The price of pet care is constantly rising. Don’t let your best friend be without pet insurance so you don’t have to worry about anything except making sure they are loved.
What is pet insurance?
Pet insurance is health insurance for your pet that will reimburse portions of your pet’s medical cost. Any UNEXPECTED costs are covered depending on where you choose to get your insurance.
When should I get pet insurance?
The best time to get insurance is as soon as you get your new furry friend. The healthier they are, the better. The reason for this is that if you can be insured before anything happens you will more likely be covered. It is still a good idea to get pet insurance at any age as unexpected things can happen at any time, however the longer you wait the higher the chance that you may not be covered for existing problems.
Why does insurance only cover unexpected vet costs?
The reason behind this is that when getting a pet there are costs associated with this that every owner should already know and plan for such as yearly exams and vaccines, flea and tick treatments, getting their pet spayed or neutered, etc. Pet insurance is more to help with unexpected costs that are very expensive, such as a cat being blocked, TPL surgery, allergies, etc. These unexpected costs can add up and we want to make sure that you are covered when these things happen.
What pet insurance companies are there?
There are many different pet insurance companies out there for our pets. However, the four top ones we use in our clinic are as follows:
TruPanion – This insurance company will be able to direct bill to some vets, works with your budget, can cover things like herbal medicine, have 90% coverage, they DO NOT cover wellness or preventive medicine.
Pets Plus Us – Can choose between Accident or Illness and Accident. Wellness or Blue Ribbon benefits are available as add-ons to the policy. Adding Flex (Wellness) will cover: Dental treatments, annual exam and wellness, anal gland expression, and blood profiles. Adding Blue Ribbon benefits gives you access to their PetHelpFone™, Pet Poison Helpline®, a paid subscription to Modern Dog or Modern Cat magazine and more! For Accident and Illness, you can choose to have them pay 70, 80, or 90% of the bill. There are no breed exclusions with Pets Plus Us and for accident coverage, they cover 80%.
Petsecure – Covers 80% and includes routine dental work. No age limits, four levels of coverage, 1 level includes wellness. Does not cover food or special diets, spay or neuters, medications without DIN or NHP numbers, expenses resulting from pregnancy and associated conditions, or any condition that signs were shown before the plan was purchased.
Pet Plan – Covers 90%, can submit claims with pictures, includes coverage for virtual vet visits, acupuncture, and hydrotherapy. Coverage works whether you’re seen in Canada or USA. Routine and preventive are not covered.