Health insurance questions.

[HalfHeartedNerd]

Hey all, just a quick couple of questions.

New 4 month old Frenchie named Duke.

I was told by a few people that I should purchase some health insurance for my puppy. I just have no clue where to start. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a company/plan that I can start to look into.

Much appreciated and thank you.

 

[Cbrugs]

I have insurance on mine and boy, am I glad I got it! Jax got diagnosed with IVDD last summer and he has had 3 MRI's and 2 surgeries since then and I wouldn't have been able to do it without insurance. It is best to get insurance ASAP as no companies with cover pre-existing conditions. I have the whole pet with wellness through Nationwide and after a yearly $250 deductible, they cover 90%.

 

[Alice Kable]

We have always "self insured" our dogs, but a breeder I'm working with now recommends Truepanion

 

[2bullymama]

I have always just kept a credit card specifically for the pups.


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[GraciesMom]

I am somewhat hesitant to offer a recommendation since I haven't had an opportunity to use the insurance yet but I got a policy from Healthy Paws for Gracie. They were recommended by a couple of independent sites and unlike many companies do not have a per incident or annual limit. Plus you can chose from three deductibles and levels of coverage to customize your plan. To echo what others are saying, you should get insurance as quickly as feasible to avoid not getting coverage for pre-existing conditions. Plus many companies have a waiting period before you can make any claims. I believe Healthy Paws has a 15 day waiting period.

 

[d00ditsjake]

I have Bo on a wellness plan at Banfield, he's been on that since I got him and I have one super close to where I live. But once that runs out I will not be going back to them, they always try to upsale you on something you dont really need. But the wellness plan is nice since I don't have to pay a office visit fee when I go. But I just signed up Bo with PetsBest insurance, $200 Deductible, 90% Reimbursement.

Covers: Accidents, Illnesses, Cancer, Hereditary Conditions, Surgeries, Emergency Care, Take-Home Prescriptions, Accident & Illness Exam Fees, Rehabilitation, Acupuncture & Chiropractic.

Wish I got it sooner, he just had a case of giardia and that would of helped some but he is fine now though.

 

[nict]

Hi, we have used Nationwide (formerly VPI) for our pug since he was 3 yrs old. It has paid for itself esp this year with his recent GI issues (he is 12 now). Same for our boxer. We insured our Frenchie pup Winston with Healthy Paws. $250 deductible per year and then 90% with the best all around coverage (even better than Nationwide). It's the big bills that these plans really come through for not your wellness checks. A dear friend canceled her policy when her dog was 9 and within a few months he fell very ill and 6K later they had such remorse for canceling their policy. Most of these plans cost less than $50 per month when your pet is young and many people tend to spend more money than that on things they don't need each month. Given what I have read about Frenchie health issues, this is a no brainer. Hope that helps.

 

[okgrau8]

Hi, we have used Nationwide (formerly VPI) for our pug since he was 3 yrs old. It has paid for itself esp this year with his recent GI issues (he is 12 now). Same for our boxer. We insured our Frenchie pup Winston with Healthy Paws. $250 deductible per year and then 90% with the best all around coverage (even better than Nationwide). It's the big bills that these plans really come through for not your wellness checks. A dear friend canceled her policy when her dog was 9 and within a few months he fell very ill and 6K later they had such remorse for canceling their policy. Most of these plans cost less than $50 per month when your pet is young and many people tend to spend more money than that on things they don't need each month. Given what I have read about Frenchie health issues, this is a no brainer. Hope that helps.

We have had Nationwide since Stanley was a puppy as well. It has more than paid for itself. We have the top tier coverage, and it has covered his neutering, all vet visits, flea and heartworm meds, any prescriptions he's had, and biggest of all, his nares and soft palate surgery. After hitting deductible it was all covered at 90%. My husband jokes that it was one of the best ideas i've EVER had.

 

[Mechadogzilla]

I lost both of my Frenchies this summer to cancer and would like to warn you about my experience with Nationwide Pet Insurance. We had VPI pet insurance (which was later bought by and turned into Nationwide) since our two French Bulldogswere little. This summer, in June, our older dog (13) died of cancer. It was fairly sudden and insurance didn’t come into play. In July, we found out our other dog(10) had cancer. We decided to try and treat it. It turns out Nationwide while promising large amounts of coverage ended up only covering a few hundreds of dollars on treatment that ran into thousands. They have very small limits for each illness ( his form of cancer was limited to $400) so in order to cover a large bill, your dog would have to have many Illnesses. They also fought tooth and nail to cover anything, demanding additional documentation even after my vet had provided pages of info regarding illness. I would strongly recommend that those you considering Nationwide do some research into customer satisfaction; I think you will find many stories similar to mine. I have heard good things about Trupanion and will probably use that or search for similar companies. I will never work with Nationwide again.

 

[Cbrugs]

I lost both of my Frenchies this summer to cancer and would like to warn you about my experience with Nationwide Pet Insurance. We had VPI pet insurance (which was later bought by and turned into Nationwide) since our two French Bulldogswere little. This summer, in June, our older dog (13) died of cancer. It was fairly sudden and insurance didn’t come into play. In July, we found out our other dog(10) had cancer. We decided to try and treat it. It turns out Nationwide while promising large amounts of coverage ended up only covering a few hundreds of dollars on treatment that ran into thousands. They have very small limits for each illness ( his form of cancer was limited to $400) so in order to cover a large bill, your dog would have to have many Illnesses. They also fought tooth and nail to cover anything, demanding additional documentation even after my vet had provided pages of info regarding illness. I would strongly recommend that those you considering Nationwide do some research into customer satisfaction; I think you will find many stories similar to mine. I have heard good things about Trupanion and will probably use that or search for similar companies. I will never work with Nationwide again.

Sorry to hear your story. However, it sounds like the plan you had was based on a benefit schedule which means they only cover so much per year per diagnosis. I used to have that plan but then upgraded last year to their whole pet with wellness plan and since then, I have had over $22,000 worth of vet bills for Jax and some are ongoing treatments and they have reimbursed 90% of all costs. I have never had any issues.

Again, I am sorry for your loss and your experience but it all depends on what kind of plan you have.


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[Mechadogzilla]

Sorry to hear your story. However, it sounds like the plan you had was based on a benefit schedule which means they only cover so much per year per diagnosis. I used to have that plan but then upgraded last year to their whole pet with wellness plan and since then, I have had over $22,000 worth of vet bills for Jax and some are ongoing treatments and they have reimbursed 90% of all costs. I have never had any issues.

Again, I am sorry for your loss and your experience but it all depends on what kind of plan you have.


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I paid $700.00 a year for insurance. Nationwide’s website shows example scenarios of MY plan giving back thousands for serious injuries. I have still not received remainder of premium nor even indication that process has been started even month after providing evidence that my dog is dead. I am glad Nationwide is working for you, but I still believe it to be a scam of a company. Look online, it has one of lowest ratings of customer satisfation of all pet insurances.