Trained Dogs Rule

Pet Insurance has been around for awhile but it seems over the last few years it has becoming increasingly more popular.

When you first think of getting healthcare insurance for your pet you may think it is something that is not within your financial reach. You may also think that is not something that is really necessary and would be a waste of your hard earned dollars.

This may be true for some people, but for those of us who take the time to train our dogs and take them to the vets on a regular basis and generally view our pets as family members, pet insurance may be just what you need.

You know when you bring that cute puppy home that there are certain costs that come automatically with pet ownership. You have the cost of food, training, licenses, shots etc.

Now what about the unforeseen expenses?

Unfortunately accidents do happen with all pets no matter how careful we are. They can get loose and get hit by a car. They can ingest something that they shouldn’t. Just use your imagination and you can come up with a lot more.

We first heard about pet insurance about seven years ago. After purchasing our male Doberman we decided to buy insurance for him and for our older border collie/lab. We first purchased the emergency care. This policy basically covers accidents. If your dog gets hit by a car, swallows something that they shouldn’t have or has an allergic reaction to a bite etc. It does not cover any types of illness.

When our precious border collie lab mix died from liver disease she was not covered for her treatment.  After talking to the vet that treated her he suggested that when our dobe turned two we should increase his insurance to include illness. His opinion was that the majority of dogs do not suffer from serious illnesses until after two. This is provided that your puppy is healthy when you first get them.  So when our male dobe turned two we upped his coverage to include certain diseases and illness.

While doing just a routine check on him in 2003 we found a tiny lump in his neck area. We took him to the vet’s where upon removal we were told he had lymphoma cancer. We were stunned since he was so young. We luckily got him into Guelph Veterinary Hospital immediately. Upon running some tests they thought he was a good candidate for chemo since the cancer was caught early and had not spread.

Although we would have mortgaged the house to have him treated, we had the insurance so eighty percent of the treatment was covered. I am happy to report that the treatment was successful and he has been cancer free now since finishing the 26 weeks of chemo.

So I have to ask you. Can you afford not to have pet insurance? I would much rather pay thirty or forty dollars a month than the thousands it would have cost us if we had not had the insurance.  My view, when it comes to pet insurance, is pay a little once a month or pay a lot at once.

I don’t know about you but I can budget the monthly payments a lot better then being hit with one big bill.

We all hope our beloved pets will never get sick but the reality today is they get the same diseases that we do. With today’s technology, pets can basically receive the same medical treatment that we do.  Actually you might say better since they don’t have the long waits that we sometimes have.

There are many different plans out there for your pet’s medical well-being. Usually each plan has different levels of coverage. If you are considering purchasing insurance check them all out and find the one that suits your financial situation. Is your pet not worth it?

Until next time

Maureen Brownell