Pet insurance covers, in full or in partial, for veterinarian medical treatment of your sick or injured dog. Some policies will cover only if the dog is lost or stolen, or when the dog dies. Other policies, also, provide coverage for a variety of circumstances including emergencies that occur while the dog is in your care, as well as accidents that happen at the office where you take your dog to be treated. It may also cover pre-existing conditions and even breeds. A lot of companies have a breed-specific plan, too.
Usually, dogs that are less than eight weeks old are covered by a policy for pre-existing conditions, although this coverage is usually not available in all policies. Dogs that have had their shots completed are also usually covered for pre-existing conditions. For most dogs, you can be covered for visits to the vet, regardless of how often the dog is walked, played with or fed. However, it’s important to make sure your dog is healthy enough to have regular checkups with your veterinarian, otherwise, you’ll probably need to purchase separate coverage for visits.
When you add on your pet insurance plan, it’s very important that you remember to keep all the necessary vaccinations current, so that your pet will be safe from getting sick and becoming very ill. If you own a dog and you think it might be a good idea to spay (remove the ovaries) or neuter (remove the testicles) it, talk to your veterinarian about whether it’s covered on your pet insurance plan. Even if it is, some policies don’t cover the surgery because it is considered elective surgery. This means it doesn’t benefit the animal, but the owner. So you’ll have to pay for it out of pocket.
Your dog insurance plan might also include coverage for preventative care. Preventative care can help prevent illnesses before they occur, so it’s something that’s definitely worth covering. A good policy will cover pre-existing conditions, as long as you disclose the fact that you’re taking steps to prevent the illness. This can include vaccinations and annual check-ups.
You can also get health insurance for your dog that will cover accidents and other types of health issues. Accidents are sometimes unavoidable, but if you take preventative measures, you can lessen the chances of your dog being involved in an accident, since accidents don’t usually occur because the dog was purposely trying to cause harm. Your veterinary pet plan can also cover injuries caused by other animals, as well as cancer or genetic diseases. Some policies also cover post-accident care.
Finally, you should think about adding in a boarding or kennel benefit to your dog health insurance plan. Many policies also come with a waiting period, in which the dog will stay in the care of the veterinary hospital for a pre-determined number of days. If your dog gets sick and needs medical attention while it is in the hospital, your veterinary pet plan will likely cover it, so you won’t have to worry about coming up with the money to pay for the boarding fees. Insurance companies often provide discounts on pet insurance plans when you purchase more than one type from their own pet insurance portfolio. You can usually save money by buying several policies from different providers.