Pet Life Articles
How to Improve Life for Both You and Your Pet

Pet Health Insurance Coverage

A decrease in students applying to and getting accepted into veterinary colleges, expensive state-of-the-art equipment, liability insurance, expensive prescription drugs and the cost of maintaining a veterinary clinic/office has inflated pet owner’s veterinary bills to previously unimagined prices. When the beloved family pet suddenly falls ill, or is injured in a freak accident many pet owners find themselves forced to put the animal to sleep. This occurrence is so common that it even has a name - economic euthanasia. Many family pets could have been saved from economic euthanasia if their owners had only thought to purchase pet health insurance coverage when the animal was healthy.

The cost of veterinary expenses for the average dog owner is approximately $211 per year. The average dog owner will visit the local veterinary office about 2.8 times a year. The usual reasons for owners to take the family dog to the local veterinarian are: basic routine health care such as physicals, vaccines, dental work, neutering or spaying, nail trimming and heartworm testing.

The typical cat owner will visit the vet around 2.3 times per year to take care of: declawing, physicals, vaccines, dental work, neutering or spaying and ear mites. The average yearly cost for these 2.3 vet visits is approximately $179. These statistics are based on a 2005 survey carried out by the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association.

Pet health insurance provides coverage that helps pay the veterinary costs if your family pet becomes ill or is injured. Depending upon the policy you purchase your family may also be reimbursed if your family pet is stolen, lost, or dies. In many cases the purchase of pet health insurance coverage can be the difference between recovery and economic euthanasia.

Providing insurance coverage for pet health is not a brand new concept. Horse owners have been insuring their valuable show and pleasure mounts against major medical bills and fatality/mortality for years. In the United Kingdom pet health care coverage has been available since the 1940s and approximately 25% of all British pet owners carry some type of pet insurance plan. All developed nations offer some type of pet health insurance coverage, but the exact terms offered vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Many dog owners in the United Kingdom also carry a type of insurance called Third Party Liability insurance. This insurance became popular after the Animals Act 1971 came into force; this act states that if a dog is directly responsible for an accident, like a car crash, the dog’s owner will be held accountable. If you live in the UK a useful summary of the Animals Act may be found here.

There are limits to the coverage that you may purchase for your pet. For example, most pet plans will not typically cover anything relating to hereditary conditions or pre-existing conditions. The majority of pet insurance plans will also usually place a cap value for surgeries and other miscellaneous medical expenses. However, some plans will cover the cost of boarding your pet at a local kennel or veterinary hospital.