Pet Insurance

I have a few questions for anyone with pet insurance!

I'm looking at possibly getting it for Em (6) and Bloo (3). Bloo had a very scary GI infection in June which has had no residual effects. Is this something I need to mention, and is it something she would get rejected for?

I would like to have decent coverage, but I don't want to pay a ridiculous amount if I don't have to. Are there any companies that cover/help with elective x-rays (hips, knees, elbows, etc)? What about titers?

Do you have any companies you'd recommend, or that you'd warn against? Thanks!

I am currently comparing three of the major insurance companies for Gabby: Embrace, Trupanion, and Pet Plan. For a $200 deductible with 80% coverage (one of the companies highest deductible was $200 or I would have selected higher) ranges from $45-70 per month. I have a whole spreadsheet and a bunch of questions for each company still.

Been thinking about doing insurance for Hank. It's pointless with the other 2 because they're either so old it's incredibly expensive or all their potentially expensive issues are already diagnosed and wouldn't be covered.

But with a < 1 year small mix breed it is pretty cheap.

I have Petplan and it has saved my booty on more than one occasion with no fuss.
My deductible is right around $200, which for a college student (which I was at the time) is right around the amount that makes my stomach tighten LOL and they have NEVER denied anything...even that emergency vet trip I took for no reason because I thought he maybe ate my birth control...

They've covered every silly kennel cough visit, every cut paw pad, every whatever.

They don't have a cap for certain problems (like oh you get $1000 for cancer or whatever) instead it's a yearly sum for whatever crops out. Merlin's is $22,000/year I believe as he has the gold plan.
I got it when he was quite young so I don't pay much per month. The claims forms are simple and the vet fills and faxes them for me.

For peace of mind alone, I love having pet insurance.

I do wish more regular stuff was covered (dental, shots etc..) but I can take care of that myself and I would much rather pay for that stuff and have the peace of mind of knowing in an emergency, they've got my back.

- They cover boarding if I'm ever in the hospital
- Reward money if he's ever lost
Petplan policies provide coverage for all treatments recommended by veterinarians, including...
Hereditary, congenital and chronic conditions
Prescription medications
Diagnostic testing
Veterinary exams, including specialized exams
MRI, CAT scan and ultrasound imaging
Non-routine dental treatment
Alternative and holistic therapies
Surgery
Hydrotherapy
Specialist treatment, including cancer treatments and more

http://www.gopetplan.com/what-we-cover

I've also heard great things from Trupanion

I've been thinking of insurance for Jari and Kimma, but is it true that plans won't cover injuries sustained from things like agility? A friend of mine looked in to a couple of plans a while back, and they all said they would cover nothing with agility. Just curious of anyone knows about that...

I would assume that isn't true, just in my experience. Merlin tore his paw pad at agility and they never even asked how or when it happened as long as it wasn't pre-existing, it's not even on the form and they covered it.
When I called they said if he did hurt himself during agility, it was covered as long as it wasn't pre-existing.

The only thing they put on the vet form is they do not cover if there is evidence of professional dog fighting.

Then again, I signed up Merlin when he was a pup...maybe it's different for dogs who do agility and have been injured before

That would be great, as neither he nor Kimma have any pre-existing conditions, let alone any due to agility

PetPlan does exclude injuries from coursing and if the dog is being used for dog training work (I forget the exact phrasing, but it's basically if my dogs get bit while being neutral dogs for my clients that isn't covered).

I'm about to submit my first claim. I have noticed the premiums going up every year, which is annoying, but it's still the cheapest per month cost for the level of coverage I have by a good $20/month.

We just had a lunch & learn with Trupanion today and I reallyyy like the sound of them. And I've never had any interest in pet insurance before. Granted, I know squat about any other companies, but I might actually get a plan for Juno through them.

It seems like any sort of routine or preventive care (vaccines, dentals, spaying/neutering) is NOT covered so I would think elective x-rays and titers would fall into that.

Glad you brought this subject up Julee. I have just started looking into insurance for George. He is still young so might be a good thing. Reading all the comments has given me more food for thought. Thanks.

Trupanion was my second choice and I've heard they are really good as well! Only reason I chose petplan in the end was because Merlin's breeder had filed the paperwork already so it was just a matter of extending the existing plan

Most pet insurances do seem to be pretty emergency non-routine only, which is fine with me but depends on what you want it for.

Resurrecting thichs thread because I'm taking the plunge into pet insurance with Gabby (my only eligible pet based on age).

I ended up choosing Trupanion because the vet clinic I use for dentistry is affiliated or somesuch. A friend with a pug just had a dental--$5000 dental, they paid $700.

Gabby has an appointment for an initial appointment at this vet next week and then we get the 30 day free trial. It's more than I want to spend per month but I think it'll be the best in the long run.

*cough*Iworkfortrupanionandtheyareamazing*cough*
lol seriously though, I don't work in sales or anything...but I love the policy and would be happy to give the spiel. I personally think it's the best plan out there and certainly is for me BUT...

