Looking for opinions/help with Insurance plans!

RileyBauer

New member
Feb 6, 2014
7
0
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Riley
Hello everyone, my little bully Riley is almost 3 months! She's getting big, and I have her on a $35 a month plan through Banfield Pet Hospital which is located in most PetSmarts! It includes all shots, exams, free visits, spaying is included at 6 months etc.

I'm however thinking of getting insurance for her, god forbid an emergency etc.

What insurance do you guys/gals have with your babies? Price per month and what does it include. She's my first English Bully and I want to make sure she's 100% healthy for her life span.

Thanks for all your help!
 

Manydogs

Well-known member
Community Veteran
May 2, 2013
13,637
2,025
Tennessee
Country
U.S.A.
Bulldog(s) Names
Maudee,MarthaKatie,Lizzie,Bro.Mini
Start your own "Bully saving account" Pet insurance many times is a rip-off, just like all Ins. co. collect YOUR money,but never want to PAY!!
 

Marine91

The New Casper
Staff member
May 15, 2013
8,698
556
Blips and Chitz
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Harlea 5/4/13 - 8/25/22
Insurance becomes worthless the longer you wait to get it so even though your pup is only 3 month old if you have been to the vet for anything other than shots where there is even a mention of a concern or an issue then I wouldn't even bother as the insurance companies will say you have preexisting conditions and not cover a lot of things.

If you haven't had any issues and you still want ins then go for it but do it quickly and keep your pup as healthy as can be for the next 30 days while you wait for the coverage to kick in. I have and will be keeping the ins we have for Harlea as she was signed up the day we brought her home and only went to the vet for her shots during the waiting period so I already know there is nothing in her file they could say is preexisting.

If you choose not to get ins then go with a seperate savings account, credit card or get care credit.

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cali baker

Worlds Greatest Chef
Feb 25, 2011
8,925
851
The Crown City (Pasadena)
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Tate Rory & Finn Paddington
I have to echo what [MENTION=8859]Marine91[/MENTION] says. I also got insurance the day I brought the boys home so that they didn't have anything that could be labeled as a pre-existing condition on their file. I use Trupanion insurance and pay approx. $130/month for both bulldogs. One has a $100 deductible, the other has a $500 one and the insurance company pays 90%.
 

SirJoseph

New member
Feb 16, 2014
60
5
Northern Nevada
Country
United States of America
Bulldog(s) Names
Sir Joseph AKA JOE
When I registered JOE with AKC they gave me a 60 day trial plan with Pet Partners. The coverage is 80/20. JOE got sick earlier this month right after the 30 day waiting period so he should be covered for 80% of the tab at the vet but the 'jury' is still out. The claim has been submitted so we'll see I guess. I have to decide by 3-4-14 if I am going to keep the plan...After reading some of the stories on here you almost have to have insurance and a separate bank account - Ay caramba! :)
 

My Otis

Well-known member
Community Veteran
Sep 2, 2013
3,454
192
North Carolina
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Elmo
I have Elmo and 3 of my other dogs on VPI Insurance, total a month for all three is $131.00, I got a discount by having more than one dog on the Ins. If anyone wants to call them to get some quotes the number is 1-888-899-4VPI Susan Moore
 

brutus77

Skinny-Dippin' Smokin' Tidy Bowl Bionic Woman
Jul 18, 2013
6,940
593
Long Island NY
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Brutus, Frankie, and Jack
Pet Insurance is a rip off. Start a pet savings account and use that. Everything is considered a preexisting condition to these companies. If you go visit your vet and he say "Oh by the way while I was looking at the xray to see if there was a blockage I noticed your bullys hips are not aligned(or whatever, you get the point.). Now if EVER you take your bully in for hip pain or anything related, it will not be covered as they will consider this a preexisting condition even though no treatment was ever rendered for it. IF anything is even casually mentioned it will never be covered. We had a beloved bully die after surgery and Trupanion will not cover the surgery as they are pulling this same crap. So not only does our member here have to deal with the death of her baby, she has to deal with paying for a surgery she thought would be covered.
 

nycbullymama

Well-known member
Dec 22, 2012
5,182
476
Country
usa
Bulldog(s) Names
b and w
My only experience (and an unpleasant one at that) has been with Trupanion.

Like others have said, if anything- and I mean anything, is mentioned in your bullies chart; such as a concern (even by you, doesn't have to your vet) future testing, or any comment at all, and it doesn't even need to be diagnosis, any future claims will not be covered.
That's been my experience regarding a concern I had about his hips, and an x-ray I considered doing when he was 9 weeks old. Well, at 9 months, the x-ray wasn't covered. Even though there was no diagnosis in his chart for anything relating to his hips prior.
As far as Trupanion goes, it was listed as a concern of mine and that made it pre-existing. Just crazy.

So if you want to insure your bullie- you need to do it as soon as you get them. Then make sure if you see a vet for anything in the 30 day wait period, your vet understands that any and all concerns they list just for the sake of being thorough, will mean that all future claims that Trupanion believes even remotely coincides, with anything your vet listed, will be denied. Again, it does not need to be a diagnosis for Trupanion to consider something a pre-existing condition.
 

TheLost

Active member
Dec 28, 2011
461
94
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Molly & Kevin (aka Chunky)
I switched from Trupanion to Embrace.. After you sign up you can request a 'Medical History Review' that should remove some of the guess work of what they will clame as 'pre-existing' conditions.

I went with a high deductible ($1000) and a low payment ($45 total for both my EB's) for major stuff... the little stuff will come out of pocket.
 
Jan 12, 2014
461
15
McAllen, TX
Country
US
Bulldog(s) Names
ACE (The Bathound)
I went with pet plan, 90% coverage with $250 deductible per incident. Draw back is that I took Ace for an Upper Resp Infection a few days after I got him, which down the line may cause coverage issues. I had to make a decision cause I would never be able to afford $1000 in a hit if something worse were to happen. When I called Pet Plan, I asked them about the URI. The rep told me that in certain diagnoses, such as URI, as long as they are not chronic, they may be eligible for coverage in the future. He mentioned something like going over 12 months with no URI's, then it would be covered. Then again, these are reps trying to sell policies! I hope I never have to use it. It gave me peace having it though. Pretty much, just like human insurance!
 

HTX Bully

New member
Aug 6, 2013
290
9
Houston, TX
Country
USA
Bulldog(s) Names
Holly
We have VPI and had a good experience so far. Many have had bad results due to questionable tactics by the pet insurance companies and that is undeniable.


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monkey10262

New member
Jan 23, 2014
68
2
Pittsburgh
Country
United States
Bulldog(s) Names
Bear
I don't have any experience with pet insurance but I applied for a credit card and I'm going to use it for vet bills. Absolutely nothing else! We're picking our pup up Saturday and we've only decided to get a puppy a few weeks ago! Saving enough money to keep an emergency fund will take a lot of time for us to save enough but if you can, that's probably your best route.
 

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