Pet Insurance

[Siberian]

Yeah, you can always switch

[kaytenmags]

i have insurance throught http://www.vetinsurance.com (i think they're called "trupanion" in the US?)

they have been nothing short of amazing.
absolutely NO COMPLAINTS at all.

i have claimed both of maggies TPLO surgeries ($4,000 each), plus a weekend at the e-vet (~$1,000 - raisons incident), she's had one of her little front teeth pulled (she split it vertically when she ran into the wall at the lacrosse box), not to mention the numerous other vet visits and xrays she's had.

they have covered 90% of everything, except for the exam fees. my rates haven't increased due to claims, and my coverage has never decreased. i wouldn't hesitate to reccommend them, they have saved me thousands of dollars.

[nic]

I have all my dogs insured,and personally wouldn't take on another if I couldn't afford to insure it.
I would not save up,I am crap with money and would always find a reason why I need to borrow from the dog fund if I had one.Plus what happens if 2 or more of your animals get sick at once?Probably remote but it is a possibility.
I have claimed thousands of £'s for my dogs (I'm in the UK) and never had a claim even queried,never mind turned down.
Bug is with Pet Plan,which is one of the more expensive ones here,and Mook and Shady are with Direct Line.Boo was on direct line,claimed several thousand on him over the years,and Bug is with Pet Plan,just cos that's what he came on,and I continued his poicy.

[Fixedgearjerk]

i have insurance throught http://www.vetinsurance.com (i think they're called "trupanion" in the US?)

Any opinion on Trupanion from US policy holders? Their website quotes me at $40 a month with $0 dedudctable, thats affordable depending on what's covered. Reading over their website statement of coverage is slightly confusing...

[Siberian]

Ok, ok, I am just beyond myself, so I have to share!

I LOOOOVVVEEEEEEEE Trupanion. They are my new BFF.

Sheba's recent disagreement with a crate has cost me $1876 in canine dentistry. Yesterday I received a check from Trupanion for $1688.

I think I want to marry them now

It took less than 10 days to get the reimbursement too.

The plan I chose is $0 deductable, and $50 a month. They cover 90% of the invoice.

[Siberian]

Fixedgearjerk, GO for it!

Their coverage is great. They don't cover small stuff, like vet visit cost, annual shots, flea treatments, etc. All that is a drop in a bucket, and should be afforded by any pet owner. They do take care of 90% of your vet or specialist or emergency visit.

I believe they won't cover anything that is preventable (like, you skipped on a heartworm medicine and your dog got infected). They don't cover dentistry, except canine and back molars (?) reconstructure, they don't cover holistic vets/acupuncture/etc. You have $20,000 amount for the life of your dog, and your monthly payments don't grow as your dog ages. They also cover hereditary issues, like hips, etc, but double check on the conditions. Oh, and phone support is very friendly. I called and grilled them with questions, and got all of my answers right then and there.

[KoheinLuckyshumom]

Old thread I know...

I have been researching getting pet insurance but one thing is holding me back... Unlike a full coverage human policy where you have a copay, or they bill your insurance, the money has to come out of pocket upfront, right?
I mean I am sure I could call my vet and work out a payment arrangement with them first (carecredit?) or something, but I want to make sure that I am not sinking money into premiums that I could have been saving up in a seperate account earning interest when I am going to have to finance the procedures first and wait for reimbursement.. Does that make sense?

How does that work? The main reason I want to have pet insurance is those expensive things, like an accident or one of my boys develops some disease down the road that is treatable, but expensive.

[Siberian]

You are responsible for your vet fees upfront. So yes, it is not like human insurance with an office visit co-pay.

God forbid your dog will ever need anything serious done... But even to take my root canal as an example. It was over $1800, my monthly premium is $50. It would have taken me 36 months to save up that amount (needed for the procedure) if I deposited the premium into bank account every month instead.

It seems perfectly "normal" to spend 2 - 4K on dog's surgery/procedure. Imagine how long it would take to save that up. If you have your own savings account, or 401K (which is what I used to pay for Sheba's), keep adding money to that as if for yourself. But when your dog will need it - you can use it, and get reimbursed within days. Totally and absolutely worth it.

[Haileys_Saviour]

I've been thinking about getting insurance for Hailey in case an emergency happens and we don't have the funds for it.

Does anyone have pet insurance? If you don't mind sharing, what company did you go with? Why did you choose them?
What does it cover? How does it work (are you reimbursed any money)? Finally, if its not too personal, how much do you pay monthly and have you ever had a situation where the insurance really helped (or didn't) ?

Thanks!

[VogueVulture]

I don't have insurance (and we have a dog with allergies too), but I have looked into it so wanted to offer you the idea of getting online quotes. There are a ton of places for insurance, but I think VPI, Trupanion and ASPCA are a couple more popular ones. Places like http://petinsurancereview.com/ allow you to get several quotes at ones by entering your dog's info, then each company emails you your quote.

[FBODGRL]

I'd do a search if you haven't in general and health this question has been asked a ton of times, so you will get to see all the responses.

I don't have insurance. I have Khan, 4 cats a turtle and soon a chinchilla. It would be way to costly to insure them all. My animals have their own savings account which I put money into every week for emergency purposes. They also have their own credit card if an emergency goes over the amount I have in savings and my own accounts.

[kaytenmags]

i have inurance with trupanion, and they've paid out about $20,000 on my dog.
4 knee surgeries, 1 emergency vet overnight stay after an incident with a bag of raisons, 1 tooth extraction after a run-in with a wall.. and a few other bits n pieces.
my dog could live to be 20 and they wouldn't make a penny off me!

[star_frances]

I have heard (from folks here) that is it worthwhile if you only have one or two animals. It would be far too much for me to insure all of mine, so I just do a lot of praying.

[IloveBlu]

I've been really struggling with this lately. Should I get insurance, or just put the money aside each month in a separate account?

I would only sure Blu (not the cats). He'll be six this year. He has terrible atopy and skin issues. I always though we couldn't insure him because his allergies would be pre-existing and that's where most of the $ goes. But now he seems to be developing joint issues and I'm realizing there may be some big bills ahead with his track record thus far.

[MissKitty]

I am seriously looking at Trupanion, but I don't like that they don't cover hip dysplasia

Also, for a pre-existing condition, do you have to receive a formal diagnosis at the vet, or does just going to the vet for a problem (and the vet being unable to diagnose said problem) count?