Great Pet Plan Claim Experience

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I want to share our most recent experience with Pet Plan for those new Doodle owners who are deciding whether to purchase pet insurance and are comparing companies.  We got pet insurance with both of our boys right after bringing them home, and it has paid for itself several times over.  Murph has been struggling with GI problems for years now, but a few weeks ago it escalated and he became very sick.  He started during the night with severe diarrhea and vomiting.  He had been refusing to eat on and off for several days before and was acting like he had nausea, but after a Pepcid he seemed to feel better so I thought it was just part of his regular GI issue.  With the severe diarrhea and vomiting I took him to our vet....it was New Years Eve day and she kept him for the day and rehydrated him.  He perked up but they couldn't get him to eat anything so she didn't want to let him come home.  We had to bring him to a Specialty Hospital about an hour away and he was admitted.  By the next afternoon they felt he was stable enough to come home, and I was able to get him to eat some plain chicken and rice (and it stayed down).  They felt this was either Addison's Disease or an IBD flare.  So we went back to our vet for the Addison's test and the GI panel.  The Addison's result were negative, and the GI panel was borderline for IBD.  While his folate and cobalamin counts were in the normal range....they were right on the line.  So we started him on B12, metronidazole, and cerenia for the nausea.  We decided to keep him on nothing but the chicken and rice for a few weeks and see what happens.  We believe their are clearly foods that aggravate his condition and went ahead with the blood testing for food allergies knowing that the accuracy of these tests is questionable.  To be honest I just really needed a starting point.  It did show that chicken was okay, and our "test" over the past few weeks proves that to be the case.  So we're now at the point where we have to determine next steps.  He is stable and he's just finishing the meds.  My Vet has been in consultation with a GI Internist in a specialty clinic and there is consideration being given to doing an endoscopy.  That requires anesthesia and so there's a lot to consider.  I should have a decision and a more specific strategy for moving forward next week. 

So the point of sharing all of this is that I am very thankful that I had insurance, and to share the amazing experience that we had with Pet Plan on this claim.  I mailed the claim form and vet documents overnight a week ago Thursday.  On Saturday I received an email from Pet Plan saying they received it but one of the invoices was missing.  On Sunday I called them and explained that the Specialty Vet had included two invoices together.  They were fine with that and said they would expedite the claim.  By Tuesday I received a phone call that they had finished the processing and were covering everything but the deductible.  The following day I received an email saying the check for $1400 had been mailed and I should have it by Friday or Saturday (I'm expecting it today).  Basically they settled this claim (which was complicated) and released a check in less than one week.  Additionally, they kept me apprised of exactly what was going on from the day the claim arrived at their office.  When they called to say they had everything they needed and were going ahead with the processing the first thing the Claim Rep asked was how Murph was feeling.  This is fantastic customer service IMO and I just wanted to share the experience.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

 I don't know whether it is the same company here but we also had a very good experience with Pet Plan. In Ireland I don't have to pay the vet. It is the vet who sends the paper work to the company and they paid him direct, same with the hospital and the rehab. As each bill was paid I received a letter asking me if I agreed with the invoice they were about to pay and only to contact them if I had a problem. The other good thing was that the premium did not increase this year following last year when they paid out almost  $5000. The premium is $15 per month, very good value I think.

PS I am hoping you get answers soon about Murph and that whatever is going on can be treated or managed easily.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow, your monthly rate is much lower than ours.  I'm wondering if your Vet charges are less.  I'm glad you also had a really good experience....the peace of mind is so important.

[Martha & Cooper]

Jane,  so sorry that Murph is feeling so poorly.   I hope things turn around soon for him.  

As for Pet Plan, I can't say enough good things about them.   They usually pay as stated in the policy and when I think they haven't, it is usually something that I have overlooked.   Duh!  For example, Cooper's policy renews in October and I sent in a statement for more Physical Therapy for his recovery from CCL surgery after October 1st., so they assessed another 100.00 deductible, when I thought I had already paid the deductible for this particular incident.   I learned that the deductibles start over with the renewal of the policy, but the maximum out of pocket is reinstated every year, as well.   It is a good trade off, I think.    Otherwise, Cooper would have run out of insurance a long time ago. 

Keeping positive thoughts coming  your way for Murph. 

Hugs from me and Cooper.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks Martha....and I'm glad you also had such a good experience.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Thanks for sharing.  I've had a similar experience with my few claims with Healthy Paws but it's impressive (and good to know) that so many people like Pet Plan.  I hope you get some answers and that Murph continues to feel better.  Finn had a bout with diarrhea and vomiting last fall.  Because he's had recurring bouts of diarrhea all of his life (especially when stressed) the vet thinks he might have IBS. He mentioned a possible endoscopy but not yet. Restricting Finn's diet to grain free chicken, fish or lamb and only using chicken as a topper (no premium canned foods ever) has helped stabilize him but sometimes it's hard to figure out the stress.  I'll be following Murphy's progress with interest.  Hugs to all of you.  You've really had your hands full. 

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Cheryl, if your vet is considering an endoscopy, he is thinking that Finn might have IBD, not IBS. People use the terms interchangeably, but they are two very different things. 

For clarification purposes, here's some info.

IBD stands for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which is a very serious, incurable immune-mediated disease of the lining of the digestive tract. JD was diagnosed via endoscopy back in 2011. It can only be diagnosed via biopsies taken by endoscopy or exploratory surgery, although there are other tests that can point in that direction. Only 20% of dogs with IBD can be managed with diet alone once they are stabilized. 60% will require ongoing medication as well as dietary restrictions for life, and the remaining 20% cannot be stabilized long-term and do not survive. IBD is similar to Crohn's Disease in humans, and usually requires the same type of immunosuppression treatments. It is a very difficult and frustrating disease to deal with.

IBS stands for Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and it is basically a nervous stomach. There are no diagnostic tests for it, it is not life-threatening, and it is usually well-managed with diet alone. 

I hope with all my heart that Finn does not have IBD. 

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Karen, thanks for the clarification.  It's very helpful because the two terms are confusing.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Thanks, Cheryl and I'm sorry to hear about Finn.  For quite awhile we assumed that Murph had IBS, but this last episode was very severe and there was no stress involved.  Both the Specialty Vet and my Vet are now thinking IBD, even though his GI panel results were borderline.  We're trying right now to get the food under control.  He's doing well on the plain chicken and rice and we introduced a chicken based limited ingredient kibble a few days ago, which hasn't caused an issue so far.  Next step is to decide on whether or not to do the endoscopy and what meds he should be on longer term.