I had to study up on a bunch of companies before I decided to take the job... I am not as biased as you would think lol so if anybody doesn't know which direction to go I can help steer you in the right direction away from the shady ones.
The best company for you kind of depends on a few factors/what you want from the policy.
and there are a handful that are just NO NO RUN AWAY AS FAST AS YOU CAN

PM box/FB is open if anybody would like any help with that?

We had lunch with Trupanion awhile back and at first really liked the sound of them, but then the rep said that their deductible is a case by case thing.

Ex. Dog has a TTA done on a knee, you pay your deductible. Dog then has surgery to remove a foreign body, you again have to pay your deductible. So, not a fan of that at all. Which sucks because otherwise, they are a great company with good coverage.

The ones I like (and am still comparing) are Petplan, Embrace, and Healthy Paws. I had Pets Best for Piper but after they gave me the run around on covering her second TTA (despite her regular vet and her surgeon both writing letters stating they didn't feel that it was torn before I signed her up) and then not covering it, I canceled her policy.

What I tell people now is that if your dog is healthy with no pre-existing conditions, go for it. Wish I had signed Piper up when she was a pup (she's had 2 TTA's, FWIW)! Now though, I'll probably just get the boys signed up for something since *knockonwood* neither of them have ever had any issues.

Just don't do what we did and PLAN to buy insurance cover and keep forgetting until the dog needs an op costing about £2500

Then get insurance.

It's quite an expense. Which you will hopefully never need... But if you ever did.... You don't have to make that horrible decision.

How does Pet Insurance work? Like do we pay a monthly premium and go to specific vets? Do we pay up front and submit for reimbursement or does the vet submit a claim? Is it really worth it?

Do they cover testing, like OFA? Part of our contract with breeder is OFA testing. If I do agility - which is really looking like I might - if our dog hurts herself, do they cover that?

My work offers Pet Assure, but it looks like a discount program versus regular insurance. VIP looked interesting.

The websites don't offer much information. I dont want to get a quote (yet) and then be emailed or called constantly.

Uh, yeah.. been there LOL. Over 6k spent on Piper in a year & a half between her 2 TTA's and the rehab after surgery. I kick myself for not insuring her!

It's pretty cut and dry and most all of the insurance companies do comparisons on their websites. Here's one from Pet Plan's site: http://www.gopetplan.com/pet-insurance-comparison
Just pick another company and it'll compare the two.

You pay a monthly premium and can go to whatever vet you want to (as far as I know no pet insurance companies require you to go to specific vets). You pay upfront and then submit a claim, then as long as the claim is approved the money gets deposited in your account or a check gets sent to you. You choose your deductible, so just like human insurance, once the deductible is met, the insurance kicks in. Some companies do a per incident deductible (like Trupanion), others just have it per year (Embrace, Pet Plan, Pets Best & Healthy Paws are like that).

VPI I would steer clear from. We met with them as well and their benefit schedule is just.. annoying. Pretty much every other company just does either 70, 80 or 90% of your total bill after your deductible is met. Easy.

I don't think it covers things like OFA x-rays. Some companies are more strict about asking how injuries happened, others aren't. I think some have clauses that say if your pet is injured during a dog sport that it's not covered. So that'd be something worth asking about.

It's worth it if you have a dog with no pre existing conditions, IMO. For Piper, I probably won't insure her now that she's already had 2 surgeries. I mean, I could insure her in case she ever got cancer or something like that, and that would be covered.

Just for an example, Piper's TTA's cost around $3,000 each. If I had a $200 deductible and a 90% pay out, my total cost after insurance would've been around $730 ($2,800 x .90 = $2,268). Quite a difference from the original $3,000.

I highly recommend pet insurance. Do your research and pick the plan that makes the most sense for you and your family. But pet insurance is such a life saver.

I have PetSecure for Kili. In her first 6 months with me she ran up close to 10 grand in vet bills... and that was with professional discount (I don't charge myself an exam to look at my own animals for example). She had to go to a referral hospital to be scoped and have urinary surgery, cardiac ultrasound to work up her heart murmur before anesthesia. It was a mess, but fortunately not life-threatening and fixable. I'm doing a cruciate and patellar surgery on a dog today. The quote for the surgery is almost 3 thousand, and that doesn't include his visit yesterday for sedation and x-rays. I don't know about anyone else, but my emergency savings is sitting at just over 3 thousand right now, so even something like that would wipe out my savings.

Also on a professional level I see how pet insurance benefits pets and owners. Pets that are covered with insurance tend to get the gold standard in care without a second thought. Chaz may not be a good pool because a lot of us on here would do the Gold standard regardless of how badly it set us back financially, but money plays a huge role in the care pets get unfortunately, because none of us is made of money. It's so much easier when a pet is covered to just say "do it!". It's great.

