Trupanion | Pet Insurance Review

IF YOU ARE SHOPPING FOR PET INSURANCE, PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW!!!!! Anyone considering or shopping for pet insurance needs to read this story, please! I once had a cat for whom I had insurance, then decided it was a waste of money and cancelled it. She was diagnosed with heart disease soon after and by the time she passed away, cost me quite a bit of money in addition to the wear and tear on my heart strings. This time, I decided to insure my three healthy cats and chose to go with Trupanion after reading good things about them written by other fur baby parents on Facebook. Like all insurances, there is a monthly premium, they collect the animal’s health records and eliminate preexisting conditions. However, I will tell you that Trupanion has been the most wonderful, outstanding service and absolute best decision I ever made. I no longer have one of the cats and a second is exceedingly healthy. Let me tell you about the third cat, Mason. Mason is a male Sphynx cat who grew up “the world’s healthiest cat” (according to the vet). Mason was always a very muscular, athletic, healthy, calm, fabulous cat. I acquired him in 2014 at age two. From 2014 into the summer of 2018, Mason was always completely healthy. Beginning in June 2018 (after I took out the insurance) and continuing to the present, Mason has been sick continuously. It began with what seemed to be a UTI but ended up being intestinal disease. He has been seen dozens of times in the past 14 months by multiple vets. He has been treated for giardia twice, trichomonas twice, irritable bowel disease chronically, pancreatitis twice, and UTI several times. It all came on suddenly and was originally believed to possibly be stress-induced due to the third cat. While he initially improved after the third cat left our household, his condition returned. Finally, in June of this year, he appeared to have pain symptoms so an ultrasound was ordered. It came back with questionable spots on his intestines and lymph nodes, possible lymphoma. His new vet and I decided on exploratory surgery with biopsies. Unfortunately, after the surgery Mason developed septic peritonitis. He had to go to an emergency hospital, have emergency surgery, and was hospitalized in intensive care for almost a week. His road to recovery has been long and hard. Meanwhile, his biopsy specimens required further testing but finally came back with bad news: lymphoma in his intestines and lymph node. Mason is now seeing an Internal Medicine specialist and being treated with steroids, specialized food, probiotics, B-vitamin shots, and has had four doses of chemotherapy. We do not know what the future holds but at the moment he has his good and bad days. On good days he is his old self. On bad days, he retreats to his cave. Throughout this entire ordeal, Trupanion stood by us all the way. Every claim has been processed quickly. The deductible goes by disease so after I met that (very quickly), they have been picking up 90% of everything except exams ever since. I especially want to draw attention to their performance when Mason had to have emergency surgery and hospitalization for five days. It was an excellent facility with a direct connection to Trupanion (I recommend EVERY clinic do this). It was obvious to me from the start that this was going to be an expensive undertaking and I was very scared. I am a disabled vet on a fixed income. However, the clinic and Trupanion got together on this and took all of the stress away from me. Trupanion pre-approved all of the treatment plans in advance and the clinic said I could wait to pay my portion until after Trupanion paid the bulk, so I was able to concentrate on Mason. Here is the real kicker. I was going to take Mason home on a Saturday. I knew that Trupanion could not pay the clinic until the final invoice was generated, which would be on Saturday. I was afraid that the clinic would not get paid on Saturday and I would not be able to take Mason home without paying his bill ($7000). I will note here that none of the charges were unreasonable and in fact were very reasonable. Mason just got a lot of care! I called Trupanion to ask if they would be able to pay the clinic on Saturday so I could take Mason home. The wonderful lady on the phone (I wish I had gotten her name!) said the following: “we have you and Mason covered so just go take care of yourself and him and we’ll handle the rest.” They did. Between Trupanion’s support and the clinic’s help, I was able to get through this extremely difficult time without having a nervous breakdown (and I was close to it, believe me!) Since then, Trupanion continues to pay for Mason’s care and when I call, I get such personal service! Recently, I even got a wonderful handwritten card from the staff at Trupanion, expressing their thoughts for Mason and asking for pictures! Trupanion has paid thousands and thousands of dollars for Mason yet my premium only went up minimally this past year. They continue to provide outstanding support to us both financially and emotionally. I cannot adequately express how much this has meant to me over these last 14 months and how grateful I am to have them in our corner as we move forward through Mason’s cancer. I do not know how long he has, but he has Trupanion at his side, thank God! I cannot recommend Trupanion too strongly. It has been a lifesaver in this household! Get it! My cat has been sick for 14 months, including expensive surgery, treatments, and many vet visits. Trupanion has stood by us all the way, picking up 90% of the costs and keeping the stress away. They have treated me like Mason is THEIR cat and been a source of both financial and emotional support through very difficult times. I cannot recommend them too strongly. If you don't have it, GET IT!!!!!

This pet insurance sounded like a good idea. However, they Do Not Ever Cover Vet Bills!!!! 1) they deny Anything that might possibly be related to a pre-existing condition. I did not see that in the fine print, but okay. 2) they automatically deny any Legitimate vet treatment, even after multiple animal clinics confirm the valid claim. 3) they make the appear process very complicated. 4) they Do Not Reply to e-mails most of the time and time you out on calls. I have been waiting on an emergency room bill to be paid for 6-months now and they just keep responding that “no agents are available to review your claim at this time.” All they Do is Take your payments, and Do Not Pay to reimburse your pets medical expenses!

Claim process is quick and efficient.

The claims process was straightforward and prompt. The pay outs were in line with policies that were already understood.

I've been extremely impressed with Trupanion. While I was at the vet, they had someone on the phone and were suggesting Trupanion. I was desperate to speak up and advocate for Trupanion. It's such a great pleasure knowing I can concentrate on my dogs health.