You may not be aware of this, but pet insurance is available to cover your expenses should your dog or cat contract a disease or get into an accident. Surprise veterinary bills can be avoided if you have coverage.
One aspect of pet ownership not fully understood by the novice pet owner is the over all cost of having a pet. Dogs are often more costly than cats. After all, it makes sense that a big dog eats more than a typical cat. Annual vet visits are typically more for dogs as well.When your pet becomes ill or has an accident, it’s going to run a small fortune.
If you’re a cat owner and you’re thinking my indoor cat can’t get into a car accident, you might want to think again. Indoor cats have been known to get out when people are not looking. In addition, there are many dangers to your pet around the house as well.
There are many reports of cats needing medical assistance after eating something they shouldn’t have at holiday time. Your cat’s intestines are not meant to deal with things like “Silly String.”
Pet emergencies can be extremely costly. Even without an accident, your cat may still become ill. Cats are prone to diabetes, heart conditions, worms, and any number of other conditions.
What is pet insurance? I don’t want to bring you bad luck, but what happens if you take Fluffy to the vet and she’s diagnosed with a major illness? Your expenses could run in the thousands for diagnosis and treatment. The main purpose of pet insurance is to help pet owners lessen the impact of health care costs for their animals by paying small monthly premiums for a health care insurance policy.
Is an insurance policy a good idea for your pet?
One of my cats has a heart condition, and I did not have pet insurance at the time this was discovered. When she began to show symptoms of a problem she was diagnosed with a heart murmer. I was more than willing to pay the vet whatever he wanted to find out exactly what was going on. Having been through this experience with one of my cats, I can say that having pet insurance coverage for her would have been a big burden off of me.
Sadly, my vet explained to me that a lot of cat owners can’t afford to pay for tests and/or treatment, and so they often don’t even find out what is truly wrong with their pets.
On the other hand, I happen to know someone who is still paying the $3000 worth of vet bills for a dog she had who died quite some time ago. If she had had a pet insurance policy, it would have been covered.
The Good: Pet insurance gives you as a pet owner peace of mind and ease of wallet. To be able to budget your pet’s health care costs over the life of your pet can give you a sense of freedom both financially and emotionally.
Most of us are on a monthly budget. Incorporating your pet insurance premiums (and therefore the cost of your pet’s health care) into that budget helps you avoid sudden and unexpected expenses. You won’t have any unplanned-for out-of-pocket expenses if your pet becomes ill or is involved in an accident. One thing I learned early on as a cat owner is that vets are not cheap!
You can choose from different plans from various companies, some of which pay up to 100%, and require no physical exam. In some cases, there are no annual maximum benefit restrictions. In addition, you can even get routine care, such as vaccinations and prescription flea medication covered. Some company plans, such as VPI Pet Insurance, will even cover spay and neuter procedures. See the details of the VPI Superior Plan plus Routine Care Coverage at VPI’s web site.
As long as she is not subject to one of the exclusions, your pet is guaranteed to be accepted by PetCare Pet Insurance. As with all insurance, you may cancel your policy if you feel it is not in the best interest of you and your pet.
Many pet owners are very satisfied with the peace of mind that comes with PetCare pet insurance coverage.This type of coverage has allowed pet owners to afford expensive treatment for their animals and in some cases has saved the life of the animal.
The Not So Good: Is pet insurance cost effective? That depends. Some customers say that buying coverage for a very young pet which is never let outside unsupervised is more expensive than paying a veterinarian for what the cost of their pet’s health care would have been. Young and small house pets are rarely involved in accidents and only very occasionally become ill.
There are some age and breed restrictions, so check with the particular insurance company you’ve chosen for the details and to see if your pet is elligible. As with most insurance policies, there is a grace period in some cases, as well as some exclusions.
As an example, you must keep up with regular vet visits and vaccinations as a requirement of your continued PetCare Pet Insurance coverage. Check with the company providing your coverage to ensure you Be sure you comply with your particular policy agreement.
The Bottom Line: For cat or dog owners who have pets that are a little older or those that live outside, pet insurance is a great value. For owners of very young animals or those that live inside, the cost of pet insurance may be greater than the value of the protection it provides.