HOW TO SAVE ON HOME PET CARE

If you are a pet owner and you’ve ever experienced your pet becoming sick, injured, or when you simply keep you cat or dog up to date with vaccinations, then you know how expensive veterinarian services can be.  Emergency veterinarian services could potentially run in the thousands of dollars!  However there is a way to take the financial stress out of your veterinary costs and pet health care needs:

Pet Health Insurance !

There are a litany of pet health insurance agencies available, and just like any other type of insurance it can easily be difficult and painstaking to chose the right policy for your specific pet.  Following are 10  primary questions that you may ask before you purchase a policy to insure your pet:

1. Does the insurance provider have stability and proven success?

2. Does the company receive veterinary recognition?

3. Will you receive renewable benefits?

4. Does the company employ certified and trained veterinary professionals?

5. Does the company receive veterinary recognition?

6. Do you understand how reimbursements are determined?

7. Does the company provide broad coverage?

8. Does the company specify coverage exclusion?

9. Are you offered annual policies with clear renewal terms?

10. Are you limited to a veterinary network or required to pre-certify?

In light of the current recession here in the U.S., weighing the affordability of pet health insurance can only be accomplished objectively by determining the annual cost for your specific pets needs.  To fulfill this objective I reviewed numerous insurance companies online and provided identical information to see what options are available, and how to obtain an affordable pet health insurance policy.

 REQUESTING A QUOTE

Some of the initial information that the policy holder asks for are: the type of pet you wish to cover, your pets name, date of birth, geographical area, and the specific breed.  Next comes the specific coverage you wish to have for your pet.  For the sake of being practical I chose the general necessity policies:

Routine Care:

	Bi-annual wellness exams
	Deworming
	Fecal test
	FELV/FIV test (feline only) or heartworm test
	Flea and/or heartworm preventive
	Microchip
	Routine blood screen or X-ray or EKG
	Vaccinations / titers

What If’s:

	Abrasions		Hypothermia
	Attacked by an animal		Insect bites or stings
	Burns		Lacerations
	Broken bones		Near drowning
	Bruises		Neck or back sprains
	Ear or nasal foreign objects		Poisonings or toxicity
	Electric shock		Puncture wounds
	Foreign body ingestions (swallowing		Seizures
	socks, rocks, toys, bones, sticks,		Shock
	etc.)		Sprains
	Fractured or chipped tooth		Snake bites
	Frostbite		Torn nails
	Heat stroke		Trauma

What I have discovered is that in most cases pet insurance companies only offer package policies, and even though those policies cover the two primary groups that I have suggested above, the package also includes coverages which may be redundant or even useless; depending on your specific pet care needs ?  However, one specific veterinary pet insurance company offered these two primary groups in a package which included “expensive problems” and the cost ($13.42 a month)($161.04 annually) seemed pretty economical, even in these tough economical times.

So search around, get quotes, and be certain to read all the content (including the fine print) of your specific policy coverage before you make your veterinary pet insurance purchase.  Further, it may not hurt to request a custom policy which eliminates some of the unneeded coverages so you can save money insuring your pet.

Best of luck

 -Scott

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