Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Why did I get turned down for pet insurance?

I occasionally get emails from people asking me why their cat or dog got turned down for pet insurance, asking me my opinion of why that happened.

Here are the top 5 reasons why a pet might get turned down that I have seen:

1. Too Old
   Most insurers limit the issue age to around 8-10 years old (see here) - check with each insurer to see what their limits are
2. Worrisome Pre-existing Conditions
   The pet might have had some illness in the past, such as cancer or an undiagnosed illness that that was expensive and has gone away for the moment. An insurer might not want to take the risk the illness reoccurs.
3. Wrong Breed
   Some insurers will not cover specific breeds for illness coverage, such as Chinese Shar-Peis.
4. Expensive Location
   Insurers are not supposed to decline based on a particular location but I have seen some rejections that make me think that one or two do. The example I saw was a mixed breed Manhattan dog that was rejected but otherwise healthy in all respects and young too. When insurers don't vary their prices by location, they can get hit by the higher costs of places like New York or LA.
5. State not covered
   You would think that you shouldn't be able to go through a whole pet insurance application on-line only to be told that the company isn't licensed in your state the next day, wouldn't you? But it has happened to me. Wake up people, don't let it get that far! Tell me right away so I don't waste my time and think my pet is covered.

Any others you can think of? Have you been turned down for pet insurance? Email me with the details and we'll see if we can uncover other reasons.

Photo courtesy of natxodiego.

Fascinating blog: animal cameras

Since I'm part of the Pets Top 200 list (OK, it's a bit of a fledgling website but growing nicely), I check out some of the other blogs on the list every now and then and this one struck my eye in particular - Animal Cameras.

The blog lists webcams showing a great variety of animal scenes around the world such as Shamu at Sea World in Florida, the Amazon River cam (the commentary suggests you might never want to swim in the Amazon again but it was already on my list of places I'm not dipping a toe in), and a number of bald eagle nests.

I warn you, this is an extremely addictive site for animal lovers. Visit at your own risk!

Help for dogs with arthritis - Sasha's Blend

Have you heard of the movie "Lorenzo's Oil" where a boy develops a disease so rare that nobody is working on a cure, so his father decides to learn all about it and tackle the problem himself?

Well, here is a similar story, albeit not on such a "life-saving" product but just as impactful - Sasha's Blend.

Dan and Corina Bright had a german shepherd cross breed dog that got arthritis by the age of 11 and could hardly get around. Instead of accepting the situation, they put in a lot of hours of research and developed a supplement using green-lipped mussel, abalone and marine cartilage.

Before starting the treatment – aptly named Sasha's Blend – Sasha had trouble with even the most basic of activities and her daily runs with Mr Bright appeared to have come to an end. Even jumping into the car was difficult for the German shepherd/rottweiler cross.

The Brights say Sasha's Blend gave Sasha back her quality of life. She was free to run and swim without pain and lived to the grand age of 18. Mr Bright says even he was surprised how long Sasha lived.

"Big-breed dogs just don't live anywhere near that age," he says.

It's available in most veterinary clinics in Canada but you have to order it in the US - check into the details here.

Rhode Island takes a stand on spaying and neutering

"Gov. Don Carcieri signed a law Friday making Rhode Island the first state to require cat owners to spay or neuter their pets. Cat owners must spay or neuter pets older than six months unless they pay $100 for a breeder's license. Violators can be fined $75 per month."

The idea is to try to reduce the number of kittens that get dumped off at the local pound. I'm wondering, is this the first state to mandate something like this?

How will they would actually implement the law? Likely only when the neighbors complain about all the kittens popping up perhaps?

Read the rest of the article here.

Poll Result: Who do you kiss when you first come home?

The results are:

Significant other: 18%

Child: 9%

Pets: 45%

Other family: 0%

No-one: 27%

Not surprising really is it? Who comes bounding to the door when you get home after a hard day's work - I'm not sure I know anyone's hubby who does that!

Photo courtesy of Matthew M at www.qr5.com

How does pet insurance treat routine care?

Brian made the following comment for the previous blog post "a couple of pet insurance articles":

The Toronto Star article showed the cost of insurance being fairly pricey - $35 a month on average, that works out to $420 a year. I wish there was information on how this helps the regular yearly vet expenses such as vaccinations, heartworm, checkups etc.

Brian, what a great comment. Your wish is my command.

