Now paying $500.94 every 6 months for our 5 year old goldendoodle. We have minimal claims in the past year. Went up significantly this year. Does this sound right around everyone else? We feel like this is a lot to pay but nervous to go down on our coverage in case of an emergency.

How is acupuncture not “alternative and holistic” but PEMF is? I’m treating hind leg pain and arthritis in my young dog, was recommended to get PEMF involved, but I just checked our policy and it’s not covered. Anyone have any success with appealing PEMF coverage? I’m sure that I’m out of luck as it’s specifically excluded in the policy, but I’m wondering if it’s worth pushing for with a vet note.

About two months ago, I took in a stray cat. On his second vet visit, I brought him in because I suspected conjunctivitis-his eye looked irritated. The vet also mentioned the possibility of entropion but said I’d need an eye specialist to know for sure. I followed up with a veterinary ophthalmologist, and they diagnosed him with eyelid agenesis, not entropion. It required a $4,000 surgery, which I went through with to give him a better quality of life. Unfortunately, Pets Best denied my claim saying The eye issue was mentioned at an earlier appointment, so they’re calling it a pre-existing condition, even though the actual diagnosis changed significantly. Has anyone had any success appealing a claim like this? Is there a way to argue that it’s a completely different condition? Or does the fact that “something was wrong with his eye” early on automatically void any coverage?

Spoke with a woman who would not directly answer any of my questions. I asked how long until they cover a CURABLE pre existing condition such as a UTI for a cat which is a common thing some cats deal with and she went on and on and on about broken bones and all this other nonsense. I tried to steer her back to the original question several times and she just couldn’t stay on topic. I don’t know if she was on something or what her deal was but it was very weird. She didn’t want to give me a direct answer. I finally asked to speak with a supervisor. She put me on hold for several minutes and came back and said no one was available. Then she message the supervisor with my question, the supervisor just answered it directly. Imagine that. I asked a question and they just answered it. I told her thank you and that was the question I was trying to get an answer to. She said I should have told her that lol. I tried to explain how this can be frustrating and a little suspicious to a pet parent that’s trying to get info. I explained that it is as if she was working me a little. Like she was saying words without answering the question and talking in circles. I would ask a question and she would answer it as if I asked another question. Very sales pitchy. It was very bizarre to say the least. She then started raising her voice and talking over me so at that point I told her to have a nice day. If you are also curious, there is no amount of time after a cat gets a uti that that they will cover it. There is no curable condition time period like some companies (usually 12 months to 18 months). My cat has had one uti a year and a half ago (she is 2 years old) and if she were to get one at any point in the future it will not be covered. The woman told me not to worry about a uti and that it’s not a big deal which made me uncomfortable. I had to give her a break down of how expensive it actually is. There is the office visit, which is often a same day emergency visit which is more expensive because a uti can come on quickly, the urinalysis, and the medications. It’s expensive. Hundreds of dollars. She then asked why I’m so concerned about a uti, maybe my cat has kidney disease or something. I said no, she does not, I would just like to know what I am paying for coverage wise, what is covered, and what to expect. She then began her sales pitch again and didn’t respond to what I said. She was off on another roll. Very unproductive and unprofessional conversation to say the least. When companies act like this and you get that pit in your stomach, it is bad deal and you need to get off it. There was nothing good about whatever that was. Really scary these people are in charge of providing insurance for beloved pets.

Hey Everyone! I brought home a new kitten on February 14th. We went to our first vet visit on February 15th. I uploaded the documents within a week of our visit and started the claim process the same day, to give my vet time to send their paperwork. As of today, my claim is still not finished processing. I was told their email system was down and they're now processing claims in the order they came in. I was also told they have a 40+ day SLA to get it done. Seriously? 40 days to process a "fast" claim? Why advertise speedy processing if you internally have a 40+ day SLA? End Rant

Hi all, I have been losing my mind trying to figure out which coverage would be best for my pup. He is a 1YO chihuahua/poodle mix who was rescued off the side of the road at 3 months with a broken hip. He has had FHO surgery which did seem to help reduce his pain and allow him to put more weight on the limb (left hindleg). He loves running and jumping around and generally acts like a happy puppy, but will likely always walk with a limp. I'm aware he may develop issues as he gets older from compensating. We currently have Pets Best, which we have not had a good experience with. We have sent them the same documents three times and every time they said they did not receive it, even when I'm actively looking at the email to their claims department while on the phone with them. Then it takes a full two months for them to review the documents, only for at the end of two months for them to close my claim because they did not receive my documents.... and thus the cycle continues....... Which insurance would you recommend? Should I just suck it up and accept that I'm likely going to have to pay in full for any orthopedic issues? I'm happy paying on the higher end ($70-$100 a month) for more full coverage that would include exam visits, medications, etc, but I'm having a hard time figuring out which insurance would work best for my pet. Any advice y'all have to give would be greatly appreciated and save me hours of going down this rabbit hole!!!

