# Pet insurance recommendations?



## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

Any suggestions on pet insurance? And when deciding on a plan, what specific details should I look for and what is the average monthly premium I should expect. Sorry for all the questions but after experiencing the hospital visits and health problems that my last dog of 13 years, I realize vet bills can add up real quick. Like $20000 quick. Thanks for the advice.


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## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

I accidentally created two threads. How do I delete one? Sorry guys.


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## melissajancie (Dec 22, 2016)

I am looking for the same information. I need a plan for major surgical coverage. I am not looking to reimburse normal vet visits (shots, exams, etc) just major things like MRI's, surgery, etc. IF ever needed. Also since my dog is professionally trained as a service dog - do any insurance companies actually provide mortality insurance? I have this on my horse but have never had "dog" insurance before. I have the receipts and contract to back up the value of Hakki.


What about liability insurance? My agent at State Farm said they do not provide liability insurance. I have no issues with Hakki but am looking for liability insurance in case a loose dog comes up and attacks and my dog hurts the crap out of him/her. My dog is under control at all times - it is the other dogs that I worry about. People that have untrained aggressive dogs generally will try to sue the crap out of you if their dog gets hurt. I will do everything in my power to prevent this from ever happening as I just can't stand it when an animal is hurt - my dog or any other dog.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

You can google all plans and see what appeals to you. We have Healthy Paws and they are great. They pay within two weeks. I will always have her on insurance. it is peace of mind.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

That topic just came up recently -- here's info that may help:
http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/basic-care/685209-pet-insurance.html


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

Nationwide has been good for me.


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## Diegotxe (Feb 26, 2015)

I googled pet plans awhile ago and did some comparisons and checked reviews. I'm thinking on going with healthy paws for my next pup. liked what they have to offer in comparison to some of the others and got really good reviews.


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## kimbale (Mar 7, 2017)

I bring my new pup home in three weeks and am also looking at plans. I'm a USAA member and saw that they have a plan. I try to do everything I can through USAA. Anyone have their plan?


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

USAA uses Embrace. Here's what Embrace claims is the comparison to HP:
Embrace vs Healthy Paws - A Pet Insurance Comparison | EMBRACE

And here's what HP claims is the true comparison:
https://www.healthypawspetinsurance.com/compare-healthy-paws-to-embrace

Note how Embrace didn't highlight that they have an annual limit (cap on what they pay), and HP does not? That's a pretty big difference, that could be worth thousands, that they paper over by making a big deal out of office visits ($100 or less) and annual routine care ($150 or less). This is EXACTLY what I was talking about in the post in the other thread I posted.

Insuring wellness visits is honestly a waste of money, as I explained in detail in the other thread. You won't be getting USAA customer service with the wonderful people they have in Texas; you'll be getting Embrace CS because USAA is just brokering this policy. Don't view this as a USAA product; view it as an Embrace product--so all your research should be about Embrace.


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## kimbale (Mar 7, 2017)

Magwart said:


> USAA uses Embrace. Here's what Embrace claims is the comparison to HP:
> Embrace vs Healthy Paws - A Pet Insurance Comparison | EMBRACE
> 
> Insuring wellness visits is honestly a waste of money, as I explained in detail in the other thread. You won't be getting USAA customer service with the wonderful people they have in Texas; you'll be getting Embrace CS because USAA is just brokering this policy. Don't view this as a USAA product; view it as an Embrace product--so all your research should be about Embrace.


Yeah, I saw that after I posted my question. I just got a quote from Embrace and a quote from Healthy Paws and Embrace came in cheaper. But I'm still comparing the two to see how similar coverage is.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Diegotxe said:


> I googled pet plans awhile ago and did some comparisons and checked reviews. I'm thinking on going with healthy paws for my next pup. liked what they have to offer in comparison to some of the others and got really good reviews.


You absolutely have to READ THE POLICY EXCLUSIONS -- the fine print in the actual contract, which you can get by asking if it's not online. Reviews can be planted, faked, and bought. In the past, I've spotted what I believe are paid insurance marketing sites pretending to be comparison websites. I recommend HP to adopters, but I really want people doing comparisons to do it properly: read the policy and ask whether it covers the things that worry you most in our breed.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

kimbale said:


> Yeah, I saw that after I posted my question. I just got a quote from Embrace and a quote from Healthy Paws and Embrace came in cheaper. But I'm still comparing the two to see how similar coverage is.


