Welcoming home a new puppy can be a great joy, but it can also be expensive. Purchasing pet insurance can help ensure your new family member is covered financially during stressful health emergencies. Pet insurance is a type of medical coverage that reimburses you for some or all of the costs of your dog’s veterinary care, ranging from routine procedures to costly surgery. The cost of pet insurance varies between providers, and different policies have their own sets of coverages and benefits. When choosing a plan, consider the size of your dog, their breed, age, geographic location and if they have any pre-existing conditions.
There are a variety of plans available, with accident and illness being the most common. With these types of plans, you’ll need to pay the initial cost of treatment and submit a claim to be reimbursed for the remaining amount. Some of these plans also have a deductible, similar to that of human health insurance.
Some pet insurance providers offer wellness packages or riders, which cover a set amount of money per condition/treatment, such as dental cleanings, spay/neuter procedures and yearly exams. However, these benefits aren’t a replacement for preventative veterinary care, which is typically not covered by pet insurance. Examples of preventative care that may be covered include heartworm medication and flea/tick prevention.
When researching pet insurance options, make sure you compare coverages, benefits and cost before making a final decision. Also be sure to read the fine print, as some plans exclude pre-existing conditions or have exclusions that may apply to your puppy.
A puppy can experience a number of different injuries and illnesses, from an emergency trip to the vet for swallowing a foreign object to an accidental exposure to rabies or heartworms. The resulting costs can add up quickly, and without the right plan in place, you could end up paying more than you bargained for.
While it may seem counterintuitive to buy pet insurance for a young puppy, millions of pets develop expensive debilitating illnesses that can affect their quality of life well into adulthood. Many of these can be prevented with early and ongoing preventive veterinary care, which is why it’s important to find a policy that offers coverage for those early expenses. puppy insurance