Your Pet Insurance Guide

Trupanion Announces Expanded Coverages

Trupanion recently announced expanded optional coverages to their base policy. You can see how much each of these options costs when you get a quote for your pet.

Most Expensive Cat Breeds

As I've stated before, data compiled from pet insurance companies based on claims they've paid provide pet owners with some interesting statistics. Trupanion recently revealed in an article the 5 most expensive cat breeds to own based on claims filed during the past decade. 

Trupanion Recognizes Veterinarians in Tru Hero Contest

Today's post isn't about pet insurance per se, but about some amazing veterinarians and their staffs who are heros to their clients and their pets. After reading the stories of these pets and the veterinarians who took care of them, I am proud that they represent the best of the best in our profession.

I commend Trupanion for running this contest (great job, Stacy), and I encourage everyone to head on over to the Trupanion blog and read these amazing stories. Be sure and read the comments that follow each story also. Feel free to leave your comments there and back here also.

Switching Pet Insurance Companies In Midstream

This is the second installment of guest posts by readers of this blog detailing their journey of researching and finding a pet insurance company and policy for their pet. In this story, Merrick decided to switch companies when his dog was 10 years old. This can present some challenges especially when considering the presence of pre-existing conditions. I greatly appreciated his willingness to share his thoughts during the research process and even now. The opinions expressed in this blog post are those of the author. Every pet owner's situation is different and may have differing opinions and/or reach different conclusions. However, this story can provide valuable insight into the process of researching pet insurance companies and policies.

 Here is what he wrote:

You and I have been conversing back and forth via e-mail for several months now, so I think it's time to tell my "pet health insurance story."

It's also an appropriate time to do so given that just last month I cancelled my 10yo Lab/Chow mix's policy I had with another company (one that uses a rate schedule) that we had since 2004 -- a full seven years!  She hasn't had any major problems since then, thank heavens, because I obviously want her to be as healthy as possible throughout her life.

But let's jump back to last fall (2010) when I was carrying our old policy, knowing it wasn't the greatest, but giving me at least a sliver of peace of mind, given that I was not aware of any other pet health insurance plans.

A Recommendation In Favor Of Pet Insurance

I'll let this letter speak for itself.

Tupanion's 5 Most Expensive Claims Paid In 2010

I expect that people will react in different ways to the size of these claims paid by Trupanion. What is your comment?

 

Trupanion Claim

I'm going to start posting examples of claims that I can find that the various pet insurance companies have paid to let pet owners know potential problems that pets can get and how much it costs to treat them. Pay attention to the age of the pet, breed, etc. as it could also apply to your own pet. I'm going to group them under the categories (see list in right sidebar) by the company name (in this case Trupanion )and "Claim Examples."

http://tiny.cc/zsqjz

Trupanion Offers No-Limits Policies

Trupanion recently removed the $20,000 lifetime limit on their policies. There is also no per-incident or annual limit. This makes them unique among pet insurance companies. 

Pet Insurance Claim for Intervertebral Disk Disease in a Dachshund

I ran across this example of a claim for surgery on a condition common in Dachshunds - intervertebral disk disease (slipped disk).

Since this is a Trupanion claim, I want to point out several things about it. Trupanion doesn't pay for examination fees. The examination fees in this example are likely from a specialist. Depending on the length of hospitalization, daily examination fees can add up. Therefore, many pet owners who purchase a policy from Trupanion will select the $0 deductible and let the examination fees act as their deductible (as the pet owner did in this case). Trupanion allows pet owners to select their own deductible between $0 and $1000. Remember, however, it is a per-incident deductible, so you want to keep it low as a general rule.

Good Information from Trupanion website

As I've stated before, pet insurance companies use their website to promote their product in the best light and sometimes even compare themselves to competing companies. However, some websites also provide very good educational material for pet owners in an effort to help them understand how pet insurance works. When I find such material, I'll pass it on to you - but, that doesn't mean I endorse that particular company, but simply that they have provided something that every pet owner should know and understand about pet health insurance. Here are several pages from the Trupanion website:

Cost of Claims

Truth About Profits and Costs of Claims

Alternatives to Pet Insurance

Best Time To Purchase Pet Insurance

I'm reminded of the question, "When is the best time to plant a tree?" The answer is - 20 years ago. If you had planted a tree 20 years ago, you'd be enjoying it's shade, fruit, etc. today. If you haven't planted a tree sometime in the past 20 years, the followup question is, "When is the next best time to plant a tree? The answer is - today.

Since pre-existing problems aren't covered by pet insurance policies, the best time to buy pet insurance is when you first get your pet before a problem occurs that could be considered pre-existing. Enroll those new puppies and kittens!

Now, Trupanion has offered stats that support this advice.

Claims for Grape/Raisin Toxicity

I found an article today about claims that Trupanion has paid for this common toxicity in dogs and cats. Many people are surprised to learn that grapes and raisins are potentially toxic to pets. I've actually had clients volunteer that they occasionally offer a few grapes to their dog. As you can see, treatment for this toxicity can be expensive. Of course, it's best to prevent this potentially lethal toxicity by not feeding your dog or cat grapes or raisins.

Ok, time to fess up. How many of you have fed your pet grapes or raisins? How many of you didn't know it was potentially toxic to your pet?

Trupanion's New Dog and Cat Breed Guides

Trupanion just launched a Dog and Cat Breed Guide that details many of the dog and cat breeds, their characteristics, and diseases that they are prone to be diagnosed with. It is very informative and similar to the Embrace Dog Breed Database which I wrote about earlier, but the layout is different and definitely worth the look. Again, I hope it emphasizes the importance of getting coverage for hereditary diseases when you select the company and policy to insure your pet.