Because of the annual cap on what Embrace will pay out each year, it's giving you less coverage by design than a policy with no annual limit. It should be a cheaper product in a rational insurance market. Whether that is a trade-off that works is likely going to be a different analysis for each of us.

I posted a note in the other thread how to get a 10% discount for life from HP, if it helps bring them closer to the cheaper policy.


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## kimbale (Mar 7, 2017)

Magwart said:


> Because of the annual cap on what Embrace will pay out each year, it's giving you less coverage by design than a policy with no annual limit. It should be a cheaper product in a rational insurance market. Whether that is a trade-off that works is likely going to be a different analysis for each of us.
> 
> I posted a note in the other thread how to get a 10% discount for life from HP, if it helps bring them closer to the cheaper policy.


I was using a 10% discount code, but if you have one that helps your rescue send it my way. The rates weren't too far off and I'd rather pay more to not have a cap. The biggest concern I have is my current dog is 9, so I want to see what kind of exclusions she will have because of her age.

For the new pup, Healthy Paws seems like the better plan.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk


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## Diegotxe (Feb 26, 2015)

Magwart said:


> You absolutely have to READ THE POLICY EXCLUSIONS -- the fine print in the actual contract, which you can get by asking if it's not online. Reviews can be planted, faked, and bought. In the past, I've spotted what I believe are paid insurance marketing sites pretending to be comparison websites. I recommend HP to adopters, but I really want people doing comparisons to do it properly: read the policy and ask whether it covers the things that worry you most in our breed.


. 
Thanks for the heads up Magwart. I'm def aware of possible fake, planted, bought reviews. Not sure what you mean by doing comparisons properly? I don't buy anything without first going thru it to make sure it meets my needs, what I'm looking for, if there's something better, etc. Im also aware that there are some things HP doesnt cover, and I'm ok with paying for those out of pocket. While I'm happy with HP thus far, I still have time to make sure it 'fits' before getting my pup, which if all goes well should be August/September. ?


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## GatorDog (Aug 17, 2011)

I've had excellent dealings with Healthy Paws so far and definitely recommend them.


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## WateryTart (Sep 25, 2013)

Just be careful with Healthy Paws and the "preexisting conditions." They're great, but you will need to be proactive.

I need to go and take care of this and I'm lazy, but my dog was labeled as having a "preexisting condition" and was denied coverage due to two TLIs we had done on her. Both TLIs came back in the normal range. The second was a repeat test six months later to verify the result.

They say this constitutes a preexisting condition. I called them, did battle, and was told that if I could fax or email both normal results, they would lift the block on coverage for her. I've mostly been lazy because all the vet stuff we've done since I made that phone call is routine stuff they don't cover anyway, but I should get on that before we actually need them.

So all that to say: If they deny you coverage for something, call and talk to them right away. It's easy to talk to an actual person, and their customer support is excellent in terms of answering questions.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

I used to recommend pet plan (which I have) but can no longer recommend them in good faith. They recently jacked up my premiums to double (yes, double) for the same coverage. Of course, I can get different coverage (i.e. more out of pocket for me) which will reduce the premium to 1.2x of what I was paying. 

I'm impressed with healthy paws. My friend has it and I will likely use them for the next dog.


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## gsdluvr (Jun 26, 2012)

ausdland said:


> Nationwide has been good for me.


Me too. They pay quickly. My one dog has racked up the bills and they have paid most of them. Granted, my girl has been healthy(knock wood) but still, they are there if you need them and the bills can be unexpectedly high.

I guess you could make a separate savings account just for dog medical bills, but I wouldn't know how much to put into it?

Also, different companies offer different coverages in different areas, so check them out in your location.


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## ausdland (Oct 21, 2015)

I strongly recommend getting pet insurance as soon as you get your puppy! If you wait and your puppy gets a tummy bug (many do), gets treated at the vet before you get insurance, now your puppy has a pre existing condition and future GI issues will not be covered. At least that's what happened to me. But it was still well worth it when I had to pay for x-rays and a CT scan. Nationwide has a wellness plan ~$60/mo that includes vaccinations, prescriptions and larger pay out. Wish I had than plan last year when she was a puppy.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

After one of her dogs became sick and spent thousands of dollars we will always have pet insurance. We have trupanion and have no complaints.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

I have Healthy Paws on one of my dogs. Absolutely no complaints. I have Trupanion on my other two. Their customer service is great and we get reimbursed quickly, but they raise our rates 20 percent every year, so I won't use them again.


