Bulldog Pet Insurance Review, 8 Years In

This site was made with a simple purpose in mind: to share how pleased we’ve been with the Trupanion pet insurance we’ve had for our English bulldog for the past 8 years.

She’s fairly healthy for her breed (breathes well, healthy weight and tends to be active), but she’s had terrible allergies for most of her life. She’s been on medication and underwent allergy testing as a puppy and again just last week. When I submitted the $1,549 bill, and was reimbursed $1,336 to my bank account within 24 hours, I felt compelled to finally write this down.

This is not an anomaly. We’ve submitted what I’d estimate is hundreds of claims over the years, and almost every single one has been paid quickly and fairly. There have been a few hiccups (maybe 2 or 3 times over the hundreds where we had to resubmit something or waited about a week longer than usual), but they have always been resolved.

Hundreds of claims sounds like a lot, and it is. We take her monthly for Cytopoint injections for itching, refill allergy medications every month (we’ve used Apoquel and Atopica), and manage ongoing antigen allergy treatment. Among other regular things that come up with any dog.

How coverage actually works

With Trupanion, you choose your deductible per condition based on the monthly premium you’re comfortable paying. Once you hit that deductible that’s it, for the lifetime of your pet. After that they reimburse 90% of the bill (except exam fees and taxes). We hit that deductible early on and have been reimbursed 90% on every allergy-related claim since. I don’t dread going to the vet and getting larger bills because I know much of it is getting reimbursed every time.

Last summer she needed ACL surgery. This cost about $6,100, but we only paid around $1,000 (which included a full deductible for this new condition), a much more manageable number to face in the moment.

One more thing worth knowing

Trupanion adjusts your premium annually based on local vet pricing. We’ve moved between 3 states in the last 8 years, and our premium changed noticeably with each move. For us, it decreased significantly, then increased moderately which roughly tracked with cost of living in each state and thus felt fair.

We’re not a vet or a pet insurance company. We’re just a bulldog family who’s actually used this coverage each month for 8 years. Hopefully our experience is useful to you as you think through your own dog’s coverage. That’s why this site exists.