Pet Insurance

You don't want to be caught without pet insurance

It's one of the worst decisions a pet-owner could ever be forced to make: are you willing to put a price on the life of your pet? Will you pay out the huge medical bill that is needed to give your darling friend a longer lease of life?

There's no way of getting round it: this is a decision that hurts. If you let yourself end up in that situation, there is no right answer. Either you have a cripping financial burden (bear in mind that the costs of medical care for pets can easily run into the hundreds or thousands of dollars) - or you have the guilt of letting your pet die.

Pet insurance saves you from that kind of dilemma. You can be confident that your pet will get the treatment he or she needs - no matter what the cost.

So, what are your options, and how do you go about choosing between them?

Pet insurance: general or specialist

One choice you'll need to make is whether to go for a general pet insurer, or one who specialises in your species of pet. There are specialist dog insurers, specialist cat insurers, and many others.

The advantage of the specialists is that they build up greater expertise within a narrower field, and they are more likely to be able to offer a package designed for the precise needs of your pet. The general pet insurers will often be a better option if you have several pets, and would like to have them all insured within the same package.

More important every year

It is quite incredible how few pet owners have taken out adequate insurance. Over in the UK some 4 out of 5 owners have no insurance at all on their pets. In America, by some accounts, things are even worse. One estimate says that only 2% of pets are insured.

If there is a reluctance to take up pet insurance, it is entirely unfounded. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has been outspoken in its support for pet insurance, and has become ever more so year by year.

And here's another reason to consider pet insurance: the cost of healthcare for pets is rising year in, year out. Why? Well, many of the same expensive drug technologies that are being introduced to hospitals find their way into vetinary surgeries a few years later. The same processes of better, but costlier care will be forcing more and more uninsured pet owners to make the difficult choice between their savings and their pets. This trend is only likely to continue, and pet insurance will become more and more essential for every animal-loving family.

How it works

Pet insurance is very much like any other kind of personal insurance. An insurance company may ask for some form of health check of your pet, or they may want to see medical records. In other cases, they may quote you a price based entirely on the age and spe.

How inclusive can it be?

When you buy pet insurance, like when you buy any other insurance, you should be very careful to check what is included. The variation between policies in this regard is immense.

Ask your provider how much support they provide in the case of long, lingering illnesses. Cancer is a typical example: it can be as drawn-out and painful for a pet as it is for a human.

Ask whether the package includes cover for pro-active health measures such as vaccinations and regular check-ups. The smarter insurers know that this kind of cover can save them money in the long-run, by preventing pets from contracting unpleasant - and expensive - diseases.

When and where to buy insurance

The best time to start pet insurance is as soon as your new friend joins the family. As with humans, if you start buying insurance later in the life of your pet, there is the lingering suspicion that you might have done so just because you think your pet might be ill. Buy insurance when your pet is young, and the insurer is more likely to believe that you are doing it as a way of securing the best care for your pet, not as a dodge to avoid immediate costs.

As for where to buy pet insurance, the best advice is always to shop around, and to compare offers. The internet is becoming an increasingly important medium for this, even more so than for insurance in general. The pet insurance market is full of tiny niches that are best filled by specalist outfits working online. Want to find somebody who can give you a good quote for insuring a fish? The answer is only a click away.