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## Todahatch1 (Mar 3, 2017)

Thanks everyone for their suggestions. I just sign up for healthy paws. great customer support by the way. I don't know if this even matters but when speaking to my vet, he had brochures of nationwide insurance but was hesitant to recommend them. I ask for his experience and he advise that nationwide tend to ask for a tremendous burden of proof to point out things not being pre existing. Like nationwide will try to find ways to not cover things. However, I don't have any personal experience to confirm this.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I am looking to make switch from Pet Plan. Looked at Nationwide and what popped up looked a lot like VPI. The Embrace plan is more of what I want but then I see negative reviews. The bad thing is I see plenty of negative for Healthy Paws as well. Sigh.


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## camperbc (Sep 19, 2017)

GypsyGhost said:


> I have Healthy Paws on one of my dogs. Absolutely no complaints. I have Trupanion on my other two. Their customer service is great and we get reimbursed quickly, but they raise our rates 20 percent every year, so I won't use them again.


Not true. Trupanion does not raise rates 20%/year. They would be out of business in no time if they did. I recently signed up two dogs with them, and their rates/coverage is unbeatable, at least here in Canada. 

Glen
Focus On Newfoundland


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I have Healthy Paws paying for Adequan injections on one of mine -- they're covering them without missing a beat, whether I order from Valley Vet or have it done at the clinic. They also just covered a big claim on tooth injury. I had a check in hand within about 2 weeks. 

Consumer Reports also gave them a good rating in the last issue in which they reviewed pet insurance.


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## GypsyGhost (Dec 29, 2014)

camperbc said:


> Not true. Trupanion does not raise rates 20%/year. They would be out of business in no time if they did. I recently signed up two dogs with them, and their rates/coverage is unbeatable, at least here in Canada.
> 
> Glen
> Focus On Newfoundland


What would you call raising rates from $94/month to $112/month in one year? Looks an awful lot like twenty percent to me... 

Again, I have no complaints about their company other than the premiums. They raise rates based on the cost of veterinary care in your area, so I'm sure there are some regions that do not experience the premium hikes I have. But Healthy Paws raised my premium less than five percent on my dog that has their insurance, and I believe their coverage suits my needs a little better, as they cover acupuncture, chiropractic and alternative care without adding another expenisve rider. So that is what I will continue to use for future dogs.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I think the U.S. and Canadian markets may simply be different. The U.S. pet insurance market is largely unregulated. Pet Plan raised my rates 20% a year until the last year, when it was even more than that due to a new underwrite. HP has been stable, so far.


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## Tennessee (Apr 13, 2017)

ausdland said:


> Nationwide has been good for me.


They ARE on your side... >


OP I've heard very good things about Trupanion, but I haven't taken the leap yet. This is a good thread!


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Magwart said:


> I think the U.S. and Canadian markets may simply be different. The U.S. pet insurance market is largely unregulated. Pet Plan raised my rates 20% a year until the last year, when it was even more than that due to a new underwrite. HP has been stable, so far.


Pet plan was awesome until last year. My annual went from about 500 to 800. I will have to reconsider and maybe move to HP when I'm up for renewal.


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## camperbc (Sep 19, 2017)

GypsyGhost said:


> What would you call raising rates from $94/month to $112/month in one year? Looks an awful lot like twenty percent to me...


I see that you reside in the USA. This may account for why we do not experience any measurable increase in our Trupanion premiums here, as their terms may vary depending on country. In fact, it is written into our contract that premiums will never climb at a faster rate than inflation, which has averaged well below 1.5%/year for over that past 7 years. After extensive research, we gleaned that Trupanion's services are unmatched here in Canada, for coverage, cost and customer service. The next best, we found, was PC, (President's Choice) though their coverage maxes out at $5,000/year, which does not include any dental coverage, plus one is required to pay all vet bills up front, to be reimbursed later. 

EDIT: I forgot to add that PC (and most every other insurance company in Canada) only covers up to 80% of medical costs, whereas Trupanion covers 90%. Also, Trupanion allows you to choose your own deductible. 

Glen
Focus On Newfoundland


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## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

I currently have PetPlan but I'm looking closely at Figo. They look really good so far from what I can see.


https://figopetinsurance.com/pet-insurance-comparison


Craig


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

NancyJ said:


> I am looking to make switch from Pet Plan. Looked at Nationwide and what popped up looked a lot like VPI. The Embrace plan is more of what I want but then I see negative reviews. The bad thing is I see plenty of negative for Healthy Paws as well. Sigh.


