A man who thought he and his dog were covered through pet insurance has to pay for his pet’s surgery.
Greg Longo wanted to cover his purebred English bulldog Winston with pet insurance because he wanted to be “a responsible pet owner,” he told CTV News.
Insurance premiums cost him $65 a month until he switched insurance companies. Longo now pays $35 a month with his current company, 24PetWatch.
It seemed like Longo made the right decision when Winston had a health scare this past summer.
The bulldog had an abscess, a buildup of pus within an area of body tissue, pushing up against his brain, which required emergency surgery.
“They had to remove the entire ear canal because of the possible damage it could’ve caused,” said Longo.
The procedure cost more than $7,600.
Longo made a claim to his insurance company to have the surgery covered. His claim was denied.
He was told the cost of the surgery wouldn’t be covered because of a previous infection in Winston’s other ear.
The claim denial shocked Longo. He resubmitted his claim, and says he wants nothing more than what he paid for the surgery.
“They should definitely step up… I want 80% to the maximum of what my coverage is,” said Longo.
24PetWatch’s parent company is Pethealth Inc.
Pethealth Inc.’s President of Insurance Mike Wallace told CTV News the company doesn’t “comment on claims, particularly ones that are still in progress. All decisions are made based on the records and documents submitted to us.”
Pethealth Inc. said it paid out more than $40 million in claims last year to pet owners.
With a report by CTV Toronto’s Pat Foran
