Trupanion | Pet Insurance Review

We originally took our 7-week-old puppy to the vet for shaking eyes and instability. The night before, my young daughter had accidentally dropped him about 18 inches while taking him outside to go potty. Our initial assumption was a concussion, and the veterinarian agreed at that first visit. I submitted the invoice to Trupanion and was told they were waiting on the doctor’s notes. A week later, we returned to the vet because our puppy had developed a head tilt. The vet believed this was related to a vestibular injury and prescribed prednisone. On our next visit (1/19/26), the vet noticed our puppy’s belly was swollen, which we initially assumed was a side effect of the prednisone. Unfortunately, the vet immediately recognized this as liver failure caused by a congenital portosystemic shunt. Our puppy’s abdomen had filled with nearly three pounds of fluid. The vet explained that we could pursue a specialist, but anesthesia would be extremely risky, and there was no guarantee of a good quality of life. We were faced with the heartbreaking decision to put our 10-week-old puppy down. We filed a claim with Trupanion, and within hours they denied coverage, stating that illnesses are not covered within the first 30–31 days of the policy. What makes this especially frustrating is that the first three visits were believed by both us and the veterinarian to be accident-related, not illness. Each visit simply showed a progression of symptoms that ultimately revealed a congenital condition. Despite this, all claims were denied. After our puppy had passed, one Trupanion representative finally informed us that we could have taken our puppy for an initial exam that Trupanion approves. Had the vet determined he was healthy at that time, the 30-day illness waiting period might have been waived. This would have been incredibly important information to know before purchasing the policy and paying over $1,200 in vet bills with no assistance. I am writing this with a heavy heart and a great deal of pain. While I understand insurance policies have rules, the lack of clarity around waiting periods and how claims are categorized felt misleading and deeply disappointing during an already devastating experience. I strongly encourage anyone considering pet insurance to do thorough research and ask far more questions than I did—especially about waiting periods for accidents versus illnesses in puppies. At this time, I would not recommend Trupanion to new puppy owners due to how their 5-day and 30-day waiting periods are applied. I trusted the recommendation from my State Farm agent, but this experience has reinforced how difficult insurance—both human and animal—has become in the U.S. healthcare system.

It is very convenient to have the Vet associate contact you as soon as the appointment is completed. The response from Trupanion is almost immediate. No paperwork required (on my part). Also, if I have an issue or question and I call in, the responder has always been friendly and knowledgeable

Trupanion has been great to work with and they have covered so many things for our Lab. They even cover his monthly pain meds!! I just send in the invoice. My only disappointment is they won't cover acupuncture or chiropractic care unless you get that coverage when you first sign up. Well, that was 8-9 years ago and that kind of care was not on my radar.

Fast and great service

It was easy to submit a claim, and easy to reas the coverage. Very fast service!