<p>My cat had a weird fungal infection throughout her digestive system which prevented her from absorbing any food or liquid, so she was slowly straving to death. The treatment my vet recommended, which included a lengthy hospitalization and removal of her tongue (which was all black and nasty), would have cost nearly $10,000 and had only a slim chance of working. I didn’t have insurance for her, but the vet said that it even if I’d had it, pet insurance usually only covers about 50%. I’m definitely going to check out that Trupanion, which sounds wonderful! </p>
<p>Anyway, I couldn’t pay $10,000, so the vet recommended euthanasia… but I couldn’t bring myself to do it because the cat just didn’t seem ready to go yet. I asked if there was anything else we could try, so she half-heartedly prescribed an anti-fungal medicine and sent us home. It worked like a charm! Kitty is fully recovered and her little tongue is all nice and pink again! The medicine is expensive ($300 a bottle), but that sure beats $10,000 and no tongue!</p>
<p>So sorry about your dog. If the cancer was aggressive, surgery might not have done much but add to its misery.</p>
<p>In the future, however, do consider insurance for other pets. We used to have VPI, which I hate. They have set maximums for each condition. Once you’ve hit the limit, you get nothing. As a result, the worse the condition and higher the cost, the more of the bill that you’re stuck with.</p>
<p>We switched to Trupanion after having two kitty surgeries in a single week 18 months ago. We dropped over $12,000 in one week and got back $6,000 from VPI (after a bitter fight). Trupanion pays nothing for the office visit (usually $40-80), but it pays 90% of everything else (meds, surgery, tests, prescription foods, hospitalization…). You can choose a deductible from $0-1,000. The lower the deductible, the higher the premium. We pay around $30 per month for a 7 year old cat with a $500 deductible. I’m willing to drop $500 on a sick kitty (doing so now, for one who has to see an eye specialist). That sort of cost goes on a credit card and can be taken care of pretty easily. I want coverage for the big risks that I cannot just put on a card and handle with ease. For me, a policy with a high deductible but unlimited coverage based on actual costs is a much better idea. This is especially true for those of us who live in expensive areas, because the VPI limits do not take into account the higher cost of care in some areas.</p>
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<p>It is my understanding that if your breed is predisposed to a medical condition, that pet insurance doesn’t cover it. True???</p>
<p>I have a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and 100% of them have a heart murmur by the age of 10. Pet insurance, as I understand it, won’t cover the cost of diagnosis or meds.</p>
<p>It depends on the company. PetPlan doesn’t discriminate. They’ll cover any condition unless it is a prior condition developed before you purchased the policy.</p>