{"id":3518,"date":"2020-02-15T04:00:11","date_gmt":"2020-02-15T04:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/petdedicated.com\/?p=3518"},"modified":"2020-02-15T04:00:11","modified_gmt":"2020-02-15T04:00:11","slug":"pet-insurance-for-dogs-should-you-have-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/petdedicated.com\/?p=3518","title":{"rendered":"Pet Insurance for Dogs \u2014\u00a0Should You Have It?"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

The post Pet Insurance for Dogs \u2014\u00a0Should You Have It?<\/a> by Jackie Brown<\/a> appeared first on Dogster<\/a>. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren’t considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Dogster.com.<\/p>\n

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You might be surprised to learn how common pet insurance is outside North America. \u201cIn Sweden, about 60 percent of cats and dogs have medical insurance,\u201d says Darryl Rawlings, chief operating officer of Seattle-based Trupanion<\/a>. \u201cIn the U.K., 27 to 28 percent of pets have medical insurance.\u201d But in the United States and Canada, less than 1 percent of pet dogs and cats have medical insurance. But is pet insurance a good investment or not? Many people don\u2019t understand how it works and are confused about the different policies, options and companies. Each company\u2019s policies are different, and it isn\u2019t always easy to wade through the \u201cinsurance speak\u201d to understand your best option.<\/p>\n

What is\u00a0pet insurance for dogs?<\/h3>\n
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What exactly is pet insurance for dogs in the first place?\u00a0Photography \u00a9ImageDB | Thinkstock.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Pet insurance reimburses you if your pet becomes sick or injured with something that is covered under your policy. Some insurance plans exclude things like cancer or hip dysplasia, but you might be able to pay extra to add a rider to your policy. Other plans cover everything, as long as the condition is not pre-existing.<\/p>\n

Pet insurance does not reimburse you for well-pet services like spay or neuter, annual bloodwork, vaccines or dental cleanings, unless your provider offers a wellness add-on (an additional cost). For instance, pet insurance provider Embrace<\/a> offers an option called Wellness Rewards, which you can add on to any insurance policy. It acts like a health-savings account, reimbursing you for wellness care like dental cleanings, vaccines, spaying and neutering, grooming, nail trimming, flea, tick and heartworm prevention, and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the reasons we offer it is because we want to encourage pet parents to have their pets seen for their routine care,\u201d says Dawn Pyne, marketing manager for Embrace, which is based in Cleveland, Ohio. \u201cTypically, that\u2019s where veterinarians will find illness. Preventive care is good for us but it\u2019s also good for the pet. There are no preset limits on how much of your routine care allowance you can spend toward any particular item. The pet parent is not limited on what wellness services they want to have completed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pet insurance for dogs might make financial sense if you have a new healthy puppy. Puppies are the least expensive to insure, and we all know how much trouble they can get into (good thing they\u2019re cute!). One major accident or illness could make a policy worthwhile.<\/p>\n

The older a dog is, the more expensive it is to insure him. Financially, it might not make sense to buy new insurance for a senior dog \u2014 any preexisting health conditions will be excluded. Some insurers even decline coverage to dogs over a certain age. If your dog is a young adult and healthy, you should be able to find a policy with a reasonable premium.<\/p>\n

Why get pet insurance for dogs?<\/h3>\n

If you have pet insurance for your dog, you might do less hemming and hawing when it comes time to decide if your dog needs to see the vet. \u201cA lot of people don\u2019t have a lot of disposable or discretionary money left at the end of the month,\u201d Rawlings says. \u201cPet owners (without insurance) aren\u2019t going to the vet because it\u2019s nerve-wracking, and they don\u2019t know if it\u2019s going to be $3,000 or $5,000.\u201d But if you have insurance, you don\u2019t have to worry about being able to afford the care.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s easier for a lot of pet owners to pay a small amount every month rather than be faced with a huge vet bill all at once. \u201cWe as Americans all live month to month,\u201d says Carol McConnell, D.V.M., MBA, chief veterinary officer for Nationwide<\/a> (formerly Veterinary Pet Insurance). \u201cWhen you\u2019re faced with that random unforeseen event that could have significant financial consequences for you, you don\u2019t have to worry about it (if you have insurance).\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that veterinary prices have gone up over the years. Insurance can help bridge the gap for many pet owners. \u201cIf you look at the cost of services from 10 or 20 years ago compared to now and the availability of specialty care,\u201d Dr. McConnell says. \u201cThe medicine has evolved, and the prices have gotten higher.\u201d<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to worry about whether your veterinarian accepts a certain type of insurance or not. \u201cPet insurance isn\u2019t regulated like human healthcare, so there are no networks,\u201d Pyne explains. \u201cPet insurance is a relationship strictly between the pet parent and the pet insurance company. You can basically go to any veterinarian, including emergency and specialty clinics, and use your policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much does pet insurance for dogs cost?<\/h3>\n

Annual premiums are based on several factors, including your dog\u2019s breed and age, whether he is fixed, and where you live. Sometimes you may choose from varying tiers of deductible: low, mid-range and high. The higher the deductible, the lower the annual premium will be. Pay close attention to the deductible. Your best option is a lifetime deductible \u2014 once you reach it, you never have to pay it again, no matter how many times your dog sees the vet. Your next best option is an annual deductible \u2014 once you reach it, you\u2019re set for the year. Some deductibles are \u201cper condition\/incident,\u201d meaning you pay the deductible just once in a year for the same problem. Avoid plans with \u201cper visit\u201d deductibles \u2014 every time your dog sees the vet, you must pay the deductible before anything will be covered.<\/p>\n

You might be able to select different tiers of payout for claims after meeting your deductible: low (for instance, 80 percent), mid-range (90 percent) and high (100 percent). The higher the payout, the higher your annual premium.<\/p>\n

Some insurance providers offer discounts if you pay online or insure multiple pets. For instance, Embrace offers multiple ways to save, including discounts for paying your premium annually rather than monthly or if your pet is spayed or neutered, and military discounts.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are also the only pet insurance company that offers a Healthy Pet deductible,\u201d Pyne says.\u201cThe pet’s annual deductible automatically goes down by $50 each year that the pet parent doesn’t receive a claim reimbursement. For example, pet parents who may have a $200\u00a0deductible and healthy pet who doesn\u2019t receive either an accident or illness claim reimbursement for four years could potentially have no deductible when it\u2019s time to go and claim.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pet insurance for purebred dogs<\/h3>\n
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Got a purebred dog? Be mindful of which dog insurance you choose! Photography by Holly Hildreth Photography.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you have a purebred dog, you must be extra cautious about the dog insurance you buy. Some policies exclude hereditary diseases and conditions that are genetically linked to certain breeds. If, for instance, your German Shepherd Dog develops hip dysplasia or your Golden Retriever gets cancer, it might not be covered. Luckily, a few dog insurance providers proudly advertise that they never exclude hereditary conditions for purebreds.<\/p>\n

Common\u00a0dog insurance claims<\/h3>\n

PetPlan Pet Insurance<\/a>, based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, shared some typical claims and average payouts:<\/p>\n