Pet insurance advice
 

My Pixie has been sick for a while and we are finally looking for pet insurance.


At present, her only diagnosis has been a tick disease. She has been suffering recurrent stomach issues but we do not have a diagnosis yet. We need more tests and labs to determine exactly what is going on. Would this be considered a "preexisting condition" for insurance purposes?


Any recommendations as to a plan that would cover her stomach problems??

From my understanding, pretty much anything they have seen a vet for in the past would be pre-existing except standard care ie vaccines, neuter/spay etc...

Chews is on healthy paws. When Chewie was doing really badly for two weeks with tummy issues, and my daughter leaving something bad out and she managed to eat it- I called them in a panic. I was babbling and crying, and they managed to understand. If, in the unfortunate event she's in the hospital and her bill is looking like it's over 900 dollars, they set up an account to pay out directly to vet/hospital. They cover everything except routine visits. I know they have a higher tier TO cover other things.. and

Trupanion is another one that will even cover visits at a premium. Those two are my favorites, and it was countless hours of research on both. I know every one has a favorite, but there hasn't been one single claim they've denied- healthy paws i mean. My own vet recommended trupanion, and I know it lives up to it's stellar reputation. We have a year covered on healthy paws at 25 a month, as we got a great discount. I believe it's still going on. it's a pretty great tier, too. 90% covered. 250 dollar deductible. *edited to add: Chewie had a nasty bout with gastroenteritis, a really, REALLY, bad constipation issue, and pancreatitis prior to this, and they still covered her. Hope this helps.

Im getting healthy paws for mine. I've heard all great things about them.

Thanks!!!!! I am going to check those!

Thanks for your reply.
I have a friend that recommended Trupanion and now I got the Healthy paws too.

If she has already seen her vet for the tummy issues AND you're planning on using that same vet with your insurance when you have it, then it would be determined a pre-existing condition by the insurance.

I had Pet Plan first, then switched to Healthy Paws - both are wonderful! I do like the way Healthy Paws does its deductibles though, much better. I'm not carrying any insurance for the last year or so now.

I think health ins can be just wonderful - especially in younger dogs when it's most affordable. As they age and the insurance premiums really go up, you sorta have to reassess whether it's still worth it for each individual dog and the risks without it.

After having Callie who came from a puppy mill and ended up needed 3 leg surgerys and has multiple issues I decided the new pup would have health insurance. I luckily got it before he had any pre existing conditions and am happy with it. I got healthy paws.

It is my understanding with trupanion here in Canada premiums will not rise based on age. Might be diff in the states.

Many of them here say too "it won't increase w/ age" - and yet every year, the premium does increase as if it's exactly correlated to age; they just say it's for "rising veterinary costs" every year. Plus, if you get a quote for a 1 yr old vs a 7 yr old, totally different -- based on age.

So they kinda talk out both sides of their mouth...which is typical for ins companies :rolleyes:.

I agree! We have Healthy Paws since Cali was a year old - she is now 8 years old. Have never had to use the insurance because she has been super healthy. I wanted it for when she got older and I worry about the cost of cancer etc.

So, I am happy that we have not had to use it but it has gone up about every other year and like Wylie'sMom says they will not say it has to do with her age.

Since she is the only dog I have I will try to keep it going as long as I can and continue to pray she remains healthy!

Hi ladies, I've always wondered about pet insurance too. I wanted to look into it when my lil Toby was 1 but I never got around to it. Now I don't know if it's too late. He is a stone maker and had surgery last year. Does this mean he now has a pre existing condition so he won't qualify for insurance or just that the premium would be higher?