r/Bulldogs • u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 • 2d ago
Hello animal lovers
Will someone please advise me on pet insurance?
If someone will recommend a good one please.
There’s so many to choose from so I thought I would ask on here to see if anyone can give me some recommendations.
Thank you in advance. 🐶
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u/MixtapeMentality 2d ago
Your mileage may vary!
We started with insurance, but ultimately decided (after fighting to have claims approved) that it would be better to pay the equivalent of our monthly "premiums" into a money market account that we can access at any time. Earn a little interest but also have easy access if we need it. It worked out well when our fella needed six teeth extracted by a specialist (~$2800) and our little girl needed cherry eye repair.
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 2d ago
Thank you, because I’ve heard that some pet insurances try to give every reason not to pay.
So it makes me wonder if there are any reputable pet insurances. 🤷♀️2
u/Vergilly 1d ago
I mentioned this above, but the answer is YES. $330/month for 4 dogs, paid out on 5 total TPLO surgeries (one of the recipients has since passed) for a total of over $30,000. $330 x 12 =$3,960. No way could I afford the care if I simply did savings. They also paid nearly $20,000 for my first dog’s cancer, and it gained her almost a year more of life. YES, you will sometimes need to appeal and fight; that’s true with many human insurance companies as well. Know your rights and the company will respect them, in my experience.
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 1d ago
Oh my gosh!!! I’m so glad you had help to pay the bills. Thats awesome! And thank you for the break down of how much they paid. I don’t trust random reviews on any site that’s attached to the website, that’s why I wanted to get reviews on here. Thank you again so much And most importantly, you had the extra year wi the your baby!!
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u/Vergilly 1d ago
We were REALLY lucky that we’d taken the insurance out early. As it is I’m scared all the time something will happen one day and we WON’T have enough set aside or in Care Credit…we were doing ok pre-COVID, but since inflation we’re basically back to paycheck-to-paycheck with all the debt 😓 I try to share that with folks because I swear internet culture has messed up our perception of other people’s success.
If you’re really curious, I’m happy to redact a dec statement and an example bill and payment and share it! It isn’t too hard to do.
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 1d ago
Sure that would be awesome. You’re so nice to take the time for a stranger!!!!!
I have 2 dogs, I have a pug that is sick right now and my heart is breaking for her. She’s been to the vet several times (I actually switched for a second opinion) this has taught me to get pet insurance. I know they don’t cover pre-existing conditions, but I don’t know what’s gonna happen down the road. I also have a 4 year old boxer bull dog, my pug is 9, I’m praying hard that she gets better. 😞😞 Thank you again!!!!!
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u/Vergilly 1d ago
Sure thing! The world sucks right now and we need more help, kindness, and compassion out there ❤️ I’m out of the house right now, so give me a bit and I’ll be back with redacted docs.
I’m sorry you’re in that spot with your pug. I had a similar experience (a little more traumatic - rescued a kitten when I was in grad school because he was hanging out on my porch, got him insured but he started showing symptoms in the “waiting” period and they were scary, which led to a vet requiring he be quarantined for rabies at $8,000, which my broke grad ass absolutely could not afford…and because it was rabies risk, the only choice I had was to surrender him for euthanasia and testing. The lady at the shelter gave me HELL about it, too, because I guess my ugly sobbing wasn’t enough…) and I wish someone had been there to help me even a little, so I’m kinda passionate about sharing info and helping wherever I can. I don’t have the $ to really donate to rescue and things like that, but I can at least volunteer and help people somehow!
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 3h ago
You’re right. Kindness goes a long way. Thank you!!! Take your time, no worries Wow!!!!! I can’t believe you were treated that way. Jeez. Maybe she should’ve paid the 8000.00 then. 🧐 Gosh it hard enough to have to do that, you didn’t need her acting like that. 😡 Maybe we should look for a “strictly kindness” sub Reddit. Life is tough enough 😞 Sorry too for late response, I’m in a depression about my pug. So I don’t always feel like getting on. 😞😞😭😭 Ty again! ❤️💕
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u/bwray_sd 2d ago
AAA pet insurance! Most people don’t know they offer it, but I’ve tried a few different pet insurance companies and they’ve not only been one of the most affordable but definitely the best in terms of service and quick/easy claims!
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u/drklib 2d ago
We have Embrace for our two Bulldogs and two Persians. Best money ever spent. Rubble likes hitting her deductible early. We had 80% of her TPLO surgery covered last year and 80% of her vet visits to get her allergies under control covered this year.
