Paid2026-09 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · Lifetime of major claims
Trupanion
90% of ~$45,000
"No questions asked" across a lifetime of claims, per a comment on the private-equity-in-pet-insurance thread.
Verify original post ↗The Claim Log: 58 real pet insurance claim outcomes
Public Reddit posts, logged as-is — every case links to the original thread so you can verify it yourself. No composites, no invented numbers.
58 cases
26 denied / fought
20 paid
12 premium & fine-print cases
How this log works
Each entry is a real post from a public Reddit thread (r/dogs, r/cats, r/Pets, r/petinsurancereviews and related communities), collected on October 11, 2026. We log what the poster reported — insurer, condition, outcome and dollar figures — and link the original thread so you can read it in full context. These are self-reported accounts, not adjudicated rulings: we don't independently verify the insurer's side, and posts may omit details. Where a figure appears in a comment rather than the main post, we say so. Posters' names are not reproduced; the link is the source of record. Figures reflect the post date, not current policy terms. Entries are sorted newest first, so the newest cases reflect today's practices.
Paid2026-09 · r/DogAdvice
2 dogs over a decade · Multiple emergencies incl. 2 life-savers
Trupanion
$110,000+ total
"They've paid out over $110k on my two dogs over the last decade."
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-09 · r/DogAdvice
Dog · 3 claims in 3 months
Carrier not named
$10,065 claim → $8,788 reimbursed
$85/mo policy; owner shares the payout letter figure. Commenters confirm reimbursement model (pay vet first, then claim).
Verify original post ↗Denied2026-08 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · Emergency surgery
Trupanion
$4,500
Switched carriers mid-life; old records showed brief vomiting episodes. "The next insurance will have a lot more to deny" — the switcher's trap.
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-06 · r/petinsurancereviews
Cat · Allergies (pre-existing → cured by waiting period)
AKC
Approved in 3 days
Previously denied as pre-existing; at the one-year continuous-coverage mark the same condition was covered "no questions asked" — a live confirmation of AKC's 365-day cure rule.
Verify original post ↗Denied2026-05 · r/cats
Cat · Sudden fatal illness
Carrier not named
~$4,000
Cat died on day 10 of a new policy. Urgent-care and animal-hospital bills denied under the 15-day illness waiting period. Thread reached 2,400+ upvotes.
Verify original post ↗Denied2026-05 · r/englishbulldog
Bulldog (6yo) · Allergies / eye issues
Lemonade
$100 → $154/mo
Every claim denied as pre-existing (allergies noted during fostering). Renewal jumped 50% at age 6.
Verify original post ↗Denied2026-05 · r/DogAdvice
Dog (Belle) · CCL tear
Carrier not named
$3,000
Insurer refused coverage without a "breeder amendment" that could not be added to the policy. Dog had surgery anyway via community-pooled advice.
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-05 · r/petinsurancereviews
2 small breeds · Behavior modification program
Trupanion (Chewy plan)
$4,800–$9,600
The Chewy-administered Trupanion plan covered licensed dog-trainer behavior claims — rare in the industry. Annual deductible variant; not available in California.
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-03 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog (9mo puppy) · Total hip replacement (severe hip dysplasia)
Trupanion
90% — direct pay to surgery center
Diagnosed at 9 months after early enrollment. Trupanion paid the surgery center directly; owner only covered the 10% portion.
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-03 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog (Pittie) · 5× TPLO knee surgeries
Trupanion
All five covered
Second knee was initially argued as pre-existing; paid after appeal. Poster: "I think they're going to blacklist us."
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2026-02 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · After eye claims
Healthy Paws
$356 → $800/mo
10-year customer. Premium more than doubled AND coverage dropped 80%→70% AND deductible $250→$500.
