You feel it is time to add a new member to the family. No, not a baby! You want a pet ; possibly a cuddly and furry one to play with the kids, friendly and active to join you on walks and adventures, or even an exotic pet to admire at your otherwise commercialized home. In any case, pets are an essential part of any family unit. Our pets love us, and we give love back to our pets in return. And that’s why having a good pet health insurance plan from the best pet insurance companies is so important, be it puppy insurance, dog insurance, cat insurance and even more exotic pets, like horse insurance, rabbit insurance, bird insurance and other types of pets.
Just like any of us, pets get themselves into trouble. Whether it be an accident, a sickness, an injury, or a more serious disease, pets are susceptible to painful and life threatening circumstances. The tragedy is that although our pets can experience the same pain as us, they are helpless and can’t take care of themselves in most cases. They cannot purchase the necessary help that us humans can. Instead, it is up to pet owners to identify if and when their pet requires help, and then use their resources to seek professional help as needed.
So when making the commitment to buying a pet, we must also take responsibility and take the complementary commitment of supporting our pet’s health. However, medical care for pets can get costly. Each visit to the veterinary is expensive, and pet treatment costs can reach hundreds to thousands of dollars! Accidents may result in a broken leg, and the medical attention our furry friends deserve can become too much to handle. In order to be especially attentive to our pet’s well-being, the regular checkups they need are not cheap either…
Thankfully, Insuranks is here to connect you with the best pet insurance companies, so you can compare pet insurance plans from the best providers and save you and your beloved pet – be it a dog, a cat, a bird or anything else you decided to raise – a lot of money and headaches! It’s as simple as a click: identify the pet insurance plan that works best for you, read our reviews and educational information as well as reviews posted by other customers about pet insurance companies, compare, get quotes and choose the best coverage for your pet. But first things first, let’s get educated about different aspects of pet insurance.
Before committing to a pet insurance plan, let’s consider and explore the following factors:
Consider Deductible vs. Premium Payments in Your Plan
In order to understand which pet insurance plans are most suitable for your pet, you must decide how you plan on paying out your Deductible and Premium expenses. Although these two concepts may seem confusing, we are here to dispel the confusion so you are able to make the most informed decision possible.
In any plan, you have to pay out your monthly Premium expense, and your annual Deductible expense. Typically these two expenses are inversely related: when your Deductible is high, your Premium is low; when your Deductible is low, your Premium is high. In essence, your Premium is the cost associated with your pet insurance plan or policy. If the worst happens and your pet experiences an accident or develops an illness, your Deductible payment determines how much you will need to pay out of your own pocket and how much your pet insurance will be obligated to pay into your expenses to cover it.
But how do you decide how you want to pay? To answer this important question, we encourage you to focus on two questions:
- What is my pet’s risk?
- How solvent can I be if an accident occurs?
For example, your pet is aging, so you may anticipate that it will develop a serious illness in the near future. If you make that judgment, a low deductible plan may be right for you since you anticipate that your pet will incur injuries or a sickness soon, and thereby don’t want to pay all the costs associated with that injury / illness. In the case that you have a new, young pet, you may anticipate that it will be healthy for the coming years, and avoid any serious illnesses or injuries. If you make that judgment, a high deductible plan may be right for you since you anticipate that your pet will not develop any illnesses or injuries in the near future, and thereby won’t need to pay all the costs associated with serious medical attention.
Whether you determine your pet is low or high risk, it is important that you consider the fragility of pets. It may seem easy to calculate your pets risk, but unforeseen accidents are almost inevitable. Therefore it is wise to err on the side of caution and assume that your pet will experience some illnesses or sustain some injuries, even if your pet is young and healthy. It is also important to ask yourself the following questions in order to properly calculate your pet’s risk: how often do I leave my pet alone? Is my pet capable of running away? Can I afford to feed my pet healthy rations, and high quality food? Can I feed my pet throughout the day? Do I take all the necessary precautions when bringing my pet in my car, travel with it or even when taking it outside for a walk?
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Most Common Injuries and Illnesses Among Cats
When interacting with other cats or playing in the bushes, it is easy for our “purry” friends to scratch their eye/s. Not only can an eye scratch be immensely painful and impose incredible discomfort for cats, but it can also lead to more serious infections! Cats are already prone to conjunctivitis, cataracts, and retinal disease, so let’s make sure they have care for preventable problems such as scratches!
Eye Problems
When interacting with other cats or playing in the bushes, it is easy for our “purry” friends to scratch their eye/s. Not only can an eye scratch be immensely painful and impose incredible discomfort for cats, but it can also lead to more serious infections! Cats are already prone to conjunctivitis, cataracts, and retinal disease, so let’s make sure they have care for preventable problems such as scratches!
Foreign Objects
Cats are especially “care-furr” about what they put in their mouths. Still, the food and toys they play with can sometimes get stuck in their throat. In the case that the object gets stuck, the cat may be at risk of running out of oxygen or, alternatively, experiencing internal damage. Either case is bad – be on the lookout so your cat is okay!
Heart Stroke
Cats are really bad at cooling down. When they feel too hot, they have a bad breathing mechanism that is effective in making them cooler. If they can’t cool down, they risk suffering from a heat stroke. To prevent such a bad thing from taking place, it is vital that the cat’s weight and fur length are managed. Overweight cats have trouble cooling down, and when they have too much fur, it acts as an extra blanket that they can’t take off.
Insect Stings
When cats venture into the bushes, they upset the insects. Our cats risk getting bitten by the insects, causing immense pain and discomfort for the cats. Be on the lookout for the signs: keeping their bodies low to the ground or keeping their muscles tense.
Fractures and Ligament Damage
We live in a fast world. Whether in the house or outside, our world can often be inhospitable to our domesticated friends. It is very easy for a cat to injure themselves or irritate their ligaments. Be on the lookout for the signs: awkward movement and strained vocalization is common.
Help others make better decisions
Most Common Injuries and Illnesses Among Dogs
Cancer
In humans, cancer is an unfortunate fact of life. And it’s even more unfortunate that our pet friends could not escape the same tragic disease. Dogs are also susceptible to developing cancers as they age, such as lymphoma, melanoma, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. But fortunately, just like with humans, these cancers do not mean certain death. Our dogs are resilient and, given the proper medical care, can persevere the sickness and make it out healthy again! Although it is not fun for the dog, treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment can be effective in restoring a dog’s health. The sooner that cancer is identified, the more effective the treatment. So be on the lookout for the obvious signs: lumps or spots around the body and on the skin.
Obesity:
Lately, human beings have become more weight-conscious as we continue to learn about the harmful consequences of obesity. Unfortunately, just like cancer, dog’s are also susceptible to obesity. And the shame is that dog’s can’t even control their diet! While different breeds of dogs have different genetics and some are predisposed to obesity, the quality and quantity of food that we ration for our dogs can have a huge effect on their weight. With obesity, dogs can develop terribly painful and dangerous conditions such as heart disease, arthritis, and kidney disease.
Broken Bones
Just like cats, our fast world can pose serious physical dangers to domesticated dogs. Whether it be cars on the street, confusing infrastructure, or even heavy household items, dogs are at risk of breaking their bones.
While dogs like to act brave when they experience a break, be on the lookout for a protruding bone, a lump, or and vocal whimpering. Breaks are very painful, and medical help can provide quick pain management!
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Conclusion
We hope that you learned quite a bit about pet insurance, how it works, and what options are available for you as a pet owner. Before you compare pet insurance companies, quotes and plans, remember to assess your pets risk and understand what illnesses your furry fellow might be predisposed to.
