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!

Hey everyone, I got my renewal for petsbest for one dog. i'm kinda anxiously waiting appeals for my other dog (unspecified dates in medical records lead to them assuming prexisting conditions unfortunately about some anxiety) and over 11k in other claims (she got a GDV and pancreatitis) that i'm now terrified they will deny somehow. trynna work that out, hoping for the best but anxious af. TLDR the notes were vague about doses I tried and didnt say when i tried them, so insurance assumed before the waiting period bc I used traz/gaba from my other anxious dog at first bc I didn't wanna waste drugs (dumb on my part, but both dogs are on the same insurance so they def know which drugs i've got lol) My renewal for my dog number one went up from $725.49 to $1,032.08 come January 2025. it's egregious IMO. However, my dog has various medical conditions (sep anxiety, IVDD, hip dysplasia, urinary incontience, allergies) so no shot at switching insurances and it makes zero sense IMO. They've paid out 4.2k in medical expenses for him this year! I'm considering maybe increasing the deductible- how did y'all go about deciding if you should or shouldn't do this. All the above prices were for 90% 250, 90% with 500 **$736.20/yr**, 700 with $621.05/yr, 1000 with $448.44/yr. I'm so conflicted. I know he's gonna easily reach 2k in rehab, apoquel, immunotherapy, anxiety meds thru the year. Anyone have any advice?

My dog just turned 8 and her insurance with pets best doubled. Where im at financially is not great, im just able to get by with my exisiting bills, part of why i have pet in isurance, for the chance something terrible happens like a broken tooth or torn tendon or whatever may happen. Shes healthy. Has allergies but theyre not on her med record as far as i know. I just am trying ti debate if i should set the money aside each month for an emergency fund for her, rather than pay the insurance fee. My fear is something qill happen before i have a good savings, though i usually try to have $1000 emegency money for pet or car stuff, im not quite there yet atm. I have decent credit so if something happe ef im sure i can do a payment plan of some sort. Idk im just wondering if its worth it anymore at the price theyre expecting. My 3 yo dog is clumsy as hell so im keeping his insurance. I just know theres going to be a day he falls the wrong way and tears a tendon or something hahaha! Any advice is really welcome, im just so broke these days and i really want to find the best option that ensures my pup can get the treatment she may need in an emergency.

I just got our policy renewal from PB and saw our premium doubled! Once my shock wore off I found my way to this subreddit and found other posts of people saying the same, sounds like a private equity firm bought them. Ugh. I'd be curious to hear from some of you who made the switch to something else -- who'd you go with? Are you happy with them so far? For context we have a 4 year old basset hound and are getting a puppy the same week our policy is supposed to renew, so this comes at a somewhat convenient time. Our current dog got a breakthrough case of parvo when he was 1 and did a stint in the e-vet (which PB was really great about) but hasn't had any other health issues since. I don't \*think\* parvo would be considered a preexissting condition since he made a full recovery, but you never know with insurance companies.

I guess my dog just turned 8 according to the age on my Pets Best profile. My monthly premium was $43 and now my bill is $91?? i am newly graduated from my graduate program and going through job fluctuation... wondering if this is worth it given the steep increase in cost. she has been fairly healthy the 5 years i've had her. i've never actually used the insurance policy, i just like having it for my own sake lol because i've invested entirely too much of my own mental stability into this dumb little pitbull. i just did the full senior workup with bloodwork and urinalysis and they said she looks good. if anything dire happens i could borrow money from my family she is my only pet and technically i can afford having only one pet insurance policy. i like the reassurance of having the insurance and it was worth it for me at $43 but $91 has me rethinking