Can anyone recommend a pet insurance company?

[iconoclastic cat]

Here's the story: we have recently discovered that our youngest cat, a male named Mooius, may have bladder stones. We've already spent $500 on the meds, diagnostics, and boarding at the vet; the problem has persisted (you know, straining to urinate, lethargy, etc.), which leads our vet to believe that he may have a stone in his bladder. This will mean another $300-$400, so I think we should get some sort of coverage. Can anyone here recommend anything?

(I'm cross-posting this in the Lounge, too.)

[RebelOne]

1. I just signed up for VPI Pet Insurance

I did some comparisions with other insurance compamies and this one seemed to have the best coverage and best rates. The Web address is www.my-petinsurance.com. Check it out. The rates pretty much go by the age of your pet. And my dog was a special classification because she is a Rottweiler and rates are higher on certain breeds of dogs. I don't think that applies to cats, though. Anyway, check it out.

[iconoclastic cat]

2. Thanks!

I'll check it out.

[luzdeluna]

3. I went with Pet Care Insurance

The difference is that it doesn't pay out on the routine stuff but pays 100% (less a yearly deductible) on illness or injury.

http://www.petcareinsurance.com/us/dog/gold/index.asp

I took a look through my past records and this worked out to be the way to go for me.

I get Henry's shots and heart worm testing done at our local pet mart for cheap and I brush his teeth so the routine care costs me very little. You have to figure out what works for you.

I don't think any company will cover a pre-existing condition though. You will need to send Mooius' vet record to the insurance company before coverage starts. Unless you can find a vet that will give him a clean bill of health.

Good luck and I hope he feels better soon (stones sound ouchy!)

LDL

[RebelOne]

4. You are right. None of the insurers will cover

a pre-existing condition. The insurance company that I signed up my dog with needed records from her vet before they would approve me.

[sleepyhead]

5. See if your vet accepts Care Credit.

That's a line of credit you can get to pay for veterinary expenses. It's only good at veterinary hospitals, so no chance of running up huge credit debt. Depending on the size of your bill, you can get extended payment plans for 3, 6, 12, or even 24 months. And it's interest-free as long as you pay on time. Your vet can help you apply over the phone (takes about 10 minutes) and they tend to be fairly generous with credit limits. (Remember, though, that if you are late with the payments, they will slap you retroactively with 23% interest - so make sure you keep up!)

As others have noted, any insurance you get now will consider this a pre-existing condition so you will not get coverage for it. But it's not a bad idea to have insurance anyway, just in case something else comes up. You can get all kinds of plans, from one that covers only catastrophic care (cheaper) or one that covers routine exams and care (e.g. dental cleaning) (obviously more expensive). VPI has been around the longest and has a good track record of paying claims. Note that they rarely cover the entire cost of a procedure, but often will reimburse you for 2/3 of the bill or so. And they are fast - our clients usually get their reimbursement check within a couple of weeks.

Having said that, I think you should try to get the bladder stone (if that's what it is) taken care of as soon as you reasonably can. Especially in a male cat - if the stones are small enough, one of them may lodge in the urethra and cause an obstruction, which is not only painful but life-threatening. You might want to ask your vet if he or she has an idea of what type of stone is present. Certain types of bladder stones can be dissolved by a special diet, which is obviously less invasive (and less pricey) than any surgical procedure.