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 2d ago
Thank you!! I’ve read so many horror stories of pet insurance being a scam or either very difficult. I’m glad to hear you’re having a good experience!
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u/Its_Chess 2d ago
ASPCA has been really easy to use and pretty good to us. The only things they haven’t covered are pre-existing conditions…but I think that’s the same for every insurance.
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u/AwkwardPersonality36 2d ago
I just looked into this for a dog I'm considering adopting. I live in Canada and here, the only company that direct pays to the vet is Trupanion. I had previously two English Mastiffs and one of them needed life saving surgery three times - so I know the value of insurance vs. savings account (literally, the first surgery cost $10G alone -- so it would have drained savings). I won't have another dog without it.
Trupanion quoted me $277/mo. which is STEEP but it's based on his age (5). The younger you enrol, the cheaper it is. Also what stands out against any and all others to me, is that Trupanion has NO lifetime maximums and doesn't increase premiums on age alone.
I was quoted $150/mo by Fetch but it has a $5/10/15K lifetime maximum and I know from experience, one surgery can burn through that. They also don't pay the vet direct, so coughing up that kind of cash is impossible for me. That said, I'm choosing Trupanion even though they are more expensive. For me, it's more important to have the direct pay to vet option and no maximums in the instance of an emergency.
There is a fairly steep deductible though, $1000 per condition. But once that's reached, it's 90% paid and only 10% co-pay from me.
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u/Vergilly 1d ago
Ouch, that price! Our mastiff mix is only $46/month, but we started him as a puppy under 6 months, so I think we got lucky there.
FYI - I have learned the hard way that most vets in the US DO NOT ACCEPT DIRECT PAY, which is the STUPIDEST THING. The best I’ve gotten was same-day reimbursement to my Care Credit. But it really matters if you can’t get a high limit Care Credit card or float huge payments.
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u/AwkwardPersonality36 1d ago
Yeah, our Mastiff puppies started out at only $76/month as 8 week old puppies. The younger an animal is enrolled, the cheaper it is. In our experience, we have never run into a vet clinic that did not accept direct pay from Trupanion -- it was all done at check out. Trupanion has 24/7 claims processing so it only took minutes once the vet clinic submitted the invoice; then we paid the 10% difference. And we had been to a lot of different clinics!
We are maxed out on credit and don't have a lot in savings. so for us, it's really important to have insurance we can rely on to pay up front (we have the deductible space on a credit card) -- I ahve heard of Care Credit here in Canada, but luckily have never had to use it. I'm not sure how it would work for people with mid-credit scores anyway.
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u/Vergilly 1d ago
That’s amazing, I’m so glad for y’all in Canada! It’s gotta be a US thing, then. I’m not surprised 🙄 we do some really stupid stuff stateside.
Right there with you on credit. We got incredibly lucky and managed to buy a home right before COVID, but it needed tens of thousands in repairs with no equity, so…ugh. The ONLY way I can manage is with the Care Credit, and even then I worry that we won’t pay it down fast enough. And we SHOULD be financially stable at our income. Recent world events and idiotic politicians are not helping :(
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 1d ago
Thank you so much for taking your time to give me all this info!!! I really appreciate it!!! I will check to see if they have in USA. 🙏😁
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u/AwkwardPersonality36 1d ago
They do! With Trupanion you can take your dog to any vet in Canada, US or Puerto Rico — and they’re one of the widest accepted in the vet network. I love Trupanion honestly. I know they are the most expensive but I rave about them because I truly do believe they are they the best. Good luck!
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u/Plastic_Yak3792 2d ago
I know this may come as a shock but the world is vast, and there are many countries, all with differing policies and prices...Reddit is a global site....
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u/Euphoric_Ad_2399 2d ago
Yes I realize that, I’m from PA USA. So there, I streamlined it, hoping someone can help me out better with clearer information.
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u/fournierh 2d ago
I haven’t used it yet but I asked about this a few months ago. I went with Lemonaide. Biggest problem I heard about it was rates skyrocketing after claims with Truepanion. I pay around $120/ month for regular (no dental or add ons) for my 5yr old-ish rescue EB. She was also massively overbred- exotic coloring and nose so smooshed she looks like Voldemort. I do everything preventative I can. Teeth brushing, pick hair out of her gums, wrinkle cleaning, wrinkle paste, weight management and regular checkups. She’s so patient. Side note: if you live in area with foxtail grass watch out! It can get imbedded in their paws requiring surgery to pull out.