.

I love Ridgetop. They were so good when each of our dogs was sick and passed away.

I haven't been to a base vet because there isn't one here. It's really not that bad going to a regular vet. I've thought about looking into insurance in case anything major comes up.

i use the vet on base for shots and medication, but i also have a vet in town in case something happens. especially now that we have gwen, we have to worry about bloat and wanted some place we could get to quick in case that happens. i don't like banfield. i think the puppy package is good, but after that, i'm not a fan.

i miss the vet on base in great lakes! omg! i loved them there so much. they took such good care of buddy (and me for that matter) when he got terribly sick while we were there. they sent us home with iv bags and needles, showed me how to put it in him...they were amazing! (L) i wish the vet on base here was like that.

I've been to both with our kitty. Vax are cheaper at the base vet but they don't do surgeries so they couldn't get him fixed. In GL it was the same deal. They didn't carry the meds he needed so I had to go out in town.

I had insurance for Goose for the first few years of his life, and it was very helpful, especially for all those shots they get when they're young, getting neutered, and having chronic ear infections.

BUT, those insurance plans usually don't cover pre-existing conditions, hip dysplasia, and a few other big items.

Angus has severe hip dysplasia. He doesn't even have a real socket for his right hip. But I couldn't find an insurance policy for him that would cover any of it. If you find one that does, let me know.

Be really careful committing to a policy if you're hoping it covers anything that is already a problem.

As for the base vet - it's just too complicated for me. They have very limited hours here - like only a couple days a month. So we see a regular vet, and my dogs LOVE her!

I might put Goose back on the plan because of his ears. His medicines are always putting a big dent in the budget.

We've got two vets for the girls. I take them to a vet in town for emergencies and sick visits that can't wait for appts at the vet on Hickam. For vaccines and preventative medicines I go to Hickam because the prices are MUCH less!!!

I have found that the vet on base is the cheapest option. Although the SPCA also has a low cost clinic that is approx the same price.

I have a love hate relationship with my banfield where I take my pets, I love the plans they have b/c they really save alot of money and cover a lot of stuff, but after what happened the other day with lucy ( when she was vomiting blood and they said that i'd have to wait 2 days for her to be seen, even tho they have walk in appointments..) I've been tempted to go somewhere else