That's because they bought out VPI. They have one good plan the rest of them use the same pathetic VPI schedule of benefits thats pays nothing. Anyone who buys them better be careful.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

I use trupanion. I have no complaints.i had put in to claims and no hassles and the check from them 1 week later. You are able to set your deductible depending on how much you want to pay a month.


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Craig Caughlin said:


> I currently have PetPlan but I'm looking closely at Figo. They look really good so far from what I can see.
> 
> 
> https://figopetinsurance.com/pet-insurance-comparison
> ...


I agree and so I chose Figo for my puppy Baron. What I liked is that it will pay the exam and office visit fees for injuries and illness. It also allowed me to chose the deductible and co-pay percentage from a selection of choices. Hip dysplasia is covered from 4 months of age. In case of a life threatening illness or accident, the deductible is waived. Figo's premium cost was also the lowest in comparison to the others. I had insured my Sting under VPI and I must say that they pay promptly and refunded the unused portion after he passed. They do have a wellness option that will pay for some of the annual health exams, vaccines, and heartguard. But the fee limits at least for my area, left a lot of potential out of pocket expenses. I was fortunate that I only used the wellness part of the policy.

I found this article to be helpful:

https://www.reviews.com/pet-insurance/


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Mary Beth said:


> I agree and so I chose Figo for my puppy Baron. What I liked is that it will pay the exam and office visit fees for injuries and illness. It also allowed me to chose the deductible and co-pay percentage from a selection of choices. Hip dysplasia is covered from 4 months of age. In case of a life threatening illness or accident, the deductible is waived. Figo's premium cost was also the lowest in comparison to the others. I had insured my Sting under VPI and I must say that they pay promptly and refunded the unused portion after he passed. They do have a wellness option that will pay for some of the annual health exams, vaccines, and heartguard. But the fee limits at least for my area, left a lot of potential out of pocket expenses. I was fortunate that I only used the wellness part of the policy.
> 
> I found this article to be helpful:
> 
> https://www.reviews.com/pet-insurance/



reviews.com is great for dog food as well. Since I do this for a living, this article is not bad, leaves some stuff out. Much better than most I have seen.

Personally I would never buy Nationwide/ VPI, they do now have *one* good plan that does not work off of a benefit schedule. She is correct the pre existing condition section for Nationwide is sketchy and has to much in it. No reason to go with nationwide when you have better companies and prices. If you happened to buy the benefit schedule plans you are going to get shafted or surprised if your dog ever gets really sick. The benefit schedule is pathetic. All you that have this study your contract.

In my zip code Fogo is $20 more a month than Healthy paws for the same plan. Just on that not sure its worth it for the extra exam fee they pay. That gets waived by my vet anyhow. Being Figo is a brand new company its a gamble as far as how the price increases will go in the future. This is something reviews.com did not address and a really important question.

I work off of feedback from forums like this or my customers. I used to never sell plans from a new company. That's a little harder in the human world these days unfortunately. Once your dog gets a pre existing condition like mine did you are stuck. Petplan nailed me pretty good on price increases this year. I still make out fine with them. Used to be a great company. 

Figo has A lot of the positives and looks impressive and something I will look into. I will call them this week and pick their brains and request a real policy and rip it apart.

For this year I picked Healthy paws based on of course the contract, a track record and pricing. 

Figo does have me thinking and intrigued.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

One thing about the exam fee and deductible calculation that _could _make a difference among "good" companies with similar pricing is the order in which they do the calculation. HP has a way of doing it that slightly reduces the benefit, but they're very consistent about it.

*Example: $500 bill, $50 exam fee, $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement.*
They first deduct the exam fee: $500-50=$450. Then multiply the "covered amount" by 90% = $405. Then they pull off the deductible from that 90% amount: $405-250= $155 (that's how much your check would be).

That always results in less than if they instead did $500 minus $50 (exam), then applied the deductible ($250) and multiplied _that _times 90%. In the example, it would result in a check for $180 instead of $155.


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## nimue (Oct 22, 2011)

We use (Canadian) Trupanion - they're been great. Reimbursement has always been quick and easy - usually around a week or so, but no hassles. I love the "one deductible per condition/incident" clause - it was really helpful when one dog got quilled and we had to go back to the vet multiple times because quills that were missed or too deep kept reappearing. 

