Table of Contents
Why Get Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance can save you thousands of dollars. Unexpected costs for illness and accidents can be very high. Emergency Vet visits can run in the thousands if we don’t prepare. We didn’t have insurance for our last two dogs. It cost us around $10,000/yr for their final years. If we would have been prepared. Our cost could have been half of that.
What To Look For When Shopping for Insurance
I originally liked the idea that Trupanion pays your vet and you only pay your portion upfront. ( that is not the case in our situation) We have been with other Insurance companies that requested you to upload and send in your receipts. It can get pretty confusing. With Trupanion you don’t have to worry about that. However, their rates are way too high. We had insurance with 24PetWatch when we adopted our dog. We found ourselves not remembering to upload or send our receipts in. Their policies are a bit cheaper but for an extra few dollars, However, after 5 years of paying into Trupanion, we ended up with premiums that started at 179.00 and now have increased to 248.00. That is almost 3000 per year.
We have had one claim in 5 years and have given them over 10,000. but only received 100.00 for one claim. Our deductible was 250.00 but they still only reimbursed us a small amount. which does not make it worth it. I would suggest opening a savings account and saving for your dog’s old age on your own. Start a fundraiser rather than relying on Trupanion. They will not come through when you really need them.
One good part of having insurance is that it will help you with final expenses. Make sure you look over the policy closely. Ask questions. Most of all you will have peace of mind knowing your pet is covered. Most insurance will cover wellness exams but not preventative care, Trupaion says they do but really they do not. Do read your policy over. Make sure your vet is registered with your Insurer. Another reason why fell into the scam with Trupanion. Your rates will increase with them over time if you go with Trupanion. They will not be there when you need them.
Other Alternative to Insurance
You can set up a pet savings account with your bank. I would suggest keeping anywhere from $5000.00 and up in your account. Depending on the size of your dog or cat and health conditions your pet may have. Or you may find yourself not being able to afford the treatment.
Coming Soon
I will be adding to this section as I share my experiences with Trupanion. We have a Perra Presa Canario. She is 15 months old and 145 lbs. We find our vet costs quite high. And I couldn’t imagine if we had an emergency. Having a rescue dog, you have no background information on the parents. So I again highly recommend Insuring your pet. And I look forward to adding more updates on Pet Insurance and what is out there.
Update: Trupanion failed and did not fulfill their agreement when we first signed up. I would not recommend them unless you are willing to pay way more for your costs than what it is worth. We could not depend on them when we needed them. They not only deny your claims with all their clauses. They are not there for you when you need it. You end up paying more in the long run. You are truly better off opening a savings account.
