Pet Insurance: Why You Need It
by Christy Caplan
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January 1, 2017 
This is a New Year’s Resolutions post – I highly recommend pet insurance for anyone that lives with companion animals. Put this on your list for 2017.
Why is this important?
If you live with an animal, health and wellness is the most important thing I can think of and when an emergency occurs it feels like your world is falling apart.
It could be a bee sting or something as awful as a slipped disc (yes, I’ve been through both…) and I found having pet insurance helped ease the financial burden. Knowing I would get a percentage of money back when I looked at the estimates from our local emergency vet provided some peace of mind instead of sheer panic.
Of course I should practice what I preach and have a separate savings account for emergencies for the dogs but there have been instances where this has not been the case.
I also love pet insurance as the brand I use covers a percentage of Acupuncture for Bruisy and their wellness appointments, dental procedures or other routine procedures.
Do your research: I use Nationwide which used to be Vet Pet Insurance (VPI) and I’m really happy with them. This comparison tool is awesome as it looks at Nationwide and then you can choose other brands to determine what makes the most sense for your situation and animal(s). They compare and contrast different policies.
Other brands to look at:
Example comparison
Am I missing any? Please add a comment below if there is one I’m missing or one I should add to the list. I’d also love to hear your experiences on plans and policies you like!
Resources:
- http://www.petinsurance.com/comparison – great side by side chart with all the key players
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10 best pet insurance companies and a top to bottom analysis of them
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A guide to help consumers make purchasing decisions regarding pet insurance
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We are all covered and have been since we moved back to the US. It is peace of mind more than anything. Even if you have a savings account, bills can be 1000’s of dollars in no time and most of us don’t save that much. Insurance has been a great thing for us, and many years we pretty much break even when we add in surgeries, illness, etc.
Us too – I totally agree – the peace of mind alone is worth it. I’ve been really happy with the policies we have and amount I’ve gotten back from routine exams in addition to urgent care related issues. We also break even too for the most part.
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I have nationwide for my two breeding bitches and hey have been great!
That’s so awesome – I’ve been with them since they were VPI and my experiences have been all positive.
I was so prepared for insurance for Elsa, but now they consider her to have a pre-condition (seizures came before we submitted the paperwork, 2 weeks after adopting her). So bummed because it might have mitigated some of the expense treating her. *sigh* Luckily our vet is a low cost clinic so that helps. Great info!
Bruisy has IVDD as his precondition which absolutely sucks. Sherm has ear issues and those are also listed so my lesson is all new dogs get policies immediately! That’s awesome you see a low cost vet – right ON.
Thanks, Christy. Necessity is the mother of invention, right? ? I think your new rule has serious merit!
I’ve been looking into Nationwide this weekend! Thanks for the comparison tool! That will be very helpful.
Absolutely – I’m a big fan of Nationwide’s policies for all three of our dogs!
Vet costs quickly add up. Bear’s last dental cost $600 (he had a molar extracted so it counted as a minor surgery) and the tumor he had less than a year before that was about the same to remove. Thank you for sharing the information and comparison tool. I’m horrible about things I know little about … I tend to put them off no matter how necessary.
I’m with you on the costs of these minor surgeries. It’s a nightmare and they’re so $$$. Since those dentals typically include X-Rays Nationwide covered those costs too… they do quickly add up!
This is something I wish I’d done with my guys years ago. Now it’s too costly, but it sure would have helped with some of the vet bills I’ve had!
Me too – I WISH I’d have done this with Bruiser before he was diagnosed with IVDD as that would have saved me so much money!