Pet Insurance – To Get or Not to Get: That is the Question
Frequently enough, owners bring in a new puppy, kitten, or recently adopted animal and ask, “Should I get pet insurance?”
This is a great question to be addressed early on as this might bring up diseases and illnesses predisposed to that specific breed, or discuss what to do in case of an emergency with your pet. Pet insurance is great to have on any pet, and buying insurance while the pet is young is even better. Below, we weigh in on a few of the pros and cons of pet insurance as well as give the names of a few pet insurance companies.
Pets get sick, and often when we least expect them.
On average, one out of every three pets will need an unexpected visit to the vet each year. Sometimes these are for very minor illnesses, or unfortunately, for major, life-threatening illness. Pet insurance is there to help cover the cost of unexpected vet visits and to help you provide the best care sildenafil over the counter for your beloved pet. Insurance for your pet also assists in knowing that you won’t get stuck with a huge bill to cover all by yourself.
ON AVERAGE, ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE PETS WILL NEED AN UNEXPECTED VISIT TO THE VET EACH YEAR.
Often, many of the pet insurance plans do not cover routine or yearly visits, including vaccines.
While this is obviously a very important part of your pet’s care, most insurance companies do not cover these visits in an effort to keep claims down and therefore keeping insurance rates lower. The same goes for heartworm, intestinal parasite, flea, and tick prevention. Many of the insurance companies do not cover the cost of these important preventatives.
One major difference between pet insurance and human insurance is at what point in time you, the pet owner, might be paying your portion of the vet bill.
Most of the pet insurance companies require you to pay the bills and fees upfront, then submit your paperwork and claims before they reimburse you for the funds. So this likely means you have to pay the entire bill up front for the emergency surgery that Fido requires after eating a sock. Then it would be up to you as the pet owner to submit all paperwork and claims to the insurance company and get reimbursed for the portion of the bill they cover.
Pet insurance can be relatively cheap.
Some plans start as low as $20 per month, but obviously certain plans and various coverages will be more expensive. Factors on determining how much your monthly rate will be include: breed of pet, age, previous health issues, and the deductible. We recommend doing your research with various companies to get the best plan for your pet and the best rate.
Below are a few pet insurance companies we recommend researching:
If you are interested in learning more about the importance of pet insurance, please ask our team for more details.
Overall, pet insurance is great to have for your pets. You never know if or when they might get sick. Knowing that you won’t be responsible for their entire bill can help make an already stressful time, less worrying. Make sure to weigh the pros and cons as well as compare various insurance companies and the fine print before signing your pet up!
