Last Updated on May 17, 2022 by Marco
Pet insurance is always a tricky subject, especially for breeds like the Doxie. So, pet insurance for dachshunds – is it expensive and is it worth it? Why would you need pet insurance for your dachs pet and how can you find the best one? Let’s go over each point here.
How Much Is The Standard Pet Insurance For Dachshunds?
This will vary greatly depending on where you live, what insurance providers you have near you, how healthy your dog is, whether it’s purebred, and multiple other factors. Overall, pet insurance for dachshunds in the US tends to range between $45 and $60 a month. Comparatively, in the UK the averages are closer to £25 and £35 per month.
Those are pretty high numbers for most other dog breeds but they are standard for dachshunds. That may be unfortunate but it’s also to be expected – dachshunds live long lives but also aren’t an overly healthy breed. Many of the conditions to sometimes plague dachshunds are things that aren’t immediately life-threatening but can require years of constant care, rehabilitation, and medications.
Learn more about: How Much Does A Dachshund Puppy Cost?
Do You Need Pet Insurance For Dachshunds?
As with any other dog breed and pet – it can’t be said for certain. Insurance of any kind is largely a matter of lottery – either you’ll need it and it will be worth it or you won’t need it and it will only be worth the peace of mind it offers.
Still, let’s play with the numbers a bit to see how much you might have to pay and potentially save later on.
If you live in the US and you have a young adult dachshund (3 years of age) with a predisposition of Intervertebral Disc Disorder (IVDD), i.e. a dachs whose parents have had IVDD. When the average insurer sees this predisposition, they’ll probably ask for around $60 a month. For a full year, this means $720. A dachshund can live up to 16 years on average, however.
So, $720 for the next 13 years will mean $9,360 in total and that’s unless the monthly installment goes up (which it almost certainly will). So, we’re looking at north of $10,000 for pet insurance for dachshunds over the course of your dog’s life.
Now, let’s assume that your dog does develop IVDD at some point – how much do the surgery and treatment cost? In the US, IVDD surgery usually costs between $1,500 and $4,000. Add the accompanying rehabilitation, x-ray, sedation, and medication costs, and the total price usually jumps up to somewhere between $3,000 and $8,000.
Those are some pretty high numbers but even the highest estimate is still lower than the $10,000 you’d have to pay for insurance alone.
At the same time, another way to look at it is that your dachshund can easily get IVDD and a few other health problems. Combined, they can and likely will exceed the cost of the insurance. In that case, it would be worth it. Besides, another benefit of pet insurance for dachshunds is that small monthly payment are easier to work with than one giant 4-digit sum all at once.
Yet, the counter-argument to all that would be that not all dogs get IVDD or other health problems, let alone several issues all at once. For example, only about 25% of all dachshunds develop IVDD. That’s obviously a lot – it’s twice as likely than it is for Beagles and even more likely than for other breeds. Still, 25% is far from a guarantee, especially if you take good care of your dachshund.
And this is the crux of the matter – if you adopt or buy a healthy puppy and you take very good care of it, the chances of IVDD or any other health issue drop substantially. And the risk of several health problems all at once become even less significant – not impossible but much less likely.
So, the conclusion many people get to is that it’s usually better not to waste money on pet insurance and to just invest that money in taking good care of your dog. Or, at the very least – not to start with the pet insurance for dachshunds too early as these dogs can live for quite a long time. Even if you don’t get insurance, however, it’s still smart to make sure that you have some savings in case of an emergency.
FAQs
How much should I insure my dachshund for?
There isn’t a set-in-stone price to base your decision on as there are lots of factors that can play in the pet insurance for dachshunds. The main factor actually is where you live – in the US, in Western Europe, or elsewhere? In a rural or an urban area? It also matters how healthy the dog is, whether it’s purebred, whether you have a health certificate for it, and so on.
Still, to give you an average, in the US pet insurance for dachshunds typically ranges between $45 and $60 a month. In the UK, it’s somewhere between £25 and £35 per month. If this feels like a lot, it’s because it is – dachshund pet insurance is considerably more expensive than the pet insurance for most other dog breeds.
Is IVDD a pre existing condition?
Most insurers do consider Intervertebral Disc Disorder a pre existing condition. In fact, since the predisposition to IVDD can be passed hereditarily, that also plays into the price of your pet insurance. So, if your pet has already developed IVDD, you likely won’t be able to cover it with your insurance after the fact. But, given how expensive IVDD surgery can be, it’s wise to get insurance if your dog does have a genetic predisposition for developing the condition.
Is pet insurance worth it for a Dachshund?
Depends. The two main factors to consider are 1) how expensive the pet insurance of providers around you is and 2) how healthy your dog is. Of course, there are no guarantees in life – you can have a perfectly healthy dog from great stock and you may take perfect care of it but it may still get sick. Vice versa, you can buy insurance for your dog and it may never need it.
On average, if you know your dog has certain health predispositions and/or that you won’t be able to take perfect care of it, a nice and affordable pet insurance might be worth it. Often, however, it would be better not to waste money on pet insurance and simply invest them in taking even better care of your dog.
Ultimately, how worth it pet insurance is varies on a case-by-case basis. So, it’s best to talk with your vet first.
Jordan is an animal–lover who specializes in dachshunds. He has owned and cared for dachshunds since he was a child, and his passion for these unique dogs has only grown with time. Jordan is an avid researcher and learner, and spends a large portion of his free time studying the history, behaviour, and health of dachshunds. He has a knack for training and socializing his own dogs, and loves introducing them to new experiences. When not caring for his own pets, Jordan likes to volunteer at local animal rescue shelters, helping to find homes for abandoned dachshunds. He is a true animal advocate, and dedicates his time to ensure that all animals receive the love, respect, and care they deserve.
