4
out of 5
POSTED: | BY: Cory
Beware of pre-existing condition
I bought a wellness and illness/accident policy to cover my jack russel/fox wire terrier mix dog I adopted from the shelter. When I adopted him, he was wheezing in his chest. I went to the vet and they gave me antibiotic for his infection. I then bought this insurance policy. You have to take your dog to the vet within a year for this policy; otherwise, you have to take him to the vet within 14 days or so when your policy start. Since I just adopted him, I only had the one vet visit to report back to the insurance. Three and half month later, my dog caught Kennel Cough from a dog at the park. I had to take him to the vet to get antibiotic. Since he had an "upper respiratory infection prior to the start of your policy which makes any conditions caused by or related to this condition pre-existing until he has been free of all clinical signs for a full 12 months from the last noted occurrence" I could not get reimbursed for the kennel cough nor will I be able to get reimbursed for any other respiratory infection until 12 month later. I do not understand why I have to wait a full year to be cover for respiratory infection. There are several different type of respiratory infections and some are triggered by several different type of organisms. For instance, Pneumonia and Kennel Cough are caused by several different strains of bacteria, viruses, and fungi. My dog was already vaccinated against Kennel Cough from the shelter; however, he still got it because he caught a different strain the vaccination doesn't work against. So, beware of any pre-existing condition your dog may have had in the past because they won't cover you. FYI: They will contact the your vet and request a copy of your charts. This is probably standard against other pet insurance.
I did get reimbursed for a test that was part of my wellness plan, so the I can't complain about the wellness plan. I recommend adding it to your plan.