As your dog ages, he becomes more vulnerable to arthritis, cancer and diseases of the liver, heart or kidney. This means that it is also likely the most expensive time in your dog’s life as well. These reasons make pet insurance a smart decision and can really help you when you need it most. Treatment costs to help your dog can get pretty expensive. If your sweet baby needs a ramp or support harness in addition to medication for arthritis, it can cost you up to $500. What if your dog needs radiation therapy for cancer? Did you know that can be up to about $5,000?
A recent survey by the American Kennel Club stated that, on average, dog owners have been spending around $1,500 per year to maintain their older dog’s health. That survey also showed that one in three dogs also needs some type of emergency treatment during their lifetime as well. Pet insurance sure would come in handy then! So why don’t more owners have some kind of pet insurance coverage? It is likely due to a lack of information to help answer the questions that many owners have. Most owners will want to start by researching the kinds of insurance that are available first.
How Pet Insurance Can Help
“I’m worried it won’t cover all my dog’s health costs.” Different plans offer different kinds of coverage, and many plans cover quite a bit, especially if your dog is under a certain age. It’s almost impossible, however, to find a plan that covers everything. Still, almost everything is better than nothing, right?
“It’s too expensive.” Depends on what you mean by “expensive.” Spending $1,500 for an MRI to see if your dog tore his ligament while catching a frisbee, and then another couple thousand for surgery to repair the damage–that seems expensive. Spending around $30 a month for a premium? Not so much. (Read more here)
Putting off this off isn’t going to help, either. It can be a little bit intimidating, but getting through the research once is more than worth it. Ask your vet or other dog owners you trust if they recommend a specific insurance. Once you have a place to start looking, it won’t be that bad!
Keep in mind that not all coverage includes a cancer diagnosis…and you also need to know that preexisting conditions won’t be covered either. If your dog is still in relatively good health, then now really is the best time to get this coverage in place.