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.

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