We got our first German Shepherd 3 ½ years ago. The day we got him we researched pet insurance plans and shortly after that decided that PetFirst was the best on the market. That day we bought our first policy and we have never regretted it since. Within 8 months our pack grew to 3 German Shepherds, and with each one we immediately added them to our PetFirst policy. For 3 years we paid our affordable monthly premiums, even though our family income had dropped significantly since the recession began. We loved our dogs and never wanted to have to decide between their health and our finances. Two months ago we began to notice a swelling in the left nostril of our big female. It quickly grew till it was blocking it. Our vet warned us that this could be serious and that we needed to take her to a specialty clinic for diagnostic exam and treatment. Our first thought was cancer. I quickly got an appointment with the specialist and I sat in the exam room while an initial exam was performed behind closed doors. The vet came back in with an estimate for biopsy and exams. She would have to be anesthetized for the biopsy. The estimate? Between $1,300 and $1,800, depending on how invasive the selling was. Now here’s why you buy pet insurance from a company you can trust and depend on. I didn’t need to even think about it. Our out of pocket would be about $200 to $300. We can afford that. The full amount would have been tough. I would have had to think about it and talk