The rise has sent pet owners clamoring to lower-cost clinics to treat their pets, updating up their pet insurance policies and turning to discount retailers, like 1-800-PET-MEDS, which typically sells medicine at below most pharmacies’ pricetags.

Some veterinarians have been willing to work with pet owners by setting up payment plans to cover costs for some surgeries and emergency visits over a longer perio

Doctors and other experts say while owners are shelling out more cash to treat their dogs, cats and other pets, they’re also getting their money’s worth. Medicine and treatment techniques have vastly improved in the past decade. And that means more costs to customers.

The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates 72 million dogs and nearly 82 million cats were kept as pets in the United States in 2007. That same year, there were about 850,000 active pet insurance policies, according to the National Commission on Veterinary Economic Issues.

Monthly premiums for pet insurance can run from $11 to $50, adding up to roughly from $2,000 to $6,000 or more over a pet’s lifetime. And some medical procedures for pets can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,500, depending on the severity of the case.

While some experts argue the pros and cons of pet insurance — the premiums generally are cheaper than most other insurance, but the deductibles seldom, if ever, cover costs of more serious ailments or injuries — having it makes sense in an emergency, she says.

In many cases, pets can safely use insurance-covered medicine that is prescribed to humans, even generics

Eight in 10 pet owners took their animal companion to a veterinarian in the past 12 months. And cost was an obstacle for a third of those who did not visit the vet.

The bulk of pet owners faced costs below the average. Sixty percent of those who did take a pet to the vet spent $300 or less on their animal’s care, the average expenditure was boosted higher by the one in eight (13 percent) who spent $1,000 or more.

About one in six pet owners say their pet faced a serious illness during the year, and those pet owners spent an average of $1,092 on vet care. One percent say they took their pets to the vet and spent no money.

According to the poll, most pet owners have faith in the treatment vets recommend. Overall, 52 percent say vets do not often recommend excessive treatment, 26 percent say that happens moderately often, 17 percent extremely or very often.

Among those who did not take their pets to the vet last year, 52 percent say they only take their pets to the vet “when they’re really sick.”

There are a whole variety pet insurance plans offering different levels of coverage. A good comprehensive pet insurance policy will cover the following types of situations:

1) If you end up in hospital for a period of time, who will look after you dog if you live alone? Most pet insurances will pay for the boarding and lodging of your dog while you are at the hospital – one less worry for you.

2) If your dog ends up damaging some of your neighbor’s property, your home insurance will not cover you, but some pet insurances will.

3) Most of the vet bills will be paid by the insurance company. This depends on may factors. You have to be very careful when buying the policy because many pre-existing conditions are not covered.

4) If you plan a holiday, but have to cancel because your dog is ill. Most travel insurances will not cover you for this, but pet insurances will.

5) You will get compensated if your pet is lost or stolen. The burial or disposal fees are covered, and you may even get compensation for a replacement.

If you are contemplating on getting insurance for your dog ( which you should), make sure you shop around. Be sure to compare all the different policies available, and ask a lot of questions. Not every policy is the same, and in some cases, pet insurance companies allow you to tailor your policy to meet your specific needs.

- Injuries caused by accidents
- Surgeries – major and minor
- Dental problems and skin allergies
- Bites or injuries to a third party
- Routine check ups
- Death and mercy killing
- Long term illnesses

Make sure you compare various insurance covers offered by the large pet insurance companies. If you do your homework properly, you will not run into any surprises should you require the insurance to pay for an injury or treatment.

When you compare pet insurance, you know you are getting a good deal. Pet insurance is offered by a number of different companies. Even with similar plans, they charge different amounts. It is important to provide your pet with medical coverage, but don’t pay more than you need to. Price comparing prevents you from doing so. When comparing insurance costs, keep in mind premiums, deductibles, and any co-pays.

When you compare pet insurance, you know you get a quality plan. As with health insurance, pet insurance comes in many different formats. Simple plans may include just prescriptions and lab fees. More extensive plans are likely to include all form of accidents, surgeries, and more. Choose the plan that best fits your wants and needs, as well as the health of your pet.

When you compare pet insurance, you have the ability to compare both quality and price. As stated above, pet insurance plans come in different formats and have different price tags. If on a budget, you may opt for the most affordable, but is that best for your cat or dog? Not always. Don’t just compare costs, but quality too. By comparing pet insurance companies and plans, you can find quality plans that pet suit your pet and then later price compare to ensure you get the best deal.

When you compare pet insurance, you are likely to learn amount more pet insurance companies. As with human medical insurance, there are main companies that come to mind, like Blue Cross and Blue Shield. The same is true with pet insurance. By requesting free quotes or researching companies online, you may come across a pet insurance agency that you never heard of or never would of given thought to before.

As you can see, there are a number of benefits to comparing pet insurance before buying. What is the best way to compare? You have two main options. First, you can perform a standard internet search to find pet insurance websites. Request free quotes and then compare. Comparison websites can also be used too. These are where you enter in information about yourself and your pet and then request a free quote, but you get quotes from multiple providers, enabling you to easily compare.

1 – Vet Costs are Expensive

Vet care, like many other services, is increasing in costs. It is becoming harder and more difficult to run a profitable business in today’s economy. To make up for fewer paying customers and increased operational costs, many vets are forced to raise their rates. Unfortunately, this means that pet owners, like you, may find it harder to afford care. This care is cheaper with dog insurance, as you aren’t left paying the entire vet bill yourself.

