Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice on pet insurance for my two-year-old rescue dog named Sylvie. She’s a spayed female Border Collie/Jack Russell mix. I adopted her when she was about seven months old, and now that I’m taking her to college with me (don’t worry, it’s my junior year at the University of Florida, so I know what I’m getting into), I think it’s time to get her insured. She doesn’t have any pre-existing conditions except for anxiety, for which she takes Prozac. I’d love to know if there are any good insurance options that might cover her Prozac or if that will be considered a pre-existing condition.
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Unfortunately, her anxiety will be classified as a pre-existing condition, so Prozac won’t be covered by any insurance. My dog has anxiety too, and since she was on medication before I adopted her, it isn’t covered either. We have PetsBest, and while the reimbursement process takes a while, I don’t have any other complaints.
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Thanks for the info. I was really hoping her Prozac would be covered, but I appreciate you letting me know.
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We went with ASPCA (not the actual organization, just using their name). They’re one of the few companies that offer unlimited payouts. They also cover pre-existing conditions if they’ve been resolved for a certain period, 180 days, I think. I suggest checking out Pawlicy.com; it’s a great resource that helps you find the best insurance options for your needs. It helped us a lot when we were looking for coverage for our two rescue pups with unknown histories. If you sign up through them, it doesn’t cost you anything extra.
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Thanks for the recommendation
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I highly recommend AKC
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Hey, my dog is a four-year-old Pitt/Sharpei mix. I didn’t know about pet insurance when I first rescued her, so I missed out. Unfortunately, she was attacked by another dog, which led to two torn CCLs. The left one was a complete tear and needed immediate surgery, while the right could wait. I had to cover the first surgery myself, which cost $6k. After that, I learned about pet insurance and chose AKC because they claim to cover pre-existing conditions after a year of coverage. A little after a year, her right leg completely tore, and AKC reimbursed 80% for that surgery without any issues. Overall, they’ve covered all sorts of problems with my dog, and I’ve found them really easy to work with. I pay around $78 a month for 80% reimbursement, a $250 deductible, and I think it’s a $20k limit. Their coverage has definitely been worth it.
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That sounds great, but are there any downsides?
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Yeah, there are a couple of things to note. They only cover one instance of foreign body ingestion per pet’s lifetime, which is a bummer since my dog tends to eat random stuff. Plus, they don’t cover any dental illness or disease. I live in LA and have all the add-on packages, the lowest deductible, and the highest coverage rate, and it still comes to $78 a month. I also got her a secondary accident and illness policy for $24 a month that covers dental issues and foreign body ingestions without limits. This way, my primary plan covers most, and the secondary takes care of what’s left.
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That’s really helpful, thanks for sharing
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Just a heads up, though AKC has stopped offering unlimited coverage for new policies. I called to confirm, and now the maximum payout is $10k. Some breeds are more prone to certain issues than others, but my Jacks always had knee problems, which can get pricey.
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You might want to check their website again because it still shows there’s an unlimited plan available, so it could be outdated. Just so you know, the lower deductible plans cost a bit more but could be worth it if you visit the vet often. For example, if there’s just an $8 difference per month between the $250 and $500 deductible, you’d save $250 from the deductible, making it a smart choice.
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That’s good to consider. But from what I’ve seen, the site glitches when you try to sign up for unlimited, and when I called, they mentioned it was being removed as an option. I really like how they cover pre-existing conditions after a year without treatment and have good responsiveness compared to other companies. But I wouldn’t be able to handle a $10k cap since I’m not sure about my pups’ histories beyond one pre-existing condition each. You’re lucky to have a higher limit.