Hello kind community. I am trying to make a decision for our 7.5 year old sweetheart. So, we have been on Pet's Best since she was young as my wife was able to get a discount through her employer. At 5yo, our dog suffered a bout of IVDD stage 4 and needed a hemilaminectomy surgery. (came in to something like 14k and we maxed out our 5k coverage.) The surgery went great and she recovered relatively quickly with the help of a lot of alternative therapies. Unfortunately, when we signed on for Pets Best, we did not opt for RAC care (rehab, acupuncture, chiro) We didnt even know this was an option at the time, it would have been a massive help had we had the RAC, so tip - OPT FOR IT no matter what, or make sure your provider covers this. Pets do SO well with "alternative therapy". Since the IVDD, we have been regularly seen by a vet who specializes in holistic offerings. She receives acupuncture and laser therapy and it keeps her in really great shape. She is about 80% to where she was pre-IVDD, but if we go to long without the acupuncture, her mobility dips some. These visits cost about $275 each. She also developed an eye condition (Keratitis & Keratopathy) about a year and a half ago, and has been seen by an eye specialist to reverse and retard the condition with eyedrops with great success. At this point they only want to see her 1x/year. Latest note from this vet reads "She has no active keratitis, controlled (if anything, improved) corneal pigmentation, and is otherwise normal on exam." Pets best has been paying our claims for these visits. The only other claim we've submitted was for getting a foxtail pulled out of her ear canal. \* So, Pets Best sent us a notice of a 2x increase in our premium, leading us to look in to switching to see if we could get something better. Through this wonderful community I came across Physicians Mutual and am feeling like it will be a better option, and that even if we end up paying more we could be in better hands. My fear, however, is that in the switch, anything related to her eyes will be seen as pre-existing. It would be great to get that yearly eye specialist covered but I understand that it may not be if its related to the keratitis. But in the future if she develops cataracts, ulcers, etc in her eye, could it be denied? **My main question**, is related to her mobility upkeep. Would we be able to get acupuncture + laser covered under alternative therapy, as "preventative care" instead of having it tied to the IVDD? Its unclear in Physicians Mutual's documentation how they provide/decide for alternative care. She has not had any incidents related to IVDD in 2.5 years, but there is always a risk that it could show in another area of her spine later. Does anyone here use Physicians Mutual for Acupuncture, or has anyone here successfully added RAC care to their Pet's Best policy post-incident? I feel that even without her history, as she ages we would be opting for regular acupuncture and laser as her primary preventative care. Any insight is greatly appreciated, thanks everyone.

I currently have Pets Best for two of my dogs. I have the more expensive package (not just for Wellness and/emergencies). I got this insurance over the summer when my vet recommended it. One of my dogs, Eve, has pretty bad dental disease and will more than likely need dentals every 1-2 years. Pets Best denied everything related to her dental due to it being a pre-existing condition. Fine, I guess, although I was hoping they would at least cover her pre-surgery blood panel. While she was under, she also had X-rays done of her hips to check for hip dysplasia due to some gait issues. They also denied that as a pre-existing condition. Okay... My other dog, Cora, is currently being worked up for something. She has a dexamethasone test to rule out Cushings. This test was also denied as a pre-existing condition. Here are my questions 1. Should I try to argue with them to cover any portion of these things for my dogs? Is it even worth it? 2. Is there another insurance company who is a bit better? 3. Or should I forget pet insurance and just use the cost of the premium and put it in a separate savings account for my pets health specifically? I should add - I expected to pay for Eve’s dental. I know dental disease is rarely covered under insurance. My vet and I were hoping they would at least cover some blood work and the hip X-rays Update: I just called and canceled my policy with Pets Best. The customer service rep was actually really sorry when I explained the situation. She even got me a refund for the remainder of the month that I already paid for. I’ve decided to just setup another savings account which I will pay monthly into to save for my vet bills.

I was hoping someone might have some insight on pet insurance. I have a 2 yo pit bull who, in the last year, started limping. (At this point, we did not have pet insurance) In May of this year, we took him to our vet and they did X-rays and said most likely he has a partial tear in his ACL, however he couldn’t really tell in the X-ray because he wouldn’t stop wiggling for the pictures lol. Fast forward 6 months, he has a hard time getting around now on both legs because he’s over compensating with the other leg which I was told would more than likely happen. I plan to get the surgery for him asap. We got Pets best insurance a month later after his appointment in May and we are just about at the “6-month waiting period.” I’ve never dealt with pet insurance before. I am familiar with the fact they don’t cover “pre-existing conditions.” I fear that when we go back in January for a new consult that the insurance isn’t going to cover his surgery because we stupidly took him to the vet prior to getting insurance. I guess my question is, has anyone dealt with pets best insurance for this type of situation? How were they? Also, would anyone recommend a different insurance company? I know there are a select few that cover pre existing conditions. I feel like I totally screwed myself taking him to the vet for this before getting insurance. He’s only two and I refuse to let him suffer his whole life because of this. Thanks for any advice in advance. Picture for attention ❤️

I have a Pets Best insurance policy on all three of my cats, and on one cat who has passed. I have had good experiences with the company who has saved me thousands in bills (across four pets). I have been a pets best customer for over 6 years. I just got an email saying that one of my cats premiums will increase from $225 to $378 dollars a year. The only reason they give is that he's a year older (now four years old). I am wondering if anyone has experienced a similar jarring increase. Will it be the same for my other two cats? Does pets best negotiate premiums? Is there a cap or should I expect this annually? I know there are issues with getting coverage for preexisting conditions so changing providers for this car isn't an option, but I could explore different coverage for my other pets. Please advise. Thanks!