Well with all the research I have done, and with all your great info, we have decided that Trupanion is the one for us! We are all signed up and coverage will start in 30 days. Hopefully we will never really need to use it, but we want to be prepared if we do!
Thanks for everyones input on the plans/coverage, it was very helpful!!

I use Trupanion as well!! I thankfully have not had to use it yet, but I am very pleased with my monthly payout for both girls and I am very pleased with all that they cover.

As a random side note, I also love their tags!! I have seen some really cheap, plastic looking tags that wouldn't stand up to a normal dog rough housing, and Trupanion has very nice solid tags.

I hope you never have to use it either, but it is always nice to have that piece of mind.

When I called VPI they said they will cover up to $500 of Ruby's knee surgery, and $250.00 for injections, medicines, et all. Her surgery will be around $600.00 to $700.00 for her knee, (not hip dysplasia) I should only have to pay $100.00 deductible. I knew VPI covered something for bad hips after the first 12 months, but didn't know what.

I actually wish I had of gone with Trupanion, its more per month, but they cover more. Especially since Ruby has these issues, sigh!

Well the good thing is that at least VPI is helping you out!

I had decided long ago to not go with VPI. I have heard some not great things about them, and they always seemed more expensive as compared to what they covered. I also didn't like how VPI was constantly getting pushed on me. I have no idea if certain vets get any type of kickback if they get someone to sign up for it..but if a vet pushes anything on me, I usually assume that it isn't something I want to be involved with. Now maybe it's just because I have a natural distrust of most vets, but oh well.

Pet insurance is a tricky thing. I had bounced back and forth between Healthy Paws and Trupanion, but Trupanion had a lot better ratings and my holistic vet was actually treating a dog owned by someone who works at Trupanion and she was the one who convinced me to go for it.

When my cat got sick (tummy troubles) a while back I asked the vet what is opinion was on insurance. In not so many words he told me it was a waste of money, that we would be better off setting up a savings account and putting a few $ away each month "just in case".

I'm still on the fence about it, I have never heard of trupanion until now. I'm going to check them out.

Does trupanion cover shots and regular visits or is it just for illness and emergencies?

They have an option for that, including alternative medicine. But they typically cover emergency and illness. Wellness coverage for virtually any insurance is over priced, I go to clinic for shots and hw, and neutered Cato at a low cost clinic(spay is to invasive IMO so I spent the big bucks on Delilah). I did low cost options because at the time, I was feeding Acana and orijen and it was more affordable. We got insurance on Cato at around 4 months, he is only about36/ month for 0 deductible and 90% coverage. No limits.

Pet Insurance is limited and expensive. Check out Pet Assure, which is a discount program. You'll get huge savings on your pet of any age, and also with any pre-existing medical conditions. No hassles of filling out forms & waiting to get reimbursed. If you choose to get pet insurance, you can still use the program for additional savings. Definitely helpful!

Yeah, we have both. Pet assure only helps if the vet covers it. Insurance is accepted everywhere. Not to mention, pet assure is only 25% off inhouse service. If you have to send to a lab it doesn't cover...insurance does.

MorganHamper wrote:

Pet Insurance is limited and expensive. Check out Pet Assure, which is a discount program. You'll get huge savings on your pet of any age, and also with any pre-existing medical conditions. No hassles of filling out forms & waiting to get reimbursed. If you choose to get pet insurance, you can still use the program for additional savings. Definitely helpful!

With your history, you sound like a spammer - but I'll play along. I actually looked into getting Pet Assure in addition to our pet insurance and did quite a bit of research.

Yes, correct - no pet insurance plans cover pre-existing conditions. A great reason to sign up your dog as early as possible.

In my experience, picking a reputable pet insurance company proves that it is not limited. I also don't feel like $35/month with a 90% reimbursement rate for one dog is expensive, especially when compared to $14 a month for Pet Assure - with what is essentially a 25% reimbursement rate. I also checked the vets in my area and there isn't one vet I'd actually take my dog to. I'd say that the over $8k I've gotten back for Chili is "a huge savings".

Pet insurance is definitely important, but you are right very limited as to the age of the pet or any pre-existing condition. You may want to look into an alternatiive. Check out Pet Assure. It's a discount program. You can keep your pet insurance, but use this program for additional savings. Great for any pet, at any age, with any condition and can be used as much as needed throughout the year. Good Luck!!

cmanding wrote:

Trying to decide if pet insurance would be worth it would take a little bit of research and homework. Where you are located, how old your pet is, what you want covered and how much you want your deductible to be would all has an impact if it is worth it to you.

I found some pet insurance companies are cheaper to get pet insurance while your pet is young. The older your pet gets the more it'll cost to insure your pet's health.

Since Storm is older, Healthy Paws would be the most affordable and the most beneficial. However, I haven't pulled the trigger just yet because Storm is pretty healthy (now that we have gotten him to a healthy weight) and we keep our pets as healthy and sound as we can. This doesn't mean he couldn't catch an ailment that is costly. But the monthly payments to a 'what if' situation needs to be calculated and weighed out to see if it's beneficial. I think if we can hold out, it would definitely be beneficial.

For the time being, we take the monthly payment we would be making and put it in a bank account for that ailment that you least expect so we have something in case it came to that. It's better to be a little somewhat prepared instead of not prepared at all.

I've compared Pet Plan, Trupanion and Healthy Paws. For my pack, being they are almost 8 and 6 yrs old, Healthy Paws would cost the least and be the most beneficial for being in my state.