Trupanion: A Pet Insurance Review

As part of our pet insurance review series, this month we are looking into Trupanion Pet Insurance. Trupanion was founded in 2000 by Darryl Rawlings under the original name of Vetinsurance. Trupanion was the first profitable pet insurance provider in North America in 2004, and became a publicly traded company under the stock symbol TRUP on July 18, 2014. Trupanion gives back to the community through its non-profit organization, TruGiving, and supports pet safety on its dedicated pet fire safety page.

Key Brand Differentiators: 

• Trupanion offers one simple plan in a comprehensive policy that covers surgeries, diagnostic tests, medications, treatments and hospital stays if a pet is sick or inured.
• Trupanion is the only pet insurance provider to pay their portion of the vet bill directly to the vet so you don’t have to worry about reimbursements.
• Trupanion’s policy covers 90% of actual veterinary costs at any veterinary hospital, emergency care center or specialty hospital for approved accident and illness claims, less the exam fee, taxes and optional deductible.
• Trupanion offers unlimited lifetime healthcare coverage with no payout limit. There are no per accident limits, annual limits, or lifetime limits on the amount of care your pet can receive.

Notable Features:

• Earlier this year, Trupanion introduced a new veterinary software to save veterinarians time and effort.
• There is only a 5 day waiting period for accidents.
• Trupanion offers coverage for cruciate surgeries as long as they were not part of a pre-existing condition.
• Trupanion’s coverage includes mobility devices, such as prosthetics, orthotics, and carts under core (pet wheelchairs) for disabled pets.

Select Quotes from Yelp.com about Trupanion Pet Insurance

The Good…

“I’ve had Trupanion for about 6 years now.  My Doberman has had THREE unexpected surgeries.  One to remove tumors that were cancerous and two separate surgeries for torn ACLs.  Trupanion is the greatest!  You never wait on hold, they’re always so supportive and friendly.  They pre-approve & send checks covering 90% IMMEDIATELY! Easy breezy!  And you save!  Put it this way, for those three surgeries I should have paid $17,000 in total.  I paid $2,250!  They even send your pet the cutest get well, thinking of you package. Highly recommended!!!” – Afroditi K. 9/17/16

“I got my… puppy around 10 weeks old… With all the X-rays he’s had, it has been a good investment for us. They never argue, they don’t try to avoid the reimbursements, are always available by phone, and the CSR agents don’t sound like robots. They have dogs who have gone through some of the same issues as well so they can relate and empathize. Overall this is a great insurance company!…” – Dorothy C. 4/25/16

“…TRUPANION HAS SAVED MY DOGS LIFE! I have been with Trupanion for a little over 2 years now. I am over the moon with the service I have received and every interaction with customer support representatives. I have a 2 1/2 year old Dachshund. I was told they would not exclude any illnesses she may have while being with Trupanion, whether or not she was prone to getting them being a Dachshund… she ended up going into cardiac arrest and needed to be put on life support due to a disease she was suffering from. Being on a ventilator, and receiving 24 hour care and medication can be costly. Not to mention all the X-rays and tests that needed to be done to save her… Trupanion was by our side the whole time. Just as they promised in our policy, they would cover 90% of the cost. Without Trupanion being there and helping us, I truly believe we would not have been able to have the resources to fight for her life… Words cannot express how grateful I am for having insurance, and how grateful we are that it is with Trupanion… They have saved our baby’s life.” – Elisabeth B. 6/10/16

And the Not-So-Good…

“…We got a french bulldog in February when he was 8 weeks old, and we brought him to the vet a few days later… he had a nasty infection on his belly… along with the new antibiotic, the vet recommended we started putting our pup on a hypoallergenic diet and limiting exposure to most materials just in case any allergies were aggravating the infection and making it worse. This was simply a strategy to cover our bases… Allergies were never diagnosed, nor was it ever confirmed that allergies were the cause of the infection he came with… Everything listed so far was within the 30-day waiting period so we didn’t expect any coverage from Trupanion… Spring came, and he started itching himself quite aggressively – to the point he would be raw and bleeding. This was after the 30-day waiting period and was the FIRST TIME he had ever itched his belly. So, we went to a dermatologist specialist and she diagnosed atopic dermatitis (skin inflammation due to environmental allergies). From this diagnosis, our dermatologist prescribed that we give our pup CADI injections to prevent the itching – which worked like a miracle. So, we submitted a claim for treating this itching thinking “great, this all happened after the waiting period so it should be covered no problem” and it was DENIED… Because Trupanion claims that his infection was due to allergies 100%, so anything having to do with allergies will never be covered for his entire life…” – Chris H. 8/22/16

“My dog had an anal gland infection last year, it healed up. Then I signed up for the insurance Jan this year… In May, my dog had another infection, I submitted the claims, they declined saying it was pre-existing. At first, I wasn’t mad, I thought it was just a misunderstanding so I called them and submitted the appeal form. In my dog’s record, it showed that last year’s condition was resolved, he was not diagnosed with any condition, he was completely healthy when I signed up for the policy. They declined the appeal because he had the infection last year. I told them that the medical record showed it was resolved and my vet also stated in the appeal form that this year’s infection is not pre-existing since it’s not related to last year’s infection. This insurance company didn’t care, they just keep saying it is pre-existing even though I have proof stating that it is not…” – Winnie F. 7/26/16

“The [f]irst [t]ime I used my policy was because my dog got bit by another dog who almost took his ear off. When I sent my claim they denied it for “pre-existing conditions” because my dog has behavioral issuse (he is followed by a behaviorist vet) and has fear aggression. So according to them my dog who didn’t bite the other dog could have “provoked” the other dog so was responsible of getting bit…I filed an appeal and won but they end up covering nothing cause of the $500 deductible…”  – Marinafrenchie C. 7/9/16

epetsure’s conclusion…

As we compare the good and the not-so-good reviews, we notice a trend among the reviewers in that they often give low scores when a pet insurance denies their claim due to a pre-existing condition. As difficult as this may be, both emotionally and financially on pet parents, it’s important to remember that pre-existing conditions and any conditions that arise out of those pre-existing conditions will not be covered by any pet insurance company.

It’s tempting to perceive the pet insurance providers as your enemy, but in truth, they are run by pet parents just like you and me, who want more than anything to help you and your pet. Unfortunately, just like all profit-producing corporations, they must adhere to certain rules and set procedures in order to help the most amount of pets for the least amount of money.

As pet parents, we may not see the connection between a dog bite and a behavior problem, or an infection and an allergy, but that is why pet insurance companies work so hard to understand your pet’s health and provide pet parents with the best possible service they can. All of the not-so-good reviews were directly replied to by a Trupanion representative, and we hope that any remaining concerns were satisfactorily addressed and resolved.

epetsure maintains an unbiased view and offers pet parents the most up to date information on all pet insurance providers and their policies. We invite you to compare pet insurance plans for your pet today.