Puppy insurance

[Rosa]

I have the feeling I need to purchase puppy insurance. I would appreciate suggestionscsnd comments.

Rosa/Bridget

[ks-man]

I was surprised to hear that also.  She kept talking about Nationwide and their wellness coverage.  I live in a very wealthy area so I wonder if a lot of people are paying for extras such as wellness and certain exam visits or medication like Stacy mentioned.  Then other people come in getting a more bare bones policy and get upset that wellness isn't covered.  It wouldn't surprise me if people around here aren't doing any research first.

Then the people who are willing to pay for the higher end policies are happier or at least getting more covered since they're paying for it and others who are just looking at a price and getting it aren't aware what isn't covered and then get upset.  I put more faith in DK.com and if people have had good results with those plans and getting issues covered (which should be covered) then I'm OK with it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm in a fairly upscale suburb as well, my vet's office is on the North Shore, and they told me just this year that PetPlan and Healthy Paws are the most popular insurance companies among their clients. So I don't think that's a factor. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And as an extra incentive to getting coverage, I'll tell you that just the diagnostic testing for many health conditions will run more than four figures. My guy needed an endoscopy to diagnose a GI problem in 2011; that bill was $3000, before any treatment was even started. An MRI to diagnose a herniated lumbar disc in 2012 cost $2600, again, just for diagnostics without any treatment. Had I done the surgery, total costs would have been over five figures. Any dog, even the healthiest, can get an orthopedic injury. 

[Stacy]

Katie's CT and biopsy were $1400. And that was lower than the estimate, but I think they gave me a discount because I had just purchased a new wing for the emergency vet.

[Stacy]

Listen to Karen. Karen is wise. 

One thing to maybe research. I think some plans might cover medications. My understanding is that Healthy Paws does not. I think that might include things like chemo drugs, and that would make a big difference in coverage if your dog has cancer. I would not swear that is a factual statement, but it might be something to look into before you choose a policy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

To my knowledge, most policies do cover medications. I know mine does, and I know the people here who did do chemo had coverage of those drugs as well. 

[Tara and Maggie]

Hi!  A note about Trupanion...we (unfortunately) did have a claim last year and much to my surprise when they sent me my annual policy update the premium actually went down a couple bucks/mo.  I realize this may not always be the case, but did want to chime in since cost is a consideration.  

[ks-man]

Just was chatting with PetPlan.  It sounds like knees are excluded for 6 months unless you have your vet perform a knee exam first.  They said if there becomes a knee injury in those first 6 months that they will never be covered.  Is that common? Do most people get that knee exam by their vet?  

Also it sounds like there is a 365 day waiting period if the pet had the illness before and it is curable.  This would mean Cannoli wouldn't be covered for Giardia until he is clean from it for a year.  I think Trupanion only makes you wait 6 months. Something to consider if your pet has been sick already.

[Stacy]

I'm just skimming my policy - it says hip dysplasia is excluded for 12 months.

And: Pre-existing cruciate ligament problems to one leg as respects the cost of future treatment for problems of the other leg;

And, yes. The pre-existing condition clause is one of the most troublesome things about pet insurance. That's why it is beneficial to get it early, before the pet has had time to acquire any health problems. It also says they exclude problems that would be preventable with vaccines or medication. So they won't cover your heart worm treatment if you don't give your dogs heart worm preventative. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I don't know about most people, but my dogs go to the vet within 3 days of coming home for a good hands-on exam and once over, plus a fecal. In fact, that's a fairly standard part of most breeders' health warranties/contracts. My vet did examine Jasper's knees two days after I got him, as much as you can "examine" by just looking and feeling, without doing Xrays. And he did note it in his records, so I had that covered for insurance purposes if it had come up, which it didn't. 

[ks-man]

Fortunately it didn't come up.  The online chat rep said you need to get a waiver for the exclusionary period with a full vet check of the knees within 30 days of the policy being written.  She said the cost is my responsibility.  Not sure if the vets note would have sufficed or if they have specific requirements that certain tests or x-rays must be done.  

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Fortunate indeed. Jasper's 14 months old now so we're in the clear, lol.