Year Company Started: 1999

Also known under the brand names: PetCare, QuickCare, and 24PetWatch.

Underwriter: Praetorian Insurance Company

AM Best Financial Strength Rating: A (excellent)

Website: www.sheltercare.com

Phone: 1-877-707-7297

ShelterCare Pet Insurance, a leading brand of Pethealth, Inc., covers all cats and dogs over 8 weeks old regardless of age or health. Also known under the brand names PetCare, QuickCare, and 24PetWatch. The company offers a variety of affordable plans, from accident-only insurance to comprehensive accident and illness coverage. They also have special policies for pure-bred pets—which often have hereditary defects—and third party damage coverage for apartment-dwelling pets. The first month costs just $1.

Unlimited accident lifetime coverage always begins the next day after your enrollment application is approved. Illness coverage—up to $72,000 lifetime for dogs and $60,000 lifetime for cats—begins after 30 days. As a condition of your policy, you must give your pet all required vaccinations and schedule annual exams.

Unlike other companies, ShelterCare does not increase premiums or deductibles as your pet ages. You can visit any veterinarian in North America and you can change or cancel your policy at any time. The company also offers real-time insurance claim processing with EVE through participating clinics (and reimbursement within 10 days for nonparticipating clinics.) Most pet insurers only offer reimbursement.

Additional benefits include trip cancellation insurance, boarding kennel fees, coverage for prescriptions, and discounts for policy holders with micro-chipped or multiple pets.

Shelter Care Pet Insurance Review

Rating: 4

Our review process starts with calling each of the insurance providers over the telephone and then, we gather quotes for these three pet profiles:

• A 2-year old male Yorkshire Terrier named Jax
• A 6-year old male Cocker Spaniel named Max
• An 8-year old female mixed breed cat named Fluffy

I spoke with Shima at Shelter Care Pet Insurance to get quotes for two dogs and a cat. Shima was friendly enough, but the overall experience was less impressive than calls I’ve had with other pet insurance companies. At least twice she recommended I get information on the website instead of speaking with her because that would be easier.

The Plans/Quotes

Shima gave me quotes for two popular plans—Basic and Comprehensive. She told me there are many other plans in between that offer varying levels of coverage.

Basic

Covers 2 illnesses and 7 accidents per year with a $100 deductible and 100% coverage

You get $500 for each illness and $1,000 for each accident per year

$17/month for each pet

Comprehensive

Covers all accidents and illnesses with a $100 deductible per condition and 70% reimbursement

You get $5,000 per illness category, totaling $60,000 over the pet’s lifetime (there are 12 categories) and $5,000 per accident, with no lifetime limit

$56/month for dogs and $40/month for cats

The Details

I reviewed the website to fill in the gaps from my conversation with Shima. That only led to more confusion.

On the site, the different levels of coverage are listed as:

• ShelterCare Intro
• QuickCare
• QuickCare Gold
• QuickCare Complete
• QuickCare Optimum
• QuickCare Senior
• EmergencyCare
• TenantCare

I believe ShelterCare Intro is what Shima referred to as Basic. It provides up to $500 in coverage for any first time illness—meaning you cannot seek treatment for the same illness twice. There’s a list of specific incidents for which you get $1,000, including poison ingestion, burns, and bone fractures. The first month costs $1, and after that the premium increases to $15.13. Pre-existing conditions are not covered. The plan takes effect the day after you purchase it, one minute after midnight.

QuickCare Complete is likely the comprehensive coverage she referred to.

The 12 illness categories include:

• Blood & lymphoid system
• Cardiovascular & respiratory system
• Digestive system
• Ears
• Eyes
• Endocrine system
• Cancer
• Infectious diseases
• Musculoskeletal system
• Nervous system
• Skin
• Urogenital system

This plan includes Wellness Care Coverage, which gives you $150 annually to put toward vaccinations, annual physical exams, spaying/neutering, heartworm testing, heartworm prevention, and teeth cleaning. Accident coverage is available the day after you purchase your policy and illness coverage 14 days later. According to the website, this costs $54.90/month for dogs and $38.45/month for cats.

All plans are month-to-month, so you can cancel at any time.

Conclusions

Pros:

• ShelterCare offers many plans for different budgets.
• You get unlimited lifetime accident coverage.
• Most programs include coverage for hereditary conditions and Cancer.
• Premiums do not increase as your pet ages.

Cons:

• The basic plan is highly limiting, covering only first-time illnesses, and only 2 per year.
• The Comprehensive plan limits you within specific categories. If your dog has a heart problem, it would be advantageous to have the full range of coverage available for heart-related incidents.
• ShelterCare reimburses 70%—whereas other companies reimburse 80% or 90%.
• Money debited from your account may be subject to an international transfer fee because the company is based in Ontario.
• $150 is not a lot for annual wellness coverage
• Customer reviews are overwhelmingly negative.

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