Pet Care Insurance

Pet Care Insurance is for many pet owners an expense that is often put on the proverbial “back burner” and then sadly forgotten about until it is too late. Most people would agree that it is very prudent to have sufficient automobile insurance before an accident or having enough home insurance coverage prior to a fire, yet ask a pet owner about pet care insurance and in most cases “they haven’t really thought about pet care insurance or haven’t yet got around to it”.

This may seem very surprising to hear since most pet owners do love their pets, care for them in other ways, and generally think of their pet as part of the family. So why this reluctance on the part of pet owners to invest in some type of pet care insurance for their precious pet?

Reasons For Not Buying Pet Care Insurance?

One reason many owner avoid buying pet care insurance may simply be a lack of knowledge with respect to the cost of having a sick or injured pet treated by a veterinarian. It is not unusual to find that medical costs for treating a dog with a broken leg may reach as high as $1000 and for a cat with a broken leg around the $300 mark. Naturally you can expect these costs to vary depending upon where in the world you live and the availability of veterinarian services.

There may even be fluctuations in the pricing of pet care insurance  within the same geographic region depending upon if you live in a rural area with only a few vet clinics, or in large urban setting where you have more choice, more competition and therefore lower pet care insurance prices. Then there are the hidden costs such as kenneling of an injured animal while in the recovery stage following an operation and the costs of post-recovery medicine such as antibiotics and pain-killers which adds even more on to the total cost of the treatment which a pet care insurance plan may help offset.

A second reason why many pet owners may avoid getting pet care insurance stems from the naive belief that “it will not happen to me”. True there are many pets that live a long and healthy life while rarely seeing the inside of a vet clinic except for their yearly checkup and shots. Unfortunately recent statistics indicate that 65% of pet owners are making unplanned visits to their local vet clinic and are coming away in shock and disbelief at the size of bill following treatment.

Either one of the above reasons can be used to make a strong case for caring pet owners to seriously consider buying pet care insurance.  As with most types of insurance, it may appear costly and not necessary in the beginning, especially if your pet is young and in good health. This needs to carefully measured against the other scenario of having to pay vet bills at full price in a situation where multiple visits are required should your pet become seriously injured and ill.

Making the decision to invest in pet care insurance is certainly a proactive step in the right direction, however this does open the door for even more questions.  Recent years have seen a sharp rise in the numbers of insurance companies expanding into this pet care insurance market along with more choice in the type of pet care insurance. Today’s pet owner needs to consider a wide range of factors before selecting a specific pet care insurance policy.

One standard consideration that appears to be central in most pet care insurance policies is the age, health and kind of a pet. The first thing that should “jump out” at you is the need to consider purchasing pet care insurance for your pet when they are young and healthy if you wish to get the best deal for your money.  Additional pet care insurance factors would include:

-higher costs of pet care insurance to insurance a pure-bred compared to a mixed-breed
-some types of pets such as cats are generally cheaper to insure than dogs thus you pay higher pet care insurance premiums
-more exotic pets may require more specialized treatment which means your pet care insurance will cost more.

Most pet care insurance companies offer a variety of pet care insurance plans to cater to their customers needs. Often the “all-inclusive” plans are most popular as they tend to be more adaptable and some may even repay unexpected costs associated with the pet becoming sick or injured unexpectedly such as your hotel bill if you are forced to stay away from home having driven a great distance to bring your pet to the vet clinic.

Many pet care insurance plans come with some type of  liability protection where the pet owner will be insured if ever the animal injures another individual or causes damage to personal property. Some pet care insurance companies even offer special policies for pets whenever they get lost or stolen. Pet owners may be reimbursed for how much they spend on advertising for the lost pet and will also recover a portion of the pet’s original price if it is not found.

In the end, the onus is on you, the pet owner, to ensure that you not only understand the terms of the pet care insurance policy, but also are aware of what is not covered to avoid any nasty surprises later on.

Pet care insurance shouldn’t be taken for granted. Given the monetary and “piece of mind” benefits, pet owners should not think twice about buying insurance for his or her beloved household friend.

As with any other kind of insurance, it pays to shop and compare pet  insurance, and read pet insurance reviews. This has never been less difficult than now. Many highly regarded pet care insurance companies advertise on the internet these days so it is simply a matter of spending time in front of your computer system to find out what is available, access some pet insurance quotes and in the process uncover some cheap pet insurance, with great benefits for you and your pet.