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cybermeez

Advanced Reefer
Location
Hudson Yards
Rating - 100%
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After learning the hard way when one of my cats ended up at the Animal Medical Center, I've had pet insurance for over a decade and personally wouldn't be without it. I used to have the one the ASPCA pitches (also known as Hartville) and would not recommend them. Every year when the policy renewed, anything my cat had been to see the vet for in the prior year - no matter what it was - they suddenly considered a pre-existing condition and would not cover anymore. I would have dropped them sooner, but I had an elderly Siamese and couldn't get insurance for him if I dumped Hartville.

He died last July and within a week I'd told Hartville what I thought of them and switched to Petplan (the one the Humane Society of the US recommends). I never thought I'd say this about an insurance company, but Petplan is awesome. If only people health insurance were this good! Petplan didn't pull the crap Hartville did at renewal and they pay based on what your vet charges - none of that "reasonable and customary" bu*****t based on vet rates in nowhere Ohio.

You can tailor your plan several ways by choosing your deductible, copay and plan level. For a little over $30 per month I have their "Gold" plan. It has a $100 per illness (not per visit) deductible and a 10% co-pay with a maximum annual reimbursement of $20,000. I have the same plan for all 3 of my cats.

To give you an idea of what this company and its coverage is like, I'll give you an example.

In April I discovered a lump the size of a marble on the tummy of Meow-Meow, my 9 year old, female, domestic shorthair. She was a street kitty I'd rescued in February 2003 from the middle of the cross bronx expressway after someone had tortured her and threw her off the overpass. So, she's one tough little cat and I didn't think it would be a big deal.

This is Meow-Meow:
meow-meow.jpg


I took Meow-Meow to the vet the next day and it turned out the lump was breast cancer. I caught it early, but it was a very aggressive type of cancer and the vet said without immediate treatment she'd be dead within 6 months. Other than the cancer she was in perfect health.

So, after doing lots of research on what the treatment would involve and how it would affect her, I decided to go ahead with the recommended surgery and chemotherapy. The surgery was the hardest part for her as it involved removing the whole mammary chain on the left side of her chest and an incision that ran almost the entire length of her body.

She gets chemo every 3 weeks for a total of 6 treatments and aside from losing most of her whiskers, she's had no side effects whatsoever. She recovered from the surgery within a week and her quality of life has been great.

I would not have been able to do any of this if it weren't for Petplan. Meow-Meow has had 5 of her 6 chemo treatments and to date the total cost of everything has been over $7000. Of that I've paid my $100 deductible, the 10% copay for the visits to her regular vet and a 20% co-pay the oncologist for a total of less than $1000.

Every claim I submit is regularly paid within 2 weeks of my faxing it in and not once have they refused to cover any of Meow-Meow's treatment. They will continue to cover her for this including her regular rechecks, any tests and - god forbid the cancer comes back - whatever treatment I may decide to seek in the future. All without me needing to ever pay the $100 deductible again or face massive premium increases.

Meow-Meow's policy just renewed and her premium went up less than $15 per month and only because she turned 10 years old. The policies for my other two 5 year old cats went up a little over $5 a month.

Not all pet insurance companies are equal and I highly recommend Petplan. Check out petinsurancereview.com and see what other people say about them. You can also find out about most of the other insurers, their various policies and what people think of them. as well.
 

Awibrandy

Old School Reefer
Location
Far Rockaway
Rating - 100%
182   0   0
Thanks for the info cybermeez! Like Russ, I am thrilled that MeowMeow is in your LOVING-CARING hands, and doing well.:) Your thoughts, and experience are of great help to me!! Again Thank You very much from the bottom of my heart. I hope MeowMeow continous to improve, and you have her for many more years to come.
 
C

Chiefmcfuz

Guest
Rating - 100%
182   0   0
:bump:

With all the pet stuff going on lets give this thread a go. Lots of great information.
 

bbdaisy

New Reefer
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I`m just looking for the trustworthy insurance for my fog and I`d like to asl you share your experience. Did you buy insurance for your pet, if so then which one? And did you use such web tools like PetInsuranceFinder when was looking for the insurance program? My friend says that this website is quite reliable but I want to hear more about real experience. So share your experience, please.
 

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