Caring For Your Pets. Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Pets are the best companions of human beings. Many diseases badly affect your beloved pets. At times, the cost of the veterinary care (including the medical expenses, charges of a vet) becomes a burden for the owner.

The concept of pet insurance is getting more popular among dog lovers. There are lots of benefits that are associated with pet insurance. In addition, pet insurance assures you that you will be there for your beloved pet when he needs you the most without caring about the veterinary cost.

In the article, we will discuss “Pet insurance “and all the aspects related to this based on our own experience.

*Discloser: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through one of my links, at no cost to you.

What Are The Key Benefits Of Pet Insurance?

As mentioned earlier, pet insurance keeps your furry friend secured. However, there are lots of benefits of pet insurance. We are going to share a few important key benefits.

Pet insurance covers the cost of veterinary services in case of accidents and illness. For example, if your pet has some kind of chronic infection, accident, or gets poisoned. In such cases, the pet insurance will bear all the veterinary expenses.
Many pet insurance companies may give you a discount on getting insurance for more than one pet. This can be a good thing for you.
Pet insurance also covers third-party liability. This is only applicable in the case of the dog. The insurance will cover the damage to someone or someone’s property.
Pet insurance also covers the lost and found, farewell cover, and the dental treatments of the pets.

Important note: The benefits of pet insurance vary from company to company. We have just mentioned some general benefits above. So, you can check the various available options offered by an insurance company before getting your pet insured.

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What Is The Cost Of Pet Insurance?

This is a critical thing to understand. The cost of insurance depends upon several factors including the nature of the policy, breed of the pet, age, location, type of pet along with size. This is important to note that the type and size of the pet are very important in determining the cost of the insurance. Last but not least, the most expensive level of cover is for the whole life and it provides better protection to your beloved pet.

Do Pet Insurances Cover Congenital Diseases?

This question is often asked by pet owners. However, most pet insurances don’t cover the medical cost of congenital conditions (The problems which your pet gets at birth). All along with that, hereditary diseases/conditions (The problems which transmit from the pet parents to the offspring) are not usually covered by pet insurances.

For a better understanding of the pet owners, we are going to share some common congenital & genetic conditions of cats and dogs below:

Hereditary conditions of cats:

The important hereditary conditions in cats include polycystic kidney disease (PKD), feline lower urinary tract disease, deafness, and diabetes.

Congenital conditions of dogs:

The important congenital diseases of dogs include heart anomalies, hip dysplasia. All along with that, dental issues, breathing complications are common in the breeds with smushed faces (French bulldogs, pugs).

The above conditions are known as “Pre-existing conditions”. Mostly, these conditions are not covered by insurance policies. This is better to declare all the pre-existing conditions which your pet is already having to the insurer for future convenience. Keep in mind, if you are planning to change an insurer then also discuss the conditions which are being covered under your current policy with them. So, those conditions should be covered under the new insurance.

Is The Insurance Of Older Pets Worthy?

The age of the pet is a critical factor in pet insurance. Older pets have a high premium cost. So, the insurance plan of an older dog may only include the accident plan. Keep in mind, this thing varies between cats and dogs.

What Are Various Types Of Pet Insurances?

There are different types of pet insurances. Here we have discussed some important types with some detail.

Maximum benefit policies:

These insurance policies give you defined money for each illness/accident/unexpected event. These policies cover the maximum money spent on treatment during an illness. Such policies require annual renewal.

Note: There is no maximum limit of the amount in these policies. Keep in mind, once the maximum money has been spent on the treatment of a specific illness, the money will not be spent again.

Lifetime cover/Reinstatement.

These types of policies deal with the ongoing coverage of illness and injuries. There is a defined amount of money for your pet each year. Unlike the above one, if the cost of treatment of an illness/injury exceeds the defined money then this insurance doesn’t meet that. This also requires renewal. Once you renew, the full level of cover is reinstated.

