The Main Issues about Pet Insurance

Trina

If you have just got a new pet, you may be super excited about the new member of your family and forget about many issues that should be analyzed in advance. We all grow older, and animals are not the exception. Indeed, many types of animals have quite a short lifespan. And like any other living creature, animals also get bored and also get sick. And of course, like humans, pets may need some urgent healthcare services. That’s why the topic of pet insurance has become so important nowadays. Many insurance companies provide different insurance packages for pets, but there are a couple of main related issues you have to take into account at the very beginning of the pet keeping.

The Types of Pets and Their Health Conditions

No need to mention that it is much easier to find a good insurance package for a cat or a dog due to various reasons. They are widespread, have a quite predictable lifespan, and of course, the costs of veterinary services for these animals are easy to estimate. As for other animals, here you might face some obstacles.

If to consider small mammals, like hamsters, rabbits, and mice, they are nearly impossible to get insurance for. They don’t live long and are predisposed to many kinds of severe health conditions, which are either impossible to treat or the cost of treatment is very high if comparing it to the generally lower monthly expenses on food and accessories. Modern society is getting more animal-friendly each decade, but still getting an advantageous deal for pet insurance is not as easy as buying cat accessories or dog chew toys.

Among the crucial factor affecting the general possibility and the conditions of insurance, we should mention the health condition of your pet. It’s easier to get good insurance for a younger pet, but still, he/she has to undergo a variety of health examinations which will exclude the presence of any serious pre-existing conditions. Some insurance companies don’t provide insurance services for dogs older than 7 years.

Chronic diseases and even the dog’s breed itself will affect the final price and decision. Insurance companies widely use consulting services and scientific facts in the process of estimating their value proposition. For example, as Pugs are predisposed to have many bones and blood vessels diseases, they are harder to insure against possible health problems. So, many factors should be foreseen.

Cases You Need the Insurance to Cover

Of course, pets are living beings, but there is one case common for their insurance with property insurance being the case. It is theft. So, many pet owners whose beloved babes represent a certain unique breed, cost a lot, or simply look very attractive may decide to insure their pets against theft. Besides, the other main case for insurances are the following:

– Breeding risks

– Regular healthcare services, like dental care

– Scheduled visits to the vet clinics

– Urgent health conditions (injuries, diseases)

– Pet’s death

As for health problems you, as a pet owner, can be more concerned of, contagious diseases widespread in your region, congenital illnesses, hereditary conditions (if you know the origin of your pet), and of course, the general diseases the breed may get.

Treatment and Care

Treatment and care that can be covered by insurance

• Contacting any insurance company make sure you understand what cases they are ready to cover. Because it often happens that the problems you would like to get rid of with the help of insurance, simply are not covered on any insurance basis. So, analyzing the general insuring practice worldwide here is a shortlist of the issues you can negotiate on with the insurance agents:
• General veterinary costs: usually the treatment for accidents, injuries, and illnesses.
• Dental care: covered on some pet insurance policies, not always. Most of the time, it covers dental care due to accidents in the condition of severe injury.
• Ongoing conditions: normally, only be covered in the case of a lifetime policy. Hereditary and congenital issues: they include the health problems developed through inherited pet’s features or have existed for the whole pet’s life. Insurance companies rarely classify them as existing or ongoing conditions. But you need to make sure the cover is possible in such cases.
• Breeding risks related to pregnancy are not always included. If you’re planning to use your pet for breeding, then you’ll need to make sure the company you have chosen for insurance is ready to include this case into the plan.
• Alternative medicine: homoeopathy and acupuncture are rarely covered by most of the insurance policies.

Pet Insurance Perspectives

Pet insurance, if not to be called a luxury service, is quite an expensive thing, so you should do your homework. Of course, in comparison to humans, there’s no state support for health instances in dogs and other pets, and also the only added assistance you can think of are charities and crowd-funding suggestions.

When it comes to animal charities, they usually lack funding, so the quantity of health you may get is truly limited. Volunteers can’t also cover substantial bills, they can supply other assistance rather, such as cost-free veterinary solutions in a limited quantity.

So, in any case, the only support you can rely on in keeping your pet healthy and dealing with some urgent situations are your own funds or insurance. Still, many pet owners don’t realize how important this issue is. But as a trend, general awareness of the issue is constantly rising. That’s why there’s a place for the hope that due to the rising demand for such services their cost will decrease in the near future. So, regardless of any alternative, it depends on you to select the best pet insurance policy to fit you and your pets needs. , Yet let’s not fail to remember that maintaining an animal is a joy, but likewise a duty.

credits: Photo by Luis Hutchinson, Victor Grabarczyk Ross Artley on Unsplash

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