Your Pet Insurance Guide

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. Therefore, a strategy that many pet owners who purchase a policy from Trupanion use is to select the lowest deductible they can afford (premium). The pet owner in this case opted for a $0 deductible. Trupanion allows pet owners to select their own deductible between $0... Read more →

Gardening With Your Dog's Safety In Mind

Many Americans like to garden. Dr. Jules Benson makes pet owners who also like to garden aware of potential hazards to their pets. Read more →

2010 VPI Hambone Award

Last year, I encouraged readers to vote for the pet of their choice to receive the annual VPI Hambone Award. I must say that the pet I voted for won last years award. Each month, a pet is nominated by employees of VPI -- selected from the thousands of claims that they receive. It is usually a pet that found itself in an unusual and sometime humorous situation requiring a visit to the veterinarian for treatment. For example, the award is named after a dog that was trapped inside the refrigerator and ate a ham leaving just the hambone. The... Read more →

Pet Insurance Claims For Young Pets - Prevention Is The Key

It is interesting what the most common claims are for different age pets. This article reinforces that many problems that young pets get can be prevented. It also reinforces the advice to get pet insurance when your pet is young. Many pet owners don't see the need for insurance when their pet is young and the picture of health. But, you never know... While it's great to have pet insurance when something unforseen and expensive happens, it's much better to prevent it from happening in the first place. The link to insurance comparisons at the end of the article is... Read more →

Pet Insurance Allows Pet To Get Needed Surgery

This is an illustration how pet insurance is supposed to work. Pet needed expensive surgery. Because the pet's owner had pet insurance, she opted for the surgery paying for the bill with a credit card. The dog recovered and she got her reimbursement check from Pets Best insurance company before the credit card bill was due. The title to the article is a bit misleading. I don't think it means that the spinal problem would have been fatal to the dog, but that the pet owner may not have been able to afford the surgery if she didn't have pet... Read more →

Why Buy Pet Insurance?

I ran across an article written by Laura Bennett, the CEO of Embrace Pet Insurance Company, that gives interesting insight on her journey from purchasing pet insurance for the first time to actually starting a pet insurance company. Interestingly, two of the responses to the article were from people who have had pet insurance for a number of years and had negative impressions of the industry. They had purchased a policy from a company that provides limited coverage and/or excluded conditions that many of the newer companies now cover. You must do your research and know what to look for... Read more →

Buy Pet Insurance Early

I recently posted about this subject. Yesterday, I was reading a forum post from a pet owner that had bought pet insurance and when she filed her first claim, the company requested her pet's medical records. After reviewing the medical record, the company denied the claim stating it was for a pre-existing condition. Needless to say, the pet owner wasn't very happy. Embrace pet insurance has a Medical History Review that can give pet owners peace of mind that there won't be any surprises pertaining to pre-existing conditions when you file a claim. Other companies may be willing to do... Read more →

Pet Owner Finally Quits Smoking For Her Dog's Sake

I've told my own clients and have written an article abstract about the effects of second-hand smoke on pets. It causes many of the same health problems in pets that it does in humans. Here is a story that is heartwarming and not only speaks to the issue of the hazards of second-hand smoke, but also the special relationship that exists between some pet owners and their pets. Read more →

Pet Insurance Claim Examples From Embrace

I read pet forums weekly and pet insurance frequently gets negative comments with people saying it is just not worth having. After over two years of researching pet insurance, some of the criticism is warranted because there are both good and bad policies that pet owners can select from. The key is selecting the best ones. I designed the Pet Insurance Toolkit to help you do just that! On Embrace Pet Insurance's blog, they are focusing on the topic of cancer in pets this month. Below are a couple of links to actual claims that Embrace paid for pets that... Read more →