When we got our cat back in 2009, Trupanion pet health insurance was still a fairly new product in small animal medicine. Since cats are fairly inexpensive to insure, Rich & I decided to enroll our cat as a test, to see if it was really worth it. We enrolled our cat as soon as he was eligible at 8 weeks of age (we had him since he was 4 weeks old). It cost $25 to enroll, and our monthly premium was $21. At the time that we enrolled Emmett, he had had no illness or injury, thus there was nothing that would be considered "pre-existing," or excluded from insurance coverage. The coverage that Trupanion offers is simple. They pay 90% of your vet bills for diagnostics and treatments of accidents, illnesses, medications, and lab work, excluding the office visit and certain items such as special diets. You can read about their coverage HERE.
When people found out that we had a health insurance policy for a cat, they snickered, snorted, and hooted. Some people even had more to say than just funny comments. It was kind of surprising. :) However, Emmett turns 2 years old this month. And I have to say, to all the nay-sayers, BOO YAH!!!!
Five weeks to the day that his coverage started, Emmett had a freaky episode. While we were playing with him, he turned blue and couldn't catch his breath. He started panting (which is NOT ok for a cat) and screaming. I was getting him loaded up to take him to the vet when he started breathing again. The next day, a work up cost us about $300. The Dr. wasn't sure if he had asthma or possibly a cardiac issue. Radiographs showed a slightly odd shape to his heart. The radiographs were sent out for review by a radiology specialist, and an echocardiogram was recommended. By this time we were about $700 in. It turns out that Em had a genetic heart condition that was causing slight shunting and therefore, shortness of breath. I submitted my claim to Trupanion, and after I had paid them a total of $45, I got a check back in the mail for 90%, fully covered...over $600. Nice.
This cat has had continuous issues for his life. Ear infections, heart problems, allergies, asthma, skin infections, chin acne, and on and on the list goes. In the total lifetime of the pet I have paid about $465 to Trupanion, and the check I'm getting back from them for January 2011 vet bills alone is $407. The insurance has saved my patootie!!!
The main thing I have learned about the pet insurance is this: enroll your pet while he or she is still young, before they have any issues or injuries. Thus, your premiums will stay very low (Emmett's are still under $25/mo) and everything will be covered. There are many, many insurance companies out there. Trupanion is my favorite. Not only because they pay my claims, but because I see that they pay the most and the fastest for my clients as well.
Having pet insurance has enabled me to provide excellent care and a good quality of life for my kitty. I will definitely be enrolling any pets I get in the future!!! If you want to read about Trupanion or get a fast online quote for your own pet (you known you want to now, nay sayers) you can look at their WEBSITE. It's easy to say you will not spend a lot of money on a pet, but when something bad happens, you'd be surprised how much your feelings can change!! I see it happening all the time in my office!
Cheers to pet health!!
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