If you have a sporting dog that you hunt with, you owe it to your dog to have it insured.
'Accident only' insurance is very affordable and can save you and your dog a lot of pain in the event of an accident while out in the field.
I have a golder retriever that I use for bird hunting.
And she has health insurance (I have all my dogs covered for disease and accidents).
I was out pheasant hunting with a friend and his two-year-old german shorthair pointer.
It was a beautiful day, and this dog was getting on pheasants like I've never seen.
Then my friend's shorthair discovered a purcupine.
Being young and curious (and not understanding why the creature didn't run away), he decided to get closer to inspect the interesting new animal.
That's when the porcupine shot it's quills into the dog's mouth and snout.
Now if you've never seen a porcupine quill, they tend to be about six inches long, and they have a tiny barb on the end that keeps the quill embedded into whatever it strikes, and makes it very difficult and painful to remove.
We rushed back to the truck and I held the dog down while my friend tried to remove as many quills as he could before we rushed the dog to the animal hospital.
On the way to the hospital I asked my friend if he had insurance for his dog, and he looked at me like I was crazy.
He didn't know such a thing existed.
I felt bad.
By the time the vet had run labs, x-rays, sedation, and extracted the quills from my friend's dog, his initial bill was $1,200.
A few days later, the dog was still in pain and pawing at his snout.
He had to take him back in and the vet discovered a few more quills that were missed the first time, another $600.
And about a week later, the vet removed a couple more quills.
You guessed it, another $600.
In the end, that trip cost my friend about $2,200 in vet bills.
If my friend would have had just basic accident-only insurance coverage on his dog, his out-of-pocket expenses would have been around $400.
I got a call from my friend's wife the next week asking me what I knew about insurance.
I promptly told her about the plan that I have for all of my dogs, and directed her to a website where she could review plans for herself.
They now have both of their dogs covered.
Their older dog is too old to hunt in the field anymore, but they decided to get a senior policy for him to help with the impending bills that are going to happen as his health declines.
Pet health insurance is not only affordable, it is responsible, especially if you hunt with your dog.
With the cost of veterinary care today, you cannot afford to be without some kind of coverage should something happen while you are out in the field.
Take some time and check out the available programs.