2 – More Likely to Seek Proper Care

Most pet owners take their pets to seek medical attention in the event of an emergency or accident. However, those on a budget are likely to opt for a cheaper alternative. If faced with costly dog surgery or relatively affordable medication, those on a budget are more likely to opt for medication. Despite the fact that surgery may be the best choice to alleviate pain and discomfort. With dog insurance, there are no worries, even surgery is usually covered. With pet insurance, you don’t have to consider what is best for your wallet, but rather what is best for your pet.

3 – Prevention Visits are Often Included

As previously stated, veterinary costs are increasing. That is why many dog owners now only seek medical care for their pet when there is a known problem. With dog insurance, you can take your pet to the doctor on a regular schedule. Despite what you might assume, this will save you more money in the long-run. With preventive care checkups, you are able to spot a problem before it becomes too serious and too costly.

4 – Pet Insurance Will Calm Your Nerves

Since pets are considered a part of the family, it is only natural to worry about their health. Those on a budget are more likely to worry. What is your pet gets sick and you can’t afford the medical bills? What will happen then? With dog insurance, you don’t have to worry. Your pet is taken care of. Dog insurance plans vary greatly, but you can find plans that include not only medication and preventative care, but accidents and surgery too. You can spend less time worrying about the what ifs and more time enjoying their company.

5 – It Is Easy to Request Free Dog Insurance Quotes

Although you should buy dog insurance, you should at least look. Luckily, looking is easy and free too. There are pet insurance comparison websites, where you can compare the cost of multiple insurance agencies and plans. You can also visit dog insurance providers by finding their websites with a standard internet search; request a free quote.

* The average dog owner spends $261.30 per year in vet bills
* Less than 4 percent of American pets are insured, though that number is growing.
* There’s a greater variety of life-extending procedures and higher demand for them.

So the question that was asked at the beginning of the article -

“…should you shell out hundreds of dollars a year for puppy insurance just in case he needs an expensive life-extending operation?”

As is the case with most questions like this, the answer is personal preference. Financially is it responsible? Probably not when you consider you could take the premiums you would have paid out and placed it in a savings account for use in case of a life threatening emergency or operation that will cost you several hundred to thousands of dollars. “WHO does that?” For the majority of dog owners that have a dog that is a family member that they would do anything for, pet insurance gives them the peace of mind that they can pay a little now and over a long period of time just in case something happens to their family member. Isn’t all insurance like that? It is a gamble. It is you betting against the insurance company. The insurance company bets that out of all their policies only a few are going to collect more than what they put in, and you are betting that it just might be you that will need the insurance.

Do you want to understand pet insurance? Then, it is inevitable to compare the pet insurance to the health insurance, which is already familiar to you.

Comparing pet insurance is mandatory because-

• You can understand how far veterinary care has really come in the last 20 or 30 years.
• Helps us to appreciate the uniqueness as well as to keep your dog/cat around for a very long time.

Pet Insurance not only helps you to compensate the loss of your beloved pet but also trying to maintain the health of your pet in better manner to avoid something bad from potentially happening.

While comparing the pet insurance with that of health insurance, you can easily find that it tends to cover many of the same things like annual required shots, prescription drugs and regular office visits. Hence you can come to conclusion that caring a pet is more or less equal like caring ourselves.

In the world of veterinary care, most of the treatment for diseases are obscure in spite of advancement of veterinary medicine each and every day. Hence taking the time to find a perfect solution for the existing animal problem through treatment can get expensive and pet health insurance fulfills the lacunae in the financial commitment of that particular month.

Most of the pet owners can pay the veterinary bills through credit cards immediately and the pet insurance company will settle their bills within couple of days. Hence confirm with the pet health insurance company before opting policy for your beloved pet. ]]> http://www.dog-hospital.com/dog-insurance/comparing-pet-insurance-is-it-necessary.htm/feed 1 http://www.dog-hospital.com/dog-health/dog-health-care-costs-on-the-rise.htm http://www.dog-hospital.com/dog-health/dog-health-care-costs-on-the-rise.htm#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:30:06 +0000 admin http://www.dog-hospital.com/?p=17 It is no secret that your vet bills are increasing. Dog health care costs are on the rise. Some of the reason is a shift in focus of veterinary medicine.

It used to be, go into your vet once a year for “shots” and heartworm prevention and one time in your pets life a spay or neuter. Now there has been a shift. We have discovered that annual vaccinations are no longer necessary and in fact may be harmful to your dogs health – Is your vet still overvaccinating your dog? Vaccinations were very profitable as they could be purchased for a small amount and sold for a great profit. The profit helped pay for all the other treatments and management of an animal hospital. In fact many times a veterinary clinics gross income consisted of 33% vaccination income. Veterinarians were more on a product based business by selling products and medications vs a service based business like they should have been. Now the shift is going to a service based business which means more services are going to be offered and the prices for those services are no longer going to be given away. The days of the $40 spay are almost over. A veterinarian actually loses money by giving away a $40 spay because it costs more than $40 to actual perform the procedure. Some vets are still providing a cheap cost spay for a couple of reasons one to help control the pet population and two in hopes that that client will return for other business.

So what does going to a service based business mean for your pet? Well actually it is a win-win situation, it means better health care for your dog by providing the most current diagnostic and treatment protocols. As vets are trying to make up for lost income from vaccinations they are actually offering services that can really improve the health of your dog. The objective of better diagnostics is to find disease early on when it actually is not causing symptoms. This makes it easier to treat, prolongs the life of your dog, and avoids really expensive treatments by avoiding having to bring in a really sick dog.

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