If you’re a dog or cat owner then you should definitely consider getting some kind of coverage for an emergency and affordable pet insurance so that you don’t end up in an awful situation of either having to borrow money from a friend or, even worse having to put down your beloved pet because you just can’t pay or find somebody to loan you the money.
This would be the best way to prevent a disaster for your pet and perhaps yourself. It is not very expensive to get your dog or cat coverage and there are many very affordable pet insurance providers. (see list of links below) By taking these precautions you will give yourself piece of mind. Pets are similar to humans and are subject to becoming ill from time to time, and you never know when that time will come.
You might say to yourself, “hey I got it covered and at worst case I’ll have to shell out a couple hundred bucks” but that is not always the case. See list below of some high cost procedures that many people who didn’t plan in advance have had to pay for with their savings or borrowed money.
Feline urinary track reconstruction = $1400
Canine lung cancer = $2000
Feline intestinal cancer treatment = $942
Canine Disc Disease = $2800
And on and on..
One personal story is my own sister once had a dog visiting her home. This was a miniature poodle and the dog jumped out of the baby pen it was being kept in. When the dog landed it snapped its from leg in 2 places. After taking the dog to the vet it turns out because of this incident the dog needed surgery and screws put into its little leg. Total bill for this was $4200 for a 3 pound dog.
If your pet needs to go to the emergency room your likely to pay extremely high rates and those that obtained affordable pet insurance will be very glad they did. Be sure to look closely at your policy so you know if it covers emergency care and what % of care it covers. In general many pet insurance companies are setup to help cover up to 80% of the large bills, but you probably will need to cover your regular checkups and vaccines out of your own pocket, but that is mainly what pet insurance is for.
The times that you really need this is when an unforeseen emergency situation takes place. There is nothing sadder to me than the 1000s of pets that are put down before their time is up simply because the owners didn’t obtain proper coverage, so don’t let yourself be one of those and search around and compare plans. Generally you’re looking at paying 10 to 30$ a month and you will be able to sleep better at night knowing you have looked after your best friend.
Here are some insurance providers and links to their websites as well as the rating given to them by “Pet Insurance Reviews” website.
ASPCA ( Overall rating for the past 60 days is 8.4 out of a possible 10)
Embrace (Overall customer review of 9.1 the last 60 days)
Trupanion (overall subscriber rating of 8.1 the last 60 days)
Generally most affordable pet insurance companies will only cover cats and dogs, but there are some that will cover less popular pets. Horses, Rabbits, Snakes, rates and so on.
You can find some of the exotic pets coverage’s listed here:
http://www.petinsurance.com/plans-and-coverage/birds-and-exotic-pets.aspx
Note: While we have put effort into giving accurate statistics on plans, pricing and coverage provided please understand that this information is only for informational purposes and is not a substitute for quotes and policy terms you would obtain directly from the insurer.