Pet Insurance, Life Saver or Scam?

What is Pet Insurance? Pet insurance is health insurance for pets. There are plans that cover everything from routine vet visits to catastrophic illnesses. There are plans that only cover major medical events and accidents as well. There are varying levels of deductibles and most if not all are reimbursement plans. The good news is you can use any vet you like.

If you own a mischievous puppy, an active dog or a dog that seems to get into everything pet insurance can save a life not to mention your wallet!

Here is a true story of my own dog and how pet insurance has helped my family tremendously…

Our dog Cole was 3 months old when we adopted her from a local shelter. As part of their program she came with a 30 day insurance plan (extended warranty as my husband called it) that you could extend to 45 days just by making a phone call within the first 10 days of adopting which I did.

When we brought our new puppy home she looked pristine but within a few days her whole underbelly was bright red! We took her to the vet and she had some sort of skin condition. Cha ching! Then at about 6 months old I noticed a bump on her leg that developed into an eraser sized tumor. Back to the vet, cha ching! At 14 months she was running and playing with a neighbor dog and she tore her Cranial Cruciate Ligament (think ACL in a human) in her left rear knee, Cha ching, Cha ching, Cha ching! (that’s a $3000 surgery), but wait, it’s not over yet!! At 5 years old she tore the same ligament in her right rear knee (can you say CHA CHING!?) and went on to massacre the meniscus in the same knee while healing from the previous surgery so she had to go to an Orthopedist (yes they have those for dogs) who had to reopen her knee (which hadn’t even fully healed) and do another complete surgery to repair her meniscus (to many Cha chings to count). Glad I have insurance? You betcha!

Of course there have been various other small events that have warranted going to the vet for but I’m just sharing the major ones. So for us pet insurance has been a life (and wallet) saver. After the first couple of issues I decided that this pet insurance is a good thing and have renewed her policy every year since. I never want to have to decide if I can do what is needed for our beloved Cole based on whether or not we can afford it. Pet insurance has made it possible for us to take care of our dog whatever comes our way. I would never have imagined that one dog (now affectionately called the six million dollar dog) could have been such a financial whirlwind just as many people don’t when they adopt a pet.

So do your homework, check out all your options to see what pet insurance plan is right for you and your pet. You’ll be glad you did.