I am involved in a lot of dog related things and get asked about insurance a lot. Here is my answer. Basically, it depends. Be honest about your situation and ability to cover things and that will guide you.
Question One: Do you need it? If you can put aside money each month yourself, then you make the decisions about what to cover, not the insurance company. This works IF you can be disciplined about actually saving the money and IF you have enough to cover it if an emergency happens before you have money saved up. You could also get insurance now, while your pup is young and also save money, so that when your puppy is older and insurance goes up, you no longer need it.
Question Two: If you decide to go with insurance, there are two basic ways to go. One is a low monthly payment, but a high deductible. This is good if you only need insurance for a major, expensive issue that may arise. Basically, you pay a little bit each month to insure that if a $10 000 expense arises, you are covered, but if your dog gets something minor like an ear infection, you cover it yourself.
The other option is a high monthly payment with a low deductible. This is good for people whose finances aren't in great shape and any kind of emergency would be a problem. Yes, you pay more each month, but if anything happens, you don't have to worry about it.
The final consideration is which companies are the easiest to deal with, pay out claims quickly, etc. I can't help with that, as I use the savings option. From what I've heard Trupanion pays the vet directly, if that's a consideration.
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