Why Pet Insurance is Important For Your Pets

Almost every household has at least one type of pet. Many households have multiple pets, being blended with a combination of dogs, cats, fish and birds. Fish and birds rarely have health problems which require expensive veterinary care. However that is not the case with a dog or cat. When a dog or cat is injured or seriously ill, it can cost the pet’s owner a huge sum of money to correct the problem. This is why pet insurance makes financial sense for the family, and stands out as an act of love for the pet.

By purchasing a policy for your pets, you are protecting the financial interests of your family. Vet bills for an emergency situation can put you thousands of dollars in the red. You can avoid this with a very low cost insurance plan.

Just as in a human, there are plenty of common ailments which can plague dogs and cats. Both of them are susceptible to cancer and other ailments which can be a huge drain on family finances. Should a pet suffer an injury which requires surgery, it could be in the veterinary hospital for several days. Having an insurance policy would not only cover the surgery itself, it would also pay for the pet to stay in recovery.

You can find some insurance policies which will also help pay for regular preventative healthcare for your dog or cat. This means that the regular trips you take to the vet will be cheaper, and that means more money in your pocket. Preventative health care for your pet will include regularly scheduled checkups and dental examinations.

There are several different types of insurance policies that you can get for your pet. How much you pay out of pocket for certain types of medical care is just one of the options you may be able to choose from when comparing policies. Even though the cost of emergency pet care can become quite extensive, the average insurance policy for a cat or dog is quite minimal.

When you search for a health insurance policy for your pet, you should keep in mind what type of deductible you would like to pay. If you have multiple pets, you should be able to get a discount, so you would be wise to shop around before you settled on any one insurance company.

Since this type of insurance has become very popular, you may be surprised to find that your own personal insurance company may offer coverage for your pet. You should ask your insurance agent if they cover pets, because you might be able to get it cheaply. If your current insurance agent does not offer policies for pets, you can find it elsewhere at a very low monthly fee. You can also pay for a year upfront and possibly save even more money.

Pets have become a big part of our daily lives. They depend on us for their welfare, so it only makes sense that we as pet owners would think of their health concerns just as we would our own. By purchasing pet insurance for your pets, you will be investing in a financially sound practice while providing health coverage. It is a loving way to show that you truly care.

How to Get the Right Pet Health Insurance Policy?

It is widely known that pet health insurance policies and plans are available in plenty for your dear loving pets. The key to get the right policy is time consuming. To get a Birdseye view about your options helps you narrow down your choices and take the ultimate decision worth your concern.

Mainly the insurance plans can be categorized into four, traditional, customizable, accident only and discount. Traditional policies are standard pet health insurance plans that offer design options that cover pet illness, accidents and preventive care. Based on the chosen plan your insurance company will pay all or part of your vet bills up to a pre determined amount. The customizable set of insurance plans is like traditional policies except that it offers more freedom in terms of mixing and matching the necessary provisions such as deductibles, co-insurance percentage, maximum annual coverage amount and co-pays. The third set is accidents alone where cover is only for accidents and not for illness or preventive care. The fourth set is the discount plans, where you can take the pet to any veterinarian or hospital within the network of hospitals the insurance company opts. You will receive a discount on the services obtained.

The type of pet insurance you would opt depends on your budget, the age of your pet which includes checking of any pre-existing conditions, pet’s breed and your veterinarian. The common exclusions in pet insurance are:

- Hereditary conditions which depends on the policy and if at all it is covered it will be covered at a lower level.

- Congenial conditions are not covered due its pre existence. They include patellar luxation, entropion, ectropion, liver shunt etc.

- Fleas and parasites are included in some insurance policies and are in the form of preventive medications against parasites which might not include eradication of parasites.

- Preventable diseases and chosen procedures like getting a vaccination to prevent diseases are generally not covered.

- Dental care is provided in case of any accidents but dental preventive care like teeth cleaning is not generally under coverage.

- Pre-Existing Conditions is common to see in the category of exclusion in pet insurance as it is for human insurance. Any pre-existing condition your pet has before the policy start date does not come under insurance cover. This includes conditions that may not have been diagnosed till date and just because you have not identified such pre conditions by taking it to the vet and are unaware of the condition, the plan does not guarantee that you will get covered for the particular condition.

Some companies will allow you to cover these potential problems with an additional payment. In some cases the local veterinarian will be able to warn you about any exclusion. Getting the right pet health insurance just needs careful overview of the plans that suit your pet and you budget.