Dog Pet Insurance

Dog Pet Insurance: We all hope that our pooch
will not become sick or infirm at some time in
their lives, but the reality is that one in two
dogs will suffer with some form of disease, age
related deterioration or accident during their
lifetime. When that happens the cost of
treatment alone can be extremely expensive,
especially if you have no insurance cover for
your dog. Keeping a dog today without some form
of insurance is a risky business.

Whether you live in the USA, Canada, Australia,
New Zealand or Europe if you care for your dog
then you have to have some form of dog
insurance, even if the policy only pays for a
percentage of the treatment.

So how do you find the right insurance and the
exact policy that will cover your needs?

Make a list of pet Insurers for your particular
country. The go through them one by one either
online or telephone. This is important as
insurers vary considerably in different
conditions.

So here is a list of what you need to check:

Some insurers charge higher premiums for
different breeds. Check to see if your breed of
dog is exempt or it will be charged a higher
premium.

Do they have exceptions on the age of your dog
and is there a lower and upper age limit?

Do they offer a multiple policy discount if you
have more than one dog and indeed more than one
pet?

Read the small print, this is sometimes where
policyholders go wrong. Do not just scan the
small print; make sure you understand what you
are purchasing.

Do they charge an excess (The amount you will
have to stump up yourself in the event of a
claim)?

Does their policy only cover accidents?

Does their policy cover both accidents &
illness?

Do they offer a comprehensive policy, which
covers preventive care (checkups, vaccinations,
neutering, etc.) along with accident and illness
coverage?

What does the policy exclude in the form of
deductibles, co-pays and caps on coverage, for
example some will only pay 80% of the costs for
treating your pet's illness, others will pay
100%.

As some breeds are prone to genetic disorders
does the policy exclude any genetic or
hereditary conditions for your pet?

Are there any extra charges for wellness
checks, drugs, dental treatments, cancer
treatment, etc? Most policies do not include
dental cover.

Can you use any veterinarian you want or are you
restricted to the ones the insurance company
recommend?

Do they offer lifetime cover, which is more
expensive and you would have to stay with the
same insurer? Overall this form of policy would
be worthwhile if you have cover for the life of
your dog.

Do they offer third party insurance like damage
to people's property or injury to a person or
animal?

Usually lower priced dog pet insurance policies
do not have the same cover as the more expensive
ones. Somewhere in between there is a happy
medium.

You have to remember that vaccinations, flea
control; spaying and castration along with
existing illness are not covered.

The cost of keeping your pet healthy can be
expensive without the right kind of protection.
A large percentage of dog owners will not have
insurance, looking on it as being too expensive
and unable to afford the premiums. They will
often choose euthanasia in preference to paying
the vet for treatment.

Even when insurance has been taken out and you
submit a claim in the event of your dog needing
veterinary attention the insurance company, in
most cases, will only pay you instead of the
vet. You will normally have to pay for the
veterinary treatment and claim of the insurance
company yourself.

Pet insurance is always worthwhile, with dogs
living longer and keeping active into old age.
The only problem is the cost. Unfortunately most
dog owners do not take this into consideration
when purchasing a puppy.

There has to be a solution as an increasing
number of dogs are being put down when needing
an operation because of rising costs.
Unfortunately the innocent dog is nearly always
the first to go when faced with this decision.

What about a national health service for pets
where everyone who keeps pets contribute? Just a
thought!


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Ian Nicholson is passionate about all things dogs
after fifty years of involvement with them. He
invites you to visit him at
http://www.choosebestdogbreed.com and download a
free eBook on keeping your dog healthy in old age
and also learn more about pet insurance


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