I find the big thing that puts people off pet insurance is that "well, you don't get your money's worth". Depends on what you mean by that. If you mean you actually have the company pay out equal or more than what you pay them... well, trust me... you don't want to get your money's worth. I got my money's worth with Kili that first 6 months and I would really rather not have. To me, I get my money's worth by getting complete peace of mind. If something really awful happens and she needs expensive, life saving treatment... I'm not going to think and waste time... I'm going to say "just do it". For me that's totally worth the money I pay every year. Every individual needs to think about what the insurance is worth to them and whether it makes sense for them and their family.

VPI DOES NOT COVER...
http://www.petinsurance.com/plans-and-coverage/conditions-not-covered.aspx

Musculoskeletal Hip dysplasia; elbow dysplasia; osteochondritis dissecans; aseptic necrosis of femoral head; cervical vertebral instability/Wobblers; patellar luxation
Urinary: Renal dysplasia; cystine or urate urolithiasis
Respiratory: Collapsed trachea
Ocular: Prolapsed gland of the 3rd eyelid; everted, scrolled or inverted cartilage of the 3rd eyelid, distichiasis; trichiasis; ectopic cilia; ectropion; entropion; primary glaucoma; retinal dysplasia; progressive retinal atrophy; cornela dystrophy; cataracts of dogs 6 yrs of age and younger, unless secondary to documented injury or diabetes mellitus.
Endocrine: Sex hormone dermatosis and growth hormone dermatosis
Blood Disorders: Hemophilia; inherited coagulation (bleeding) disorders; von Willebrand's disease
Multi-systemic: Hisocytosis (cutaneous, systemic and malignant forms)

So basically everything.
RUN. RUN FAR AWAY.

Trupanion has a per condition deductible (but you do get to pick your deductible, including a $0 deductible all the way to a $1000 which lowers your premium very much and is great for big emergency only insurance), it's for the lifetime of the pet or that condition but yes, it's per condition/related condition.
So if your dog if prone to FREQUENT different things.... that's something to consider if you can't afford the premium at a smaller deductible.

BUT exam fees/consult fees (what you pay to walk in the door at your vet, with the exception of emergency clinics) aren't covered

My favorite part? No payout limit/schedule.
Your dog/cat is never punished for getting older or being unlucky. Your premium doesn't change based on # of claims, or age (your dog stays the age it is when you enrolled, forever) and..
there is no payout limit for the lifetime of your pet. Which basically means...no matter how much we pay you in claims, your premium never goes higher and it never hits a cap. You get the care you need no matter what.

BUT dental cleanings (regular ones) aren't covered and in order to be covered for dental coverage (extractions etc..) you've gotta get a yearly dental checkup and do what your vet tells you, basically.

and there is a $35 membership fee.
but we are open 24/7 customer service wise woot woot.

BUT I don't know about the others but I know for trupanion if you do NOT have the breeding pet package, your dog is NOT covered for emergency c-sections and breeding/whelping specific issues.
They are covered for mammary tumors and other intact animals issues but NOT breeding problems.

Petplan also has a per condition deductible that is ALSO per year.
"Petplan uses a per-condition deductible. This means your selected deductible will be subtracted from your reimbursement amount for each separate condition, per policy year. - See more at: http://www.gopetplan.com/faq/petplan-policies#sthash.paWQsDP1.dpuf"
Your choices for deductible are a 50, 100,200 and you pay that per condition and they don't roll over.
They reimburse you for the AVERAGE COST of whatever it is, not the actual cost.
They cover exam fees and you have the same A+ customer service, in my experience.
you also get alternative therapies (hydro, acu etc..) in the core policy.For Trupanion, it's an extra optional package.

They have a very easy comprehensive core package, there is a gold/silver/bronze
Bronze Plan - Annual maximum payout $10,000 (may be $8,000 in some states)
Silver Plan - Annual maximum payout $14,000 (may be $12,000 in some states)
Gold Plan - Annual maximum payout $22,000 (may be $20,000 in some states)
they do NOT have a max lifetime payout, but those are per year.
They also do not have a membership fee.

My only icky thing?
Premiums do increase upon pets reaching certain age brackets. - See more at: http://www.gopetplan.com/20-qs-from-dvm-magazine#sthash.iH6qO2TU.dpuf
and ya, there is a payout limit per year.

I only know the things that got these crossed off my list.
ASPCA... hereditary/congenital conditions are not covered, neither are chronic conditions as your pet gets older unless you get the "older dog" package
generally just icky

Embrace does not cover hereditary/congenital.
Chronic conditions are covered as standard, but are subject to a maximum lifetime payout limit.
px meds aren't covered

Healthy paws
only 100, 250 or 500 deductible choices.
must be enrolled before 6 for hip dysplasia coverage and 12 month waiting period for HD coverage.
but Simple, comprehensive coverage with no payout limits.

My biggest peace of advice? Read the policy. READ IT. ASK QUESTIONS.
Ask me at 2 a.m if you have to...but I hate hearing from people that pay all this money for month and their dog gets hit by a car and their insurance blows them off.