The fantastic folks on the Trupanion web team have been developing the newest version of our website. A little over a week ago, it was finally revealed!

• The quote tool makes it easy to get your free quote in just a few seconds. Plus you can easily add or remove pets to the quote.

• The new deductible slider allows you to raise or lower the deductible for each pet while lowering or raising your premium respectively to find the best premium and deductible to fit your budget.

• On the quote page, you can take a look at pet insurance company comparisons beneath the slider bar. Review side-by-side policy comparisons and easily toggle between all the top pet insurance companies. View pet insurance comparison site.

• View quick price comparisons beneath your quote. We compare Trupanion quotes to those of other pet insurance companies. We have chosen a comparable plan from each company and match our deductible so that you can see an apples-to-apples comparison.
  *Our quote comparison site was recently mentioned in an article in the Examiner

• Trupanion now has a policyholder area for current policyholders. There, you may view the status of all enrolled pets, your policy documents, update billing and mailing information, and also add pets to your policy. Additional features are in the works!

These are just some of the fantastic new features of the website. Visit the website to see everything!

Coming soon: dog and cat breed guide to help you choose the best pet for your family.

Hid dysplasia is a condition of the hips that may seriously affect your pet's mobility (and your wallet). Learn more about hip dysplasia with these basic questions to better understand your pet's risks.

What is hip dysplasia? Hip dysplasia is basically when the hip joints develop abnormally. The ball of the femur should fit perfectly into the socket (see image 1) with the support of ligaments and cartilage, and the muscles support full range of movement. With hip dysplasia, it is not a perfect fit so the bone fits somewhat loosely (see image 2) and the muscles cannot support proper movement. Typically, pets are not born with hip dysplasia, but it can later develop. Hip dysplasia may affect one or both hips.

Who does it affect? No pet is immune from hip dysplasia. All breeds of cats and dogs can get it, however dogs of larger breeds and cats with larger bones are more susceptible.

Can my pet get hip dysplasia? Hip dysplasia is believed to be genetic and is more common amongst large dog breeds such as German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Great Danes, Rottweilers, Saint Bernards, and Golden Retrievers. Cats have much lower rates of hip dysplasia and it is more difficult to recognize symptoms because they weigh much less thus putting less weight on the joints. Pets with hip dysplasia in their genetic lineage are more likely to experience severe symptoms if they are obese, and also for puppies that experience rapid growth spurts.

How is it diagnosed? One symptom of hip dysplaisa is pain during or after exercise. Hip dysplasia is diagnosed by a veterinarian by looking at x-rays of the hip joints. They may also be able to feel looseness in the joint. Typically, results of a hip dysplasia test are very straight forward.

How is it treated? Surgery for hip dysplasia may require a total hip replacement, or a type of joint reconstruction surgery.

How much does it cost? Total costs including x-rays, medication, and surgery can cost anywhere from $2,000 up to over $7,000.
*Trupanion has optional pet insurance coverage for hip dysplasia that pays for 90% of the actual bill after deductible has been applied.

*Photos courtesy Wikipedia

"Polly Want an Insurance Policy?" : There is a viral article about pet insurance that was posted by the Wall Street Journal yesterday.

Excerpt: "Currently, around a million U.S. pets are insured, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. The number is growing about 10% a year, the group estimates, though that still represents just a tiny fraction of all pets."

The article goes over some basics and details of pet insurance and has other great information if you're interested to learn more about pet insurance. There are also a couple links to some good resources. Definitely worth a read!

*Photo courtesy Tim Evans/Saturn Lounge for the Wall Street Journal; Eli Meir Kaplan for The Wall Street Journal

Puppies and kittens! They're absolutely adorable, but let's face it: they seem to get into a lot more trouble than their older, more mature counterparts. Even if you've baby-proofed, it's hard to keep your puppy from eating a candy wrapper, shoe, phone charger, you name it. Younger pets are still growing into their bodies and have weaker immune systems which puts them at a higher risk to clumsily get hurt or fall ill.

While you can be on top of things as far as vaccinations and flea preventatives, there is no way to be ready for the unexpected. They could easily fall off furniture or down stairs and who knows what they might find while exploring outside. We like to hope our pets are invincible, but accidents happen, and especially to younger and more curious pets. View some actual pet insurance claims and costs.

It's great to get pet insurance early because you never know when an accident might happen. Younger pets are more likely to get into trouble-- about half of the claims that Trupanion pays on a regular basis are for puppies or kittens less than one year old. This is why pet insurance is great to have for a new puppy or kitten. If you're looking to get insurance for a new pet, it's best to get it sooner than later to be sure that all possible incidents are covered.

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

A very important reason to enroll in a pet insurance policy early is to prevent the exclusion of preexisting conditions. For example, if your pet breaks its leg or swallows a toy and is not insured, no insurance company will pay for the treatments because the condition is considered preexisting. However, if you get insurance as early as possible, and your pet has no known ailments, then you can be sure that any future accidents, illnesses, or conditions will be covered by insurance.

What's great about Trupanion is that we cover ongoing treatments for chronic conditions for the life of your pet. If your kitten has allergy problems, then your pet insurance will cover the treatments for years to come, or as long as your cat needs them. Learn more about how Trupanion offers more pet insurance coverage.

Some pet insurance companies have specific exclusions about paying for ongoing treatments. For example, one plan will only pay for the first year of the treatment, and anything following that is considered preexisting, thus not covered. Other plans have relatively low maximum amounts that they will pay per condition so it would be easy to use up your alottment in the first year.

It's definitely a good idea to get pet insurance as early as possible for your pet to ensure that all future mishaps will be covered by your insurance.

Tune in next week to learn more benefits of getting pet insurance early.

Read Part 1 and Part 3 of this series.