Verify original post ↗Paid2026-01 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · Years of claims
Lemonade
~$20,000
95% of claims approved instantly, remainder under 5 business days (commenter). Another commenter on the same thread reports Trupanion paying ~$20k for a cat's cancer in 2025.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-12 · r/petinsurancereviews
Cat · New stomach illness
Trupanion
—
Denied because the cat vomited "a few times in 2022" — years before. Commenters note appeals route through AI review and recommend a vet letter.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-12 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog (10yo) · Intestinal blockage
Healthy Paws
Unpaid
Three days of treatment including enemas and hospitalization. Claim stalled by automated emails requesting puppy records from 2015. Similar cases in comments.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2025-12 · r/petinsurancereviews
2 pets · Location + claims repricing
Healthy Paws
$98 → $134 → $203/mo
Moves between Davis, San Jose and the Bay Area re-priced the policy each time; +$70/mo in one year.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2025-12 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · 2-year doubling
Pets Best
Premium ×4 in 2 years
"Private equity is ruining pet insurance" — commenter now banks the $3k/yr that used to be $800 of premiums.
Verify original post ↗Paid2025-10 · r/petinsurancereviews
2 cats · Multiple claims incl. pre-existing crystal history
MetLife
Several claims, ~30-day payout
Switched from Healthy Paws; incidental crystal finding in urine never used against claims. Family-plan details in thread.
Verify original post ↗Paid2025-08 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · ER hospitalization
Trupanion
$1,890
First denied for "missing records" (ER staff couldn't process direct pay at 4am). After sending full vet history, Trupanion reimbursed $1,187 + $147.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2025-08 · r/petinsurancereviews
— · Rate filings 2020-2025
Healthy Paws (CA DOI filings)
+44.8% approved in 2025
Poster compiled actual CA Department of Insurance filings: 17.1% (2020), 10% denied (2023), 20% (2024), 44.8% (2025) with loss ratios. Primary-source gold.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2025-08 · r/petinsurancereviews
— · Why the hikes happen
Healthy Paws (Chubb)
$220 → $505/mo proposed
A call with Chubb/Healthy Paws' president: claims payout exceeded premiums; CA DOI rate approvals were the catch-up mechanism. Skeptical commenters push back with their own numbers.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2025-07 · r/petinsurancereviews
Multiple · 2025 portfolio retreat
Nationwide
Up to 500% increases; cancellations
Raging thread (+101 score) alleging 500% premium hikes and policy cancellations pushing owners to surrender pets. Commenters corroborate.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-05 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog (2yo GSD mix) · Neurological MRI
Embrace
—
Brain scan for head tremors denied as pre-existing — because of prior itchy skin.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-03 · r/Pets
Dog · Carpal ligament rupture → arthrodesis
Lemonade
Surgery denied
Policy bought Dec 30; leg injury Jan 2. The initial accident claim was PAID — then the orthopedic surgery claim was denied under the ortho waiting period, linked to the first injury.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-03 · r/Pets
Golden Retriever · Vaccine-reaction pre-treatment
Trupanion
—
Benadryl pre-treatment after a near-fatal puppy vaccine reaction denied as "preventative care" — not covered at all under accident/illness plans.
