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How To Deal With Dog Behavior Problems and Obedience Training
Pet Health Insurance
Learn About The Pros And Cons Of Pet Health Insurance And Be
Prepared For Emergencies
It's
not something we like to think about but medical emergencies
can happen at any time. It's never a good time for something like
this to happen but it's even worse when we are faced with veterinary
bills that break the bank.
In recent years veterinary medicine has become very sophisticated
using high end diagnostic tools such as CAT scans, MRIs and ultrasound.
Drug costs and extensive therapies can also be prohibitive.
Serious illness or injury resulting in long stays at the vets
can add up fast. Do you have a plan in place to cover the costs
that you may incur?
Do you have an emergency fund already established or do you have
the discipline to put away money each month toward such a fund?
Some people feel that pet health insurance is just a forced savings
program and if you just put the money you would be paying in premiums
towards your own savings account it would work out to the same
thing.
However, if you don't already have a substantial amount on hand
you may not have had enough time to save before there is a crisis.
With a pet insurance policy you would be covered right away.
Many policies will cover your Aussie for illness, foreign body
ingestion (that may require surgery to remove), car accidents,
broken bones, poisoning, cuts, burns and allergic reactions (insect
bites/stings).
Some will even help with other emergencies such as if your dog
goes lost or missing and you have to pay for advertising or offer
a reward.
There are various plans available. Some only cover for accidents
or accident and illness, others depend on the age of your dog.
You can get coverage for puppies at about 8 weeks of age. Check
to see if your policy covers hereditary illnesses, some of which
can result in life-long costs.
The earlier you can join and get pet
insurance coverage  > the better as pet health insurance generally doesn't cover for
pre-existing problems.
My advise is to carefully evaluate various programs and read
the fine print. Find one that suits your needs and your budget.
In some cases you may qualify for a discount. For example if you
enrol more than one pet, if your pet is a guide dog or therapy
pet, if you are disabled and you have a medical service pet or
if your pet is microchipped and in the 24PetWatch > database.
Consider whether the policy will allow you to go to your vet
or if they require you to see only certain vets. Be aware of what
restrictions your policy has to avoid suprises later.
QuickCare
Pet Insurance Programs  > is one of the largest pet insurance providers in Canada and the
USA and offers accident and illness coverage for your Aussie.
Another pet insurance provider  Petsecure
Provides Medical Insurance for Canadian Pets. >
According to QuickCare, In North America, less than 1% of all
pets are insured, European levels of insured pets range from 12%
to 50%. This is surprising as it is estimated that North American
pet owners now spend over $10 billion a year on healthcare for
their pets.
One in three pets will need emergency veterinary treatment every
year.
Two out of every three pets experience a significant health problem
during their lifetime.
Pet health insurance is something we don't like to think about
but wish we had once it's too late. Take the time to address this
issue whether it's by finding a pet insurance provider or by creating
your own emergency fund so you will have peace of mind and not
have to worry about costs in a time of crisis.
For further information:
 QuickCare
Pet Insurance Programs >
Petsecure
- Medical Insurance for Canadian Pets. >
24PetWatch >
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