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  1. March 17, 2010

    OK, you convinced me! I was glad to know about Trupanion because the other insurers I’d looked into didn’t have as comprehensive coverage. Barnum is now enrolled, and given that he is chewing/eating anything within reach (even though he is always either crated, supervised, on leash, or some combination), it might just be a matter of time…. ::eye roll::
    One question: You didn’t mention cancer. I know some cancers cannot really be treated, but others, like lymphoma or mast cell tumors, may respond very well to chemotherapy or surgery, both of which are extremely pricey. Having gone through the emotionally and bank-account draining experience of canine cancer is what made me consider health insurance from now on. Is there a reason you didn’t include cancer in your list?
    Thank you for all your invaluable information!

    • March 17, 2010

      Hi Sharon!

      Congrats on the arrival of your new puppy-person friend-helper. Cancer coverage is a very good reason to have pet insurance. Many, many companies exclude cancer coverage, or offer coverage with an exorbitant extra monthly premium. Trupanion covers cancer with the “regular” plan. I think of “cancer” as a catch-all term for many different disease conditions, and I didn’t want the post to be a completely scary bummer list of awful illness stories, that’s why I focused on instances where pet insurance makes a life or death – immediate – difference.

      The medical conditions in the post are manageable if you say “yes” to treatment on the spot. If you do not have insurance or ability to pay high sums of money, the pet’s illness will cause death before you have time to save up for the medical care. These are the heart-breaking, daily emergency room obvious examples where pet insurance flat-out saves lives.

      There are at least 100 reasons I can think of to have pet insurance coverage to help pay bills, as opposed to saving lives. Cancer treatment is certainly one of those, as is treatment for any disease.

  2. August 16, 2010

    I have to say, and I mean this very sincerely, that reading through your article and looking at your site has been both a pleasurable and a disheartening experience.

    I have started recently writing about pet insurance and reading and learning and feel like I’ve come a long ways… but…

    I’ve learned *A LOT* just reading this article and I really enjoy the sophistication if that’s a word (you probably won’t enjoy me calling it that, but what I mean is weaving the black swan story in with your article really gives it a more relatable backdrop.)

    Also – very creative and thoughtful scenarios.

    C

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