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Pet
Insurance Reviews
and Comparison
Is Pet Insurance Right For You?
A question I wish someone had asked me a long time ago! While doing the
research for pet insurance reviews, it dawned on me that the better
question might be, "Is there a
limit on the amount of money you are
willing spend on your beloved pet???"
 You
might be forced to ask yourself that very question someday if you own a
pet without pet health insurance. I never dreamed there could be
any situation which would cause me and my family to consider finances
over our pets. How
do you put a monetary value on your best friend?
Tragically, too many people are at some point faced with circumstances
that force them to choose between their family finances and their pet's
care. Like me, these people may have never planned for a medical
emergency or never had considered pet insurance should be included in
the family budget.
Far too many
pets are unnecessarily put down each year due to the need to let
finances dictate a pet's medical care.
Several
years back my Westie, Sidney (pictured on this page), had swallowed an
object and became very
sick, very fast. This "object" somehow eluded the veterinarians who
were in charge of her care at the time. She became increasingly ill as
each
day passed, and still no diagnosis in sight!
After several
days and what seemed like a million tests had been run, and
a bill which was now exceeding $3000, the vet's gave up and
recommended
we put her to sleep so she wouldn't continue to suffer. And yes, she
was suffering, more than we could bear.
Completely
in shock and denial, my husband and I just couldn't give up on her, so
at the advice of a good friend, we took her to an exclusive animal
specialist group in Jacksonville, Florida. The veterinarians there were
able
to locate the obstruction within hours and rushed her into surgery.
Sidney
had managed to swallow a long piece of string that had woven its way
through her tummy and severed her intestines in several places. She had
been sick so long by then, that the vet's couldn't believe how hard she
had
fought to stay alive.
After removing several portions of her intestines, Sidney came
through
the ordeal beautifully. This incident earner her a coveted new title,
"The
five-thousand-dollar dog". (Not quite the bionic woman,
but close.)
We are eternally grateful to the North
Florida Veterinary Specialists group who saved her
life.
So
the nightmare ended well for us, but not without turning our entire
world on its end. Our emotions were all over the place. We were forced
to answer the question, "just how far would we go for our
pets?"
And all because we never considered pet insurance!
Both of our
dogs are now elderly and both have serious health conditions. It was
too late by then to go back purchase a pet insurance policy. Do we wish
we had made
better choices, absolutely! Please don't make the same tragic mistake.
Budget now for pet insurance.
No one should ever have to be
torn between
their family finances and their pets care!
Click here to read my story...
Some
current statistics about pet health care in the U.S. include:
- One in three pets will become ill or suffer an
injury during their lifetime leading to unexpected veterinary medical
care.
- Less than 3% of the more than 70 million homes
in the U.S. who have pets, currently own pet insurance.
- Pet owners in the U.S. spend more than $24
billion on pet medical care.
- Voluntary euthanasia is on the rise in this
country due to personal finances.
- Veterinary
emergencies such as an auto injury can easily exceed $3000 depending on
severity of the injuries. That would be tough on folks in good times
and close to impossible during hard times. Can we afford not to have pet
insurance?
Bottom line: It is imperative that you
include your pets in your household budget!
Whether you choose pet insurance or set up a special pet savings account,
this is the only way to keep from someday being blindsided by unplanned
veterinary expenses.
I
personally would not have the discipline for the savings account
approach, if you think that could be an issue for you then I would
seriously consider the pet insurance investment.
Depending on where you live and what type of animal you have; without
pet insurance you can
expect to spend in excess of:
$4000+ for a hip replacement
$2000+ for cardiac surgery and treatment
And believe it not, you can spend $20,000 or more on cancer
(note:
these costs are general, and should not be considered exact or
absolute. Cost of care has many variables including but not limited to,
the state where reside, breed type, extent of injury or illness, etc.)
So
where do you begin? Start by taking a close look at some
of the top veterinary insurance companies and
their offerings. You
could type in
"pet insurance" to search the Internet, but be prepared to read
for days on end.
Some
of the questions you might ask while comparing the
various pet
insurance companies might include:
- Do you offer different deductible options with
your policies?
- Is there a waiting period before I can begin
using the policy?
- Do your policies offer wellness (preventative)
coverage?
- Will it cover dental?
- Do your policies include alternative care such
as hydrotherapy?
- What if I choose a holistic veterinarian?
- What about prescription medications or
prescription foods?
- Is there an age limit or can I still get a
policy for my senior pet?
- Are there annual limits?
- What if my pet has a pre-existing condition?
- What about breed types with genetic
predispositions?
There's
a lot of information out there and making sense of it can be
challenging, so we've done the homework for you and compiled much of
the needed information right here. We'll also compare some of the top
pet
insurance companies further with pet insurance reviews.
Ok, next we'll crunch some numbers and look at what the cost of pet
insurance might look like for those with and without pet health
insurance.
Click
here...
Resources:
National
Canine Cancer Foundation (NCCF)
Consumer
Reports
American
Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)
North
American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA)
The Washington Post
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