Pet Care Insurance - My Experience with VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance)

VPI Pet Care Insurance - The Biggest Is The Best?

VPI is the largest pet car insurane provider in The United States.

We chose to use VPI because they came recommended by our veterinarian at VCA Alpine Animal Hospital. I thought I'd write about our experience with VPI, and give you and idea of what and how much they cover.

What Does VPI Pet Care Insurance Cover?

I copied the the following chart directly from VPI's website. I will also talk about the things we have used VPI to cover in our Bulldog Rex

Treatments	VPI Superior Plan	VPI Superior Plan with WellCare Core	VPI Superior Plan with WellCare Premier
Accidents and Illnesses
MRI, CAT Scans and X-Rays
Surgeries
Cancer Treatments
Prescription Medication
Hospitalization
Vaccinations
Heartworm Preventive
Prescription Flea Control
Urinalysis or ERD (kidney test)
Dental Cleaning or Spay/Neuter
Total Annual WellCare Benefits	$0	$250	$400
Total Annual Medical Benefits	$14,000	$14,000	$14,000

Thing We Have VPI Pet Care Insurance To Cover

We decided to get pet care insurance the day after paying for Rex's TPLO (knee) surgery. At a cost of over $3,000 (Bulldog legs are very tricky apparently), when the doctor said that it is likely he will damage the other knee, the need seemed obvious.

We chose the Superior Plan with Wellcare Premier, being that we use Sentienl as a heartworm and flea control which is covered by the insurance, we also have always paid for him to get his dental leaning, at a total cost of $22 / month.

The day did eventually come when Rex tore his meniscous in his right leg. We submitted the bill to VPI for $3100+ and 4 weeks later received a check from them for just over $1500. The insurance literally paid for itself almost for the rest of Rex's life!

All of Rex's yearly vaccinations are covered, including any fecal tests, and blood screening. We have also submitted claims for trips to emergency care for allergic reactions, which typically get covered at right around 50% of the total bill, including medication.

Last year, Rex started having issues with dry eye, a condition where the tear ducts become blocked, and the eyes fill up with puss. He is in need of daily medicated and regular eye drops which VPI also helps cover.

Also, as you may already know if you've read our dog skin health guides, Rex is fighting a persistent staph infection. Our trips to the vet and standard medication have been covered under the plan. We did do allergy and food trials on Rex, which VPI did not cover.

My Overall Impression of VPI Pet Care Insurance

From end to end, I have been completely impressed and satisfied with VPI. They pay for the things they say they cover, and the check usually arrives within 4 to 6 weeks.

Submitting claims is very simple. I always fax in the claim form and then mail in a copy of the form along with copies of all of my reciepts.

If your claim is denied, they give you a reasonable explanation and enough detail so that the decision doesn't seem vague.

One thing I should mention is that if your vet doesn't have experience with VPI, make sure they do a good job of filling out the claim form. There should be a complete diagnosis of the problem, and hopefully written in a way targeted for insurance coverage. For instance, with Rex's skin problem, the doctor wrote a diagnosis of persistent staph infection caused by unknown irritant. At no point did he mention anything about allergies.