Verify original post ↗Denied2025-02 · r/Pets
Dog (10yo) · Allergy shots + dental cleaning
Fetch
$120 total reimbursed in 5+ years
Owner paid thousands in premiums. Allergy shots denied as pre-existing despite starting a year ago; dental benefit denied by reclassifying plaque as illness.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-12 · r/Pets
Dog · GI disease
Embrace
Premiums +70%
All claims denied: a vomiting episode a year earlier (acid reflux) was treated as pre-existing for the later disease. Top comment reports a cat's full-mouth dental extraction denied over kitten-era gingivitis.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-10 · r/Pets
Cat · FIP treatment
Healthy Paws
—
Denied twice: treatment "not FDA-approved" (though prescribed), then the ER visit for yarn ingestion two weeks before diagnosis was used to declare the FIP pre-existing.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-09 · r/Insurance_Companies
Cat · Cystitis
Lemonade
$25/mo × 1 year wasted
Owner bought the policy specifically to cover a known cystitis condition and said so at signup. Claims denied as pre-existing; a month of waiting vs the promised 5 days.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-09 · r/puppy101
Puppy · GI upset + ear infections
MetLife
—
Year of claims all rejected as pre-existing. Commenters report MetLife processing times of 3+ weeks once the deductible is met.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-08 · r/puppy101
Dog (2yo) · ACL surgery
Trupanion
$7,000
Denied as "degenerative joint disease" in a 2-year-old whose parents are breed-cleared. Multiple commenters report Trupanion now uses AI-assisted claim processing and urge a formal appeal with vet paperwork.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-07 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog · Chronic illness
Nationwide
—
Denied as pre-existing based on lab values "barely out of range TWO YEARS before" the policy started (later resolved). Top comment on the +300% premium thread.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2024-07 · r/petinsurancereviews
Dog (5-yr policy) · Age/breed repricing
Nationwide
+300% ($40 → $120/mo)
New Nationwide policy reprices by age and breed; workplace-discount customers hit hardest. Comments echo +36% at renewal.
Verify original post ↗Paid2024-05 · r/povertyfinance
Cat · Flea-med poisoning → seizures → CHF
Trupanion
90% of ER bill
Given the dog's flea medication by accident; hospitalization triggered a heart defect discovery, cardiologist and echo — all 90% covered on a $34/mo policy.
Verify original post ↗Denied2024-04 · r/cats
Cat · Ear infection
Lemonade
—
Ear infection denied as a pre-existing condition. Poster: "They have branded themselves as this accessible, caring company doing things a modern way."
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2024-04 · r/goldenretrievers
Golden Retriever · Aging repricing
Trupanion
$60 → $160/mo
Puppy-era $60 became $160 by age 7 with few claims; "they tell you it's breed and age and you can't do anything".
Verify original post ↗Partial / fine print2023-10 · r/puppy101
Dog · Pill-ingestion ER visit
Healthy Paws
Exam fee excluded
Treatment covered; the ER exam fee wasn't — Healthy Paws excludes exam fees by policy (#7 in their exclusions). Exam fees run $30–$90+, more at ER.
Verify original post ↗Denied2023-06 · r/DOG
Dog · Emergency back surgery
Trupanion
—
Undiagnosed mid-back pain documented (without scans) before enrollment. Company refused to cover the urgent surgery; family faced rehoming the dog.
Verify original post ↗Paid2023-04 · r/dogs
Dog (Frenchie) · IVDD neck surgery
Trupanion
$8,000 bill → $1,700 OOP
Neurologist-performed IVDD surgery; $1,000 deductible + 10% coinsurance. Same thread: Nationwide paid ~100% of a tumor removal.
Verify original post ↗Partial / fine print2023-04 · r/dogs
Vizsla · Rattlesnake envenomation
Nationwide
$4,500 bill → $1,000
Major Medical plan's per-condition sublimit capped the payout at $1,000 despite a $45/mo premium. Comments detail Nationwide's primary/secondary diagnosis payout game.
Verify original post ↗Paid2023-03 · r/dogs
Dog · Paw laceration + rattlesnake + abscess
Healthy Paws
$2.5k + $3k + $1.5k
Three separate emergencies across years, each reimbursed about a week after uploading a photo of the bill.
Verify original post ↗Denied2023-01 · r/CatAdvice
Cat · Urethral blockage
Carrier not named
$3,000
Denied because a "full health checkup" was never submitted at signup — which the insurer never chased for 2 years while collecting premiums and paying one small claim.
Verify original post ↗Paid2023-01 · r/dogs
Dog · Swallowed prescription painkillers
Lemonade
$12,000 bill → ~$9,200 back
80% reimbursement minus $250 deductible, paid 11 days after submission. Poster wrote the thread so future ER-dwellers wouldn't panic-googling in the waiting room.
