Owners beware, obtaining health insurance for a dog with a known cranial cruciate injury is next to impossible, and most pet insurance companies will not pay for a CCL repair surgery if your dog has not been an incident-free, premium paying, member of their policy for at least one year. Even dog owners with pet insurance often have a difficult time seeking reimbursement for the surgery, and this is something every pet insurance holding dog owner should be aware of.
Some plans, such as VPI, say they accept post-operative CCL dogs after a period of one year following recovery, but dogs with pre-existing conditions are often subject to higher monthly premiums and higher per visit or per service deductibles. If you and your pet are faced with a surgery and you do not already have a pet insurance policy, you would be better off in the long run paying for the surgery out of the pocket and trying to obtain coverage after your dog has gotten out of the recovery window. The last thing you want to do at this difficult time is to burden yourself with disputes with your insurance company, or wait for an insurance company to dictate when your dog may have his surgery performed.
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Jul 24, 2008 | | Pet Insurance, Surgical Procedures
Owners beware, obtaining health insurance for a dog with a known cranial cruciate injury is next to impossible, and most pet insurance companies will not pay for a CCL repair surgery if your dog has not been an incident-free, premium paying, member of their policy for at least one year. Even dog owners with pet insurance often have a difficult time seeking reimbursement for the surgery, and this is something every pet insurance holding dog owner should be aware of.
July 27th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
You have done a lot of work on this blog. I’m sure it will be very helpful to many dog owners going through the saem thing.
You are right about the pet insurance. Just like any other insurance a pre-existing condition is usually not covered.
October 10th, 2008 at 7:04 am
Keep up the good work.