The idea of pet insurance is to prepare for unexpected costs. The price mentioned in the article (C$35 a month) is the PetPlan Canada average price and the benefits do not include regular yearly vet expenses. Since you likely know approximately what those are going to be every year, it is much easier to plan for routine expenses in your household budget than the unexpected larger expenses the insurance is designed for. The premiums are just over a dollar a day for protection against a cost that could force you to make some horrible decisions. That's not even the cost of a coffee these days.

There are some ways you can save money on routine vet bills, which I have covered in my blog entry about what to do if you have large expenses and no pet insurance.

Suggestions include signing up for a discount plan (US only as far as I know), going to shelters for a spay/neuter procedure, and buying your veterinary drugs online.

You can also shop around for a less expensive veterinarian but you might also get what you pay for. I'd always go with word of mouth and personal recommendations for veterinary services and value for money.

Hope that helps.

A couple of pet insurance articles

Seems like the Canadian newspapers have suddenly noticed pet insurance with two lengthy articles on the weekend on the topic.

The Toronto Star had an article on Sunday, June 4 called "MRIs and Chemo, All For Fluffy" (article only available for 7 days). This article was relatively neutral on the facts about pet insurance with the usual story about sick dog up front, discussion of the new technologies and their costs in the middle, followed up by this final dog story.

Linda Lloyd's nine-year-old boxer, Wilson, was diagnosed with lymphoma in February 2005. He received chemotherapy from an oncologist at the Mississauga Oakville Veterinary Emergency Hospital and Referral Group.

"Wilson tolerated the drugs quite well at first, but we never achieved remission," Lloyd says.

The treatment cost more than $3,000. "Lots of friends said I'm crazy. `Why can't you let him go?'"

"We rescue dogs. Wilson came to us after being tossed out," Lloyd says.

When a rescued dog arrives, Lloyd promises the dog she'll do everything possible to help it lead a safe, healthy life. "If we hadn't done the chemo, I would have felt I wasn't honouring that promise."

The chemotherapy gave Wilson six quality months, Lloyd says. "He was eating. He was happy. He didn't know he was sick."

Lloyd doesn't regret spending the money.

"There is no wrong decision for what you do with your pet. This was our choice, but I wouldn't say to anyone you absolutely should do it."

The National Post had an article on Saturday, June 3 called "When Toto Takes a Tumble" (unfortunately you have to be a subscriber to access the article), which presents the case for and against pet insurance.

Here is the "against" discussion:

While the Humane Society generally recommends pet insurance, Courtney Barnfield, a spokesperson with the Toronto Humane Society, says it’s not always the best option. She and her husband have several pets, and instead of paying insurance premiums on each one they have a dedicated savings account and credit card for emergencies.

Medicard, a financing company that specializes in elective medical procedures like cosmetic surgery and dental work, also offers veterinary-care financing in the form of loans and credit cards. In both cases, the money goes directly to the veterinarian.

Mr. Valpy [Randy Valpy at Petplan, one of the Canadian pet insurers] says credit may work for some people, but only if they can afford to pay it off and have financial flexibility. He also points out the increased cost as a result of interest.

He is particularly critical of the recommendation that people set aside savings. “Your pet doesn’t look at your bank balance and wait until you have $2,000 in your account,” he says.

But then, Mr. Raven’s dog Chelsea didn’t know she was insured either.

Randy is right - most people do not realise how high unexpected vet bills can be and how long they can go on for. Go Randy Go!

Traveling out of the country with your cat or dog this summer?

Will you be travelling outside of the US with your pet, perhaps to Canada or Mexico? If so, check your policy to see if your pet insurance policy covers you for veterinary bills that occur while you  are out of the country. If it's not clear, you might want to phone and ask, just to be sure.

Some insurers do not cover you at all when you are out of the US, some cover you only for trips to Canada, some include Mexico as well, and a couple cover you wherever you go worldwide. Make sure you aren't surprised if you have to claim later on.

You also might want to ask about the maximum length of time you can be away for your coverage. If you have an extended trip, you might run out of time.

Related links: Things you can buy while flying; TRIPSwithPETS partners with the First Frequent Flyer Program for Pets; Airlines to Begin Tallying Pet Casualties

Pet-pet Site of the Month

We're so excited - someone who I don't know has named both the Embrace Pet Insurance website and this blog as the Pet-pet site of the month.

This is our first time being highlighted out of the blue so thanks to LaLa MaMa for the vote of confidence - it is greatly appreciated.

Poll Result: Will you travel with your dog or cat Memorial Day weekend?

The results for the poll question "Will you travel with your dog or cat Memorial Day weekend?"

Yes: 10%

No: 10%

Did not travel: 80%

Seems like everyone stayed home this year.