Accident policies:

These types of policies only provide fixed money for the accidents to meet the cost of the treatment. Some accident policies have a limit of one year. This is important to renew the policy at the end of the insurance period and keep the payments up to date. This is how your pet remains covered for the treatment of any unexpected accidents.

Does Pet Insurance Cover All The Licensed Vets?

This thing depends upon the insurer. Usually, pet insurance covers any licensed vet. Unlike human doctors, you can visit any licensed vet and get reimbursement after the treatment of your pet.

However, some insurer requires some important specifications which respect to the primary vets. For example, the vet must be a part of some international veterinary organization (American veterinary medical association), etc. So, you need to consider this point before getting your pet insured.

Do Vets Accept All The Pet Insurance Plans?

This is a good piece of news for the owners that the vets accept all types of pet insurance plans. Also keep in mind that, exceptions are there.

Do Pet Insurances Cover Vaccination Costs?

Usually, pet insurance doesn’t cover the vaccination costs unless the vaccination is part of the overall wellness care policy. Also, keep in mind, every insurance company doesn’t provide wellness care policies. Every company has its coverage and plans.

Do Pet Insurances Cover Spaying/Neutering Costs?

Not at all. These two elective surgeries are not mostly covered by pet insurances. However, some companies offer coverage for these surgeries as a part of wellness care policies.

What Is The Age Limit For Pet Insurance?

The minimum age of enrollment for pets is under six to eight weeks. On contrary, the maximum age of the pets for the enrollment is 10-12 years. However, the criterion of age varies from pet to pet. Always keep in mind, the age requirement for enrollment also varies from company to company.

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Pet insurance is a personal choice. This is helpful to deal with the emergencies such as sudden accidents, injuries, and other complications. If you can’t afford the emergency veterinary cost for your pet then pet insurance is a good idea. All along with that, buying an insurance policy keeps the owner satisfied and peaceful.

This is the biggest support during the bad times. All along with that, before buying an insurance policy, you need to do some homework. Simply, critically analyze the limitations, expectations, co-payments of each policy and make the decision accordingly. Just make the wise decision that suits you and your beloved pet.

Conclusion

Pet insurance plays an important role in guaranteeing the safety of dogs and cats during any kind of emergency. There are different kinds of pet insurance with their specifications. The important types of pet insurances include lifetime insurance (reinstatement), policies with full-time benefits, and accident insurances.

Some insurance doesn’t cover congenital and hereditary diseases/ conditions. This is better to inform the insurer about the pre-existing conditions in your pet. This is important for an owner to do deep homework before getting any insurance.

The owner should critically analyze the own benefits and the benefits of the beloved pet. Last but not least, pet insurance is a choice and a helping tool to support you during the time of emergency.

References

Abrahams, A.S., Becker, A.B., Sabido, D., D’Souza, R., Makriyiannis, G. and Krasnodebski, M., 2009. Inducing a marketing strategy for a new pet insurance company using decision trees. Expert systems with applications, 36(2), pp.1914-1921.

Williams, A., Coble, K.H., Williams, B., Dicks, M. and Knippenberg, R., 2016. Consumer preferences for pet health insurance (No. 1376-2016-109652).

Dixon, S.T.E.P.H.E.N., 2012. Pet insurance, understanding the current state of play. Veterinary Business J, 116, pp.6-9.

Stowe, J.D., 2000. Pet insurance–essential option?. The Canadian Veterinary Journal, 41(8), p.639.

Dunn, L., 2006. Small animal practice: billing, third-party payment options, and pet health insurance. The Veterinary clinics of North America. Small animal practice, 36(2), pp.411-8.

D’Souza, R., Krasnodebski, M. and Abrahams, A., 2007. Implementation study: Using decision tree induction to discover profitable locations to sell pet insurance for a startup company. Journal of database marketing & customer strategy management, 14(4), pp.281-288.

Kenney, D., 2009. Your guide to understanding pet health insurance.

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