# Pet insurance?



## Sir_Henry (Jun 26, 2010)

My trainer highly recommended we get pet insurance for our little guy. He's going to be 11 weeks on Tuesday. I'm so confused looking at all the different providers out there! Any recommendations on who offers the best coverage for accidents and wellness? Also, who is the most efficient with reimbursements? Thoughts?


----------



## Cluemanti (Jun 25, 2010)

I think a good start would be to call your Vet and ask them for any recommendations they have based on their experience. You can also search on here and find a good amount of info. 

I am in the same boat as you. Originally was going to go with Trupanion but still have yet to decide.


----------



## Cluemanti (Jun 25, 2010)

Also many users on here use Pet Plan. I'm looking into that company as well. 

Pet Insurance for Dogs and Cats - Petplan Pet Health Insurance


----------



## Baby Byron (Aug 20, 2002)

I know the one for you NOT to choose: VPI
We had all our GSDs covered by the top plan VPI offered (cannot remember now but it was their premier option. Everything under the sky kind of plan. Great for the annual check ups. Then Byron came up with EPI (which, by the way, was supposed to be covered for diagnostic tests, treatment, appointment...). After we turned in the claim for the lab test and vet appointment got this pathetic check for $50 saying that that would be the annual max they would cover for that since "there's no cure for EPI" gosh I can still hear that "lady's" voice saying that. Fifty dollars? Really? The flipping test alone was $150. Not to mention that $50 was Byron's monthly premium. Great! So for years we were paying $50/dog/month and when we finally needed they capped his condition coverage at $50/year. Wow.
Sorry... didn't mean to sound angry but I still get aggravated when I talk about VPI. 
I'm currently looking for options now. Let's see how this thread goes. 
Hopefully we have more members with good insurance suggestions.
Cheers,
Ana


----------



## WynterCote (Feb 15, 2010)

Its more confusing than human health care! We decided to just start an envelope for our dog. We began with $200 in there to start and then we add $50 every month, since this is what you'd pay for a decent insurance plan. That way we have $600 per year or $3000 by age 5 when health problems may begin (but hopefully not). That way it's there for her if she needs it, and we don't have to forgo our vacation or our mortgage if something comes up. We pay for her monthly meds (heartguard & frontline) and yearly appointments out of pocket since it's not that much and not too many plans cover these things anyway. We'd rather just save money for her, that way it can be used for any medical problem. We don't want to run into coverage issues later, after we've thrown thousands into an insurance plan over the years. We're still looking into some minimal coverage plan ($15 per month or so) for emergency or accident care just in case.


----------



## roxy84 (Jun 23, 2007)

Pet Plan, hands down, IMO. they have very few restrictions, no lifetime limits on conditions. your chosen coverage amount renews every year. hereditary conditions covered.

all my claims have been paid in a timely manner. i pay about $23/month on a 3 yr old female gsd. i get $8,000/yr in coverage. there is a $200 deductible, then i pay 10%.

very reasonable....BUT it is not a wellness plan. routine, preventative stuff should be able to be handled by a pet owner anyway. 


here is an indeependent review site of some plans.

Pet Insurance Review


----------



## Hunther's Dad (Mar 13, 2010)

Baby Byron said:


> I know the one for you NOT to choose: VPI
> We had all our GSDs covered by the top plan VPI offered (cannot remember now but it was their premier option. Everything under the sky kind of plan. Great for the annual check ups. Then Byron came up with EPI (which, by the way, was supposed to be covered for diagnostic tests, treatment, appointment...). After we turned in the claim for the lab test and vet appointment got this pathetic check for $50 saying that that would be the annual max they would cover for that since "there's no cure for EPI" gosh I can still hear that "lady's" voice saying that. Fifty dollars? Really? The flipping test alone was $150. Not to mention that $50 was Byron's monthly premium. Great! So for years we were paying $50/dog/month and when we finally needed they capped his condition coverage at $50/year. Wow.
> Sorry... didn't mean to sound angry but I still get aggravated when I talk about VPI.
> I'm currently looking for options now. Let's see how this thread goes.
> ...


Seconded. Surgery for a torn leg muscle = $3100. They first reimbursed me for a whopping $105.30. At $28 and change per month, I would have been better off not buying their policy at all, and told them so. When I threatened to cancel all three policies, they "investigated" the claim again and came up with an extra $445. 

Just say no to VPI.


----------

