What is pet insurance?

Written by:
Pet Insurance is a policy that covers your household pets (dogs, cats etc) as long as they're healthy. That means if you should have an emergency medical situation, you will only be responsible for a deductible, not the entire bill, which also means that I can make the best choices for the comfort and health of my pets.

What is pet insurance

Pet insurance generally covers more than just vet bills. Some policies will also cover emergency kenneling costs, theft and travel.

Providing peace of mind and emotional health for pet owners.

Millions of dog and cat owners treat their pets like family members. My four dogs are members of my family.

I cannot even begin to imagine the trauma and distress of trying to make a life or death decision based solely on our financial ability to pay the vet bills.

Pet insurance means that I will never have to make that difficult decision. Which gives me great comfort similar to what I feel knowing my kids are looked after through my life insurance if something ever happens to me.

Knowing this, when I first discovered pet insurance in the late 1990's (while browsing the internet) I jumped all over it. At that time, $25 per month to cover three cats seemed very reasonable. Today, I pay $65 for 4 dogs which is still a great bargain.

Are there different levels of pet insurance?

Just like the different coverages on your life insurance policy, pet insurance plans have multiple levels, which vary based on price and deductibles. Usually the higher the monthly payment, the greater the value of coverages.

Different aspects of coverages you should review include Vet's Fees, Coverage for Life, Accidental Damage, Death from Illness, Death from Accident, Advertising & Reward, Theft or Straying, Third Party Liability & Legal Expenses, Boarding Kennel Fees, Holiday Cancellation Costs and Overseas Travel.

When is a good time to get pet insurance?

I have insured all of my pets within the first six months of life.

It can sometimes be difficult to get insurance for older pets. Normally any pre-existing conditions will not be covered. That's why it is important to think about insurance as soon as financially possible.

If you enjoyed this article please take a look at our Pet Tips and Information Archive.

Discuss What is pet insurance? on Facebook