# Insurance: VPI vs Trupanion vs PetPlan vs others?



## Alexasha (Nov 17, 2011)

Hi everyone,
I know this topic has been posted before and I've read the threads but I'm still so confused. Trying to prepare for my 18-19 week old toy pup's arrival and sensing I should get dog insurance. I live in NYC and from my investigation, it seems initial visit at vet is $96 then follow-up $66, $42 per vaccine, $36/ stool sample and who knows how much for spaying... 
Who has experience with which insurances? I like what I read about Trupanion, simply because it makes sense (as in I can understand it) but they don't cover any well-visits, vaccines, spaying... Yet they pay 90% of ACTUAL vet bill instead of other plans that cover a percentage of what they consider reasonable and customary (this doesn't take into account state/city) and caps cost at certain amount.
I guess I want it all: a reasonable out of pocket expense, coverage for everything (routine, illness, accident, medicine, shots etc) without caps but obviously this doesn't exist, does it?
VPI, for example, takes 30 days to activate or something and doesn't cover any initial visits...
What are your experiences? Suggestions?


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## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

I did not want coverage for normal yearly vet expenses, but I did want a comprehensive plan to cover emergencies - those things that can upset a family's financial well-being. I went with Trupanion and when Sisko had enteritis and started to bloat recently it was very comforting to be able to sign consents and not worry about the cost. Trupanion paid up within days. They approved paying for his 'pexy because it would be done in the immediate period (1-2 months)after his bloat episode. The representative I have dealt with has been nothing but polite, kind, concerned and efficient.


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

If you've read previous posts on insurance, i'm sure you came across my "essay" on Trupanion. The compassionate way they treated us, last year, when our Missy was in crisis has made us loyal customers for life. All three of our spoos are covered through the company. One thing I truly appreciate about Trupanion is that there is no maximum limit per incident, per year or per dog. So, when we needed them to cover a hospital bill that ran into the tens of thousands, they didn't flinch. And, if our sweet Missy had survived, she would still have been fully covered, even if her condition later returned. 

It's true that they don't cover regular consultations or shots, etc. Those, to the company, are expenses all good owners should be willing to pay. But they are there when you need them the most...when your heart would be torn apart, having to decide between your dog's life or your life's savings.

Alexasha, if you didn't see my testimonial, please PM me and I'll send you my story. 

Janet, so sorry to hear of Sisko's bloat. Must have missed reading about it on the forum. So glad he recovered, and so happy that Trupanion came through for you. Extra hugs for your beautiful boy!


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## Siskojan (Mar 13, 2011)

Hi CailenRiley, Sisko just had his 'pexy last Friday and has been a sorry dog, but is now on the mend, even tried to play with one of his toys today (we had to distract him and remove it as he wasn't content just to lie and chomp on it) and he has finally got comfy enough to sleep. I remember your post on Missy and your experience with Trupanion, I'm sorry you lost her. I love your current poodle family - I'm very partial to partis.


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## Kloliver (Jan 17, 2012)

VPI has been great to us for everyday issues thus far. They are quick to pay out- 2 wks has been the avg.


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

Oh, wow, Janet. Didn't realize how recent it was. Hope your boy heals fast. I'm sure it's very hard keeping him quiet. 

Thank you for your kind words. It's been just over a year since we lost my heart dog. I keep saying that it feels like forever and hurts like yesterday. It would have killed me if we hadn't been able to try saving Missy with dialysis. Thanks to our insurance, at least I know we did all we could. It still breaks my heart that it wasn't enough. 

Teesha has been a great heart healer, but there will always be a hole where Missy was. We were almost going to get another parti, since we love them so much, but in the end I was afraid I'd compare her to the special girl I lost (especially since she would have been a half-sister), so we finally decided on a different colour and different breeder. Now, after a year, our partis' breeder has another litter, and I'd love to bring one of the girls home. Unfortunately, DH has (probably rightly) declared that 3 are all we can handle...in terms of space, energy and money. If we ever win the lottery and buy a larger house with a huge yard...well, then... ;-)


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## lilypoo (Jul 25, 2011)

