It was 2011, and as I sat on my couch, laptop on lap, an 8 week old Stuart fast asleep at my feet, I asked myself that very question. At the time, there were very few pet insurance providers and even fewer reviews or subscribers. Was pet insurance even worth the investment?
After some research of, I made the decision to start a policy with Trupanion. I could only hope that if I ever needed to file a claim that they would honor their promise to pay for Stuarts care.
Since 2011, pet insurance providers have increased in number, each offering similar plans. What I’ve appreciated, is that Trupanion has only raised the monthly premium twice due to the increase of veterinary care in the area. Fair enough, as you can adjust your deductible to offset the additional cost if you wish to do so.
So how does it work? For every injury or illness your pet has, you pay the deductible – so be sure you are comfortable with the out of pocket expense. Once you have paid the deductible for that injury or illness the insurance kicks in. My policy pays out 90% of care and prescriptions (not including doctors fees) without limits as long as the injury or illness is not a preexisting injury or illness.
Allow me to explain that. If your dog breaks his leg and you don’t have insurance…that isn’t the ideal time to get insurance as that injury is now considered preexisting and won’t be covered. I would however recommend insuring your pet anyways and as early as you possibly can.
Is it worth it? As with any insurance product or claims experience there is a mixed bag of reviews out there. Personally speaking, anytime I hear someone say, “I just adopted a dog/cat.” or if they have had their fur babies for some time, I say yes it is 100% worth it!
Why? Last August I took Stuart out for his typical walk, set his breakfast down and noticed a persistent squint in his right eye. Not the kind of squint that borders as a wink, but the kind that looks uncomfortable. I knew something wasn’t right with him and wondered if perhaps he had just gotten something in his eye. If only they could speak! Not taking any chances off to the vet we went.
In the exam room Stuart’s vet gave me the best and worst case scenarios. Best case it was either dry eye or a corneal ulcer as those are easily treated or worst case, glaucoma which leads to blindness. He ran three common tests, a tear test to ensure he was producing enough tears, a dye test to check for any ulcers and a pressure check to measure the pressure in his eyes. After the tests he sadly informed me that the pressure in his right eye was at 80 (12-20 is normal) which meant he did indeed have glaucoma and that he was also losing his vision in that eye. I started to cry…ugly cry. Was it treatable? Would he need surgery? Would he be okay? The one question I didn’t ask is, “how am I going to pay for this?” Think about it, we purchase insurance for our cars, homes, and health for peace of mind…why wouldn’t we do the same for our animals?
That first visit wasn’t our last. In fact, I had to take Stuart to an ophthalmologist for animals to bring the pressure in his eye down as regular vets typically can’t administer the medication. At the ophthalmologist visit it was determined that he was indeed blind in his right eye and glaucoma was likely to develop in his left eye within the next 8 months.
Since his eye was not enlarged we opted to treat his right eye with three different drops to maintain his eye pressure and left with one eye drop as a preventative. We left with eye drops and literature on the various surgical options as surgery was inevitable.
Later that day I filed my first claim with Trupanion. Less than three days later I received an e-mail that my claim was processed and a check was mailed out covering 90% of Stuarts care after meeting the deductible. They came came through and not just that time as Stuart had many more visits after those first few, the biggest one this past spring.
March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, a Sunday. I was plugging away at some e-mails when I looked over to see Stuart standing on the couch looking awfully confused. I quickly put him onto the floor and observed as he walked around the living room slowly, in various directions…nudging into everything. In that moment, it was evident that he had lost vision in his left eye, rendering him blind.
I cried, but quickly remembered animals feed off of our energy and if we don’t stay positive they won’t either. First thing Monday morning, I booked an appointment at Eye Care for Animals in Pasadena. Not near my home, but these folks have a great deal of compassion for their patients and was the only office that could take a look at him. At the appointment it was confirmed that Stuart was had gone blind in his left eye due to glaucoma, it was time to consider surgical options.
I opted for intrascleral prosthesis as Stuart was an optimal candidate for this procedure. After the surgery, while Stuart recovered I once again filed a claim with Trupanion. About a week later, 90% of his procedure paid for.
Yes, pet insurance is a real thing. I can’t even imagine how many people go through similar situations without it and how many have to make the decision to put down their otherwise healthy, beloved fur baby simply because they can’t afford the treatment. Some may read this and say well, I can just put money aside for pet care, and that is entirely true, but ask yourself, what happens in the meantime if they get ill or injured as you save for pet care?
Though I was hesitant, purchasing pet insurance was one of the smartest things I could have done for Stuart and for myself because he has so much life left in him and is doing incredibly well post surgery.
Check out "Seeing Eye Human" for tips and training for your blind pooch. It’s not as hard as you think.
**Please note this story is not meant in anyway to promote either Trupanion or Eye Care for Animals. I was not asked or paid by either entity to publish this post. Simply my experience with both.