Verify original post ↗Paid2023-01 · r/dogs
Dog (7yo) · ACL surgery
Healthy Paws
$250 deductible, 80%
After repeated requests for more records, claim approved and surgery reimbursed immediately.
Verify original post ↗Paid2023-01 · r/dogs
Dog · ER visit (~$3k)
Pets Best
90% − $500 ded → ~$800 OOP
Similar ease of use to Lemonade per the commenter; Pets Best users elsewhere report slow reimbursements but few denials.
Verify original post ↗Denied2022-12 · r/dogs
Toy Manchester Terrier · Front leg injury (congenital dispute)
Trupanion
—
Breeder's vet note about a sprained leg 3 days before adoption became the pre-existing anchor. Community split on congenital vs pre-existing interpretation.
Verify original post ↗Paid2022-12 · r/dogs
Dog (12yo) · Cancer (2 types)
Healthy Paws
$60,000+
Operations, chemo and a cancer vaccine covered over the dog's lifetime; owner notes premiums rose in step.
Verify original post ↗Premium shock2022-12 · r/dogs
Dog (11yo, insured 8+ yrs) · Renewal shock
Healthy Paws
+359% since 2019 → $273.10/mo
Exactly ~50% increases three years running. Comments: $60k cancer paid for another dog; a class-action suit mentioned over the same pattern.
Verify original post ↗Denied2022-01 · r/dogs
Dog · Seizure workup
Trupanion
~$2,500 premiums in
Owner skipped a $5k MRI on the vet's "watch and wait" advice. When seizures came, Trupanion deemed the new episodes unrelated to the earlier undiagnosed symptoms.
Verify original post ↗Denied2021-12 · r/dogs
Dog · Toe tumor
Petplan
9 yrs × $108/mo paid in (~$11,700)
Insured since 8 weeks old. After 9 years of premiums, the tumor removal was denied as pre-existing "on a technicality". Owner canceled in protest.
Verify original post ↗Denied2021-11 · r/dogs
Puppy · MRI (neurological)
Pets Best
Unpaid 1+ month
Claim closed twice for "insufficient documentation" — despite the owner working at the vet clinic and the neurologist CC-ing the submission email.
Verify original post ↗Paid2021-11 · r/dogs
Puppy · ER — ate a pee pad
Embrace
$550
Paid immediately — but all GI claims were excluded because the puppy had Giardia at enrollment. A clean picture of how narrow "covered" can be.
Verify original post ↗Denied2021-09 · r/dogs
Dog · Bilateral ACL tears / TPLO
Lemonade
—
Both ACLs torn in month 9. Denied as pre-existing: a month-5 note about a benign tumor on the FRONT leg was used as the pre-existing marker; 6-month orthopedic waiting period applied.
Verify original post ↗Denied2021-03 · r/Insurance
Senior cat · Expensive diagnostics
Nationwide
—
Two claims rejected "pending more information", then a letter requesting pre-enrollment medical history — owner expected a pre-existing angle.
Verify original post ↗Denied2020-05 · r/Pets
Pug · Stenotic nares surgery
Trupanion
—
The 8-week puppy checkup (pre-enrollment) noted the breed's risk of stenotic nares. That single sentence made the later surgery pre-existing.
Verify original post ↗Paid2019-04 · r/dogs
Dog (Husky) · Torn cruciate ligament
Healthy Paws
$5,000 surgery, 80%
"She wouldn't have been able to walk otherwise."
Verify original post ↗Partial / fine print2012-11 · r/dogs
Dog · One $950 ER bill, 3 minor issues
Trupanion
$0 back
Trupanion's PER-CONDITION deductible split one visit into 5 separate claims — each under a $500 deductible. The most-misunderstood policy mechanic in pet insurance.
Verify original post ↗Paid2012-09 · r/dogs
Great Dane · Meningitis at 8 months
Trupanion
$10,000+
90% of diagnostics, medications and surgery covered.
Verify original post ↗