I initially chose Trupanion but switched to PetPlan within the 30-day money-back period. The reason for my switch was that coverage with a $100 per incident (not visit) deductible *including* coverage for hip dysplasia is $35/month each with PetPlan Gold. Yes, there's a $20k per year limit, but I think it would be highly unlikely to exceed that. Comparable coverage through Tru was $67 per month each. With two to insure, that was a pretty notable difference and I was willing to have the bit of risk with the $20k limit. FWIW, I have had issues with PetPlan claiming they can't read a couple of invoices I sent in, because when I faxed them, faint vertical lines appeared. If I ever get around to getting then resent, I'm sure they'll pay quickly. They've paid well aside from that, and usually the check arrives within a week.


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

lilypoo said:


> Yes, there's a $20k per year limit, but I think it would be highly unlikely to exceed that.


Missy's eight-day hospitalization and dialysis exceeded that. :-( 

Everyone has different levels of risk tolerance, and everyone has different needs and expectations. I'm glad that there are several good pet insurance companies from which to choose. 

Years ago, I wanted to insure our Wheaten Terriers, but pet insurance companies were not stable back then, and there were far too many exclusions, making the policies almost worthless. The amount we paid in vet bills, over the 15 years we were blessed with our sweetie Wheaties, was a small fortune. Luckily, we never ran into a huge, single expense like we did, last year, with Missy. Also, we still had income from our jobs; we're now retired, so that makes it even more important for us to have insurance. 

Vet costs have skyrocketed, lately, due to more expensive equipment and procedures being available for pet care. It has certainly become very costly for conscientious owners, especially when there are multiple fur-kids in the family.


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## lilypoo (Jul 25, 2011)

cailinriley said:


> Missy's eight-day hospitalization and dialysis exceeded that. :-(


I'm so sorry about Missy.  I can tell she was VERY loved! Dialysis is something I wasn't even aware was available for dogs. And I'm not sure how Canadian $ compare to US $. I might have to reconsider my position on PetPlan vs. Tru though! When our lab had Valley Fever, his bill for about 72 hours was over $4k.

We live in a very low-cost area and that definitely applies to veterinary care, so I feel fortunate for that. Even our emergency visits have been no more than $500, and one included Lily being inpatient on IV fluids and meds all day on Thanksgiving.


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## cailinriley (Oct 30, 2011)

lilypoo said:


> I'm so sorry about Missy.  I can tell she was VERY loved! Dialysis is something I wasn't even aware was available for dogs.


Thank you. Missy was my special girl. It was very cruel to lose her two months shy of her 3rd birthday. :'( 

Before Missy went into renal failure, we had no idea that dialysis was possible, either. It's not the same procedure they now use on humans...it's peritoneal dialysis, which was once performed on people, and still is in war zones, etc., where dialysis machines are not available. 

At the animal hospital, the internal specialist had never performed the procedure, since most owners do not have the insurance and cannot afford the treatment for their dogs. The hospital was not even able to give us an estimate of costs (which included a full-time, round-the-clock technician, as well as an almost full-time specialist), but Trupanion approved the claim and worked out the payments with the hospital ahead of time, anyway. All we ever paid was our portion of the bill (which always includes the tax for Trupanion's portion). Normal claims are paid by the client, and then reimbursed by Trupanion. Although we were expecting that to be the case, we were grateful we didn't have to come up with almost $30,000 at the end of our nightmare week. 

Where we live, vet costs are high...partly because of our local economy, but also because many clinics have high-tech, expensive equipment. Love having state-of-the-art care for our precious companions...and am grateful to have help paying for it. As it stands, Trupanion has not made money off our premiums; I hope that changes, soon...because I'd prefer to have our fur-kids remain healthy than submit claims.


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## Alexasha (Nov 17, 2011)

Thank you,everyone, for your response. CailinRiley, I am so sorry about Missy. Absolutely heartbreaking...
Sounds from all this, Trupanion's the way to go.


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## DavidT (Apr 15, 2010)

Hello,

I think all three that you mentioned are good policys probably. We started out with VPI, but unfortunately we found out the hard way that they do not cover hereditary conditions.

We switched to PetPlan which cost a little more but covers about anything that might come up.

David


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