Have you ever wondered about your pets and what kind of expenses you’d face if your pets become injured or seriously ill? Did you know that pet insurance is an option? You can easily insure your dog or cat. The best part is, pet insurance has many of the same benefits as insurance for humans.
Read on to see what kinds of benefits you can get from having insurance on your pets and start making some decisions on what’s best for your animals! Be sure to find a few and compare the benefits and costs. After all, we’re their “humans” and we’re the ones responsible for their health and wellness since they can’t fend for themselves.
Preventative Coverage Options
Ideally, the best part of any insurance policy is preventative care coverage. Preventative care is just what it sounds like – care that helps prevent serious illness from issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, iron deficiencies, and more.
Getting your pets tested regularly prevents parasites and diseases. Even the tiniest little parasites can cause huge issues. Some of them are:
- Ticks – an ever-growing concern for our pets in the United States. Ticks spread diseases like Lyme and anaplasmosis. They can cause appetite loss, fatigue, and depression.
- Heartworms are spread by infected mosquitos. Heartworms can lead to heart and lung damage.
- Hookworms, Roundworms, and Whipworms aren’t only harmful to outdoor pets, but indoor pets as well. They can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and life-threatening anemia.
Having an annual exam done on your pets helps to prevent these issues and many more. Here’s what you should expect when taking your pet in for a yearly exam:
- A head-to-tail exam checks your pet for any abnormalities or signs of injury or illness.
- They will receive their yearly vaccines.
- An early detection screening test will help catch any diseases or parasitic infections so that you can start your pet on a treatment plan when it can help most. The most common of these screening tests is the fecal test. With a fecal test, vets can easily check for intestinal worms. A urinalysis will be done as well as a complete blood count test.
Just like humans, pets need vaccinations as well. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, there are core vaccines that every dog should get after their initial puppy vaccines:
- Canine Distemper Virus
- Canine Parvovirus
- Canine Adenovirus-2 (Hepatitis)
- Canine Parainfluenza Virus – (administered as DAP or DAPP combo vaccines)
- Rabies Vaccine (single vaccine)
Although these are recommended, your vet is the best person to tell you whether your pet needs these specific vaccines or different ones based on the pet’s age, breed, and the location in which you live.
Other Coverage
Although preventative care is so very important, there are other insurance needs that your pet will inevitably have to have. You’ll want an insurance plan that doesn’t charge an arm and a leg for additional coverage. Dental illness and sick visit exams are bound to happen. Also, an insurance policy that requires no additional deductible per condition is very helpful to have when you have pets.
Though it’s ideal to get pet insurance when your pet is a puppy or kitten, there are insurance policies that won’t penalize you for waiting until later in your pet’s life to insure it. Is your pet on a special diet due to a health or breed issue? An additional benefit of some coverages is that they cover prescription food to treat certain conditions. How amazing would it be to be able to get your animals food at a discount and never have to worry about sacrificing their healthy again?
Conclusion
We all want what’s best for our pets be it food, shelter, or fun. Now, it’s even easier to care for your pet’s health with an affordable insurance plan with no added or hidden fees. It’s super important to make sure your pet has their yearly checkups and that you as a pet owner takes your pet’s preventative care seriously.
Taking your pet to the vet can be costly, but if we let our pets go untreated we may lose them way before their time. Look for an insurance plan that has great preventative benefits such as tests that check for heartworms, ticks, and other parasites that can cause harmful diseases. Taking your pet to the vet yearly for a head-to-tail exam, yearly vaccinations, and early detection screening will keep your pet happy and healthy longer with less of a dent in your wallet.