When Guinness was suddenly diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and we had to let him go, we were reimbursed in less than 24 hours, along with a refund of that month's premiums. No investigation, no "checking" with the vet - they saw the euthanasia charge and fast-tracked the whole deal. One less thing to worry about at a stressful time. A week later, a hand-written condolence card arrived in the mail, signed by more than twenty of their staff. I'm sure they do that for everyone, but it was a nice touch.

We have more limited options here but Trupanion, in my opinion, easily offers the best value for premiums paid. Yes they're the most expensive, and yes, the cost goes up every year (which does add up over time!) but I will gladly pay a little more monthly for the peace of mind.


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Magwart said:


> One thing about the exam fee and deductible calculation that _could _make a difference among "good" companies with similar pricing is the order in which they do the calculation. HP has a way of doing it that slightly reduces the benefit, but they're very consistent about it.
> 
> *Example: $500 bill, $50 exam fee, $250 deductible, 90% reimbursement.*
> They first deduct the exam fee: $500-50=$450. Then multiply the "covered amount" by 90% = $405. Then they pull off the deductible from that 90% amount: $405-250= $155 (that's how much your check would be).
> ...


Thank, I'm in the business and that confuses me, haha. I have a yearly deductible so that fuzzy math goes away after my first use pretty much. I have not used this yet, just signed up last month when my PP renewed.


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## Craig Caughlin (Oct 17, 2007)

We've had PetPlan for about 7 years now, and they've gone through a lot of changes and a LOT of price increases.


The stunt they do NOW (that they DIDN'T do before) is a change in their treatment of claims. NOW they charge a deductible for every "incident" your dog sees your Veterinarian for and not just an annual deductible. We have a deductible of (I think) $300 so every new "incident" requires we meet the $300 BEFORE we start to get reimbursed. It's really irritating that's how they treat claims now, but we can't go somewhere else...because so many things would likely be considered "pre-existing".


While PetPlan has been pretty good in terms of paying our claims, I wouldn't recommend them to anyone because I think their new reimbursement method is really slimy as they try to extort more $$$ out of people. When we get a new puppy, I'm going with Figo - I've already made up my mind.


Craig


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## kr16 (Apr 30, 2011)

Craig Caughlin said:


> We've had PetPlan for about 7 years now, and they've gone through a lot of changes and a LOT of price increases.
> 
> 
> The stunt they do NOW (that they DIDN'T do before) is a change in their treatment of claims. NOW they charge a deductible for every "incident" your dog sees your Veterinarian for and not just an annual deductible. We have a deductible of (I think) $300 so every new "incident" requires we meet the $300 BEFORE we start to get reimbursed. It's really irritating that's how they treat claims now, but we can't go somewhere else...because so many things would likely be considered "pre-existing".
> ...



Petplan was and still is per condition deductible. That did not change. What changed is the higher prices. Log into your portal and look at old policys *The deductible will be applied separately to each separate
illness or injury *This is on mine from 2013

Per-Condition Deductible 
A per-condition deductible is applied to each separate condition during the policy term, and can help keep your premium low. 

If you file multiple claims for the same condition (e.g. three claims for treatment related to one foreign body ingestion), your deductible will only be applied once, providing all treatment took place within one policy year. 

If you file claims for multiple unrelated conditions (e.g. one ear infection claim and one foreign body ingestion), your deductible will be applied for each claim.


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## Cody2k (Jan 29, 2018)

Will be looking at HP and Embrace in California and would welcome any other suggestions regarding GSD puppy insurance here in CA, thank you!


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## jabirkhan (Jul 3, 2021)

Todahatch1 said:


> Any suggestions on pet insurance? And when deciding on a plan, what specific details should I look for and what is the average monthly premium I should expect. Sorry for all the questions but after experiencing the hospital visits and health problems that my last dog of 13 years, I realize vet bills can add up real quick. Like $20000 quick. Thanks for the advice.


What insurance you have chosen? i am in the same boat and looking for pet insurance coverage, I am a little confused as most of the companies are charging heavy amount, I have found few companies with decent rates as well thinking to go with them


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## Wonks20 (May 15, 2021)

jabirkhan said:


> What insurance you have chosen? i am in the same boat and looking for pet insurance coverage, I am a little confused as most of the companies are charging heavy amount, I have found few companies with decent rates as well thinking to go with them


Which companies have you found with decent rates?


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

This is an old thread but anyways: I have them on Healthy Paws and am very happy with them. It has paid off very well.


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