By Megan McCorkle LVT
Recently, we posted a poll to our Instagram and Facebook groups regarding pet insurance with senior dogs. The focus being pros and cons and the experiences with this industry from a pet parents’ perspective.
The poll included several positive aspects reflected in answers received. Most pet parents described the policies as fairly affordable. Some believe they were saving money in the long run with a policy in place should an illness or injury arise. Most pet parents felt peace of mind that they could give their pet better care if they didn’t have financial fears.
The biggest drawback pet parents mentioned is the preexisting conditions. Some felt it hard and tedious to file documents with the companies or get all the records needed for a claim. Finally, some found it difficult to find companies that would insure dogs over13 years of age.
The Instagram Survey Results showed that the percentage of pet parents who have pet insurance was 27% and 73% do not. The percentage of people that have pet insurance and recommended it to others was 77%. So, overall most senior pet parents do recommend pet insurance even for their seniors.
In no particular order these were the companies most recommended with our poll. Petplan had members saying they had amazing customer service. Healthy Paws had members with long term policies and titled the company as “wonderful”. Embrace was mentioned with members liking that they cover exam fees and had good customer service. Trupanion, Nationwide, and Pets Best were also mentioned in the poll with positive experiences from pet parents.
Nationwide, Embrace, MetLife and Pet First were mentioned with pet parents expressing negative experiences. The experiences ranged from pre existing conditions frustrations, lack of coverage, unexpected increase in premiums, and difficulty filing claims.
Jodi from the Senior Dog Revolution Pet Parent group on Facebook had this to say about her policy with PetsBest. “I have been insured with them for 10 years and love them. There is a 5K reimbursement max annually and a $100 deductible and then 70-80 % coverage. Filling things out is easy and I use it mostly for sick visits.” A mostly positive encounter.
Embrace came highly recommended by a vet tech in the group named Adrienne. She claimed she had a great experience with them and that they had great customer service. She reached out for knowledge purposes and found out directly from a representative of Embrace that they will not drop pets due to age or use of policy and they cover pets for a lifetime.
Megan, also from the SDR PP group on Facebook, has 2 senior dogs and reported to us that she had Nation Wide Insurance for them for the past 8 years. She was disappointed this year when they unexpectedly doubled her premiums. This is a common concern mentioned in the poll results.
These poll results were strictly for informational purposes. The experiences are mixed as expressed by this poll. Ultimately you will have to decide if carrying pet insurance for your senior pet is “worth it” to you. For additional tips and considerations see the other Senior Dog Revolution blogs and podcasts.
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