Due to this experience, I am cautious and no longer trust this company. I will not be getting a policy with them for my 11 mth old. It’s so sad. They claim to care, being pet owners themselves. ALL the pet insurance companies do this. In this tough economy every penny counts. I just want my dogs to enjoy the best lives possible. Why does this have to be so difficult when it comes to pet insurance? I understand these companies have to make money, but please, don’t prey on pet owners. Why not set the initiative of being honest with what you advertise to your potential customers. It’s called INTEGRITY. What a novel idea, eh?

When policies are underwritten, there may be minor conditions or incidents of a specified date that are considered pre-existing and not available for coverage. However, future and separate incidents are available for coverage. These temporary restrictions may even be reviewed and removed after 12 months. Symptoms that were chronic and ongoing either prior to the policy or during an applicable illness waiting period are considered pre-existing and related conditions, even when diagnosed and treated later, are not available for coverage. Congenital and hereditary conditions are available for coverage under our policies provided that the symptoms were not pre-existing to the policy or within any applicable illness waiting period.

This leads into the discussion of pre-existing conditions. Conditions are considered to be pre-existing based on symptoms, physical examination findings, or blood work abnormalities when these occur or are described prior to the policy or during any applicable illness waiting period even if the actual diagnosis and treatment of the condition does not occur until later or after the policy is in effect. Although these details may not seem related even to an attentive pet owner, veterinarians use these same historical symptoms, physical findings, and blood work changes to help formulate a diagnostic plan to reach an ultimate diagnosis for your pet’s conditions. Therefore, the best time to insure your pet is when they are young and symptom free. If you do have a pet who is older or who has pre-existing conditions, insurance is still a good idea as new conditions will still be available for coverage and we have a variety of insurance plans to choose from.

Also on the topic of pre-existing conditions and declined claims, be assured that policies are reviewed thoroughly before decisions are made where a reassessment request has been received. Even then, additional information in the form of medical records, diagnostic reports, or written statements from your veterinarian may be submitted for further review.

In response to customer feedback and in an effort to provide even better customer service, changes are currently being made at 24PetWatch to improve claims processing times for both first and subsequent claims and further steps are being taken to ensure that claims decisions are being reached appropriately.

I can assure you that 24PetWatch representatives, pet parents like you, are caring individuals that want to help you keep your beloved pets happy and healthy.

Craig Galbraith, DVM
Veterinary Advisor
Pethealth Inc.

I continued PetCare Insurance after getting my dog from the Humane Society. In October of last year my dog was treated for gastroenteritis. I submitted a claim and heard nothing from the company for months. In January I sent an email asking if they received my claim and what the status was. They said they contacted my vet for medical records and hadn’t received them. They did not follow-up with the vet or contact me asking for the records. They just dropped it. I followed up and had the records sent.

Two and half weeks after receiving the medical records, PetCare denied the claim. The denial was based on an incident of diarrhea and soft stool in May and June of that same year. PetCare considered the diarrhea from 5 months earlier a preexisting condition.

PetCare responded to my email inquiries on the matter by sending their original claim rejection letter over and over. They did not acknowledge my email, they only repeated their original statement like a broken record. PetCare responded to my phone calls, asking how diarrhea 5 months prior to gastroenteritis could be a preexisting condition, by telling me “I original position is to deny the claim. Someone will get back to you”. Several days later I received the original email from PetCare stating that they have denied my claim. The company is completely unresponsive. I was paying $42/month for this insurance. I would have expected better customer service. I have since moved to PetPlan insurance, which provided more coverage (including congenital conditions), a higher annual benefit amount at a rate that is $10 lower per month.

I trusted PetCare because the Humane Society recommended them but my experience as proved otherwise.