When Should You Insure Your Pet?
August 20, 2008
My dog Darcie is pushing 18 years of age. For an 18 year old, she's pretty healthy. She can't see too well. She can't hear much and she doesn't like to take long walks like she used to. But hey, if I'm doing as well as Darcie when I'm 126 I'll be very happy. Like I'm going to make it that long.
Darcie's biggest problem is probably chronic pain from arthritis in her cervical spine. She can't go down steps very well so she doesn't sleep in our bedroom with us anymore. She can still go up steps, just not down because going down involves extending her neck to see the steps and that's too painful for her.
To have a veterinarian diagnose and treat this problem would probably involve several hundred dollars of radio-graphs, MRI's, other lab tests and the expense of lifelong pain medication.
Too bad Darcie doesn't have insurance.
The fact is that Darcie really isn't a candidate for insurance. She's too old and she has too many pre-existing conditions that would not be covered. See PurinaCare® FAQ for more information. Insurance doesn't typically cover pre-existing conditions. It's similar to getting into an automobile accident and then trying to go to an insurance agent to get coverage for the damage to your car. Not going to happen.
So, ironically, the best time to get health insurance for your pet is when they are young and hopefully, healthy.
You can get a PurinaCare® policy as early as 8 weeks of age. Please see PurinaCare® FAQ for more information.
One nice feature of the PurinaCare® plus Preventive care policy is that covered preventive care procedures apply to the deductible. It is possible that the amount spent on these routine procedures will completely satisfy the deductible and if something weird happens requiring veterinary intervention, you'd be covered for that amount less your co-pay, which with PurinaCare® is 20%.
Puppies and kittens by definition should have few if any pre-existing conditions. And with PurinaCare®, if your puppy or kitten has a hereditary condition that has not yet shown clinical signs or otherwise been diagnosed, you should be covered for that as well.
The example I like to use for hereditary conditions is hip dysplasia. Many large breed dogs carry the genes for hip dysplasia but they may not get diagnosed or start showing clinical signs of pain or lameness until they are over 2 years of age. Some may never show signs, but unfortunately many do and in some cases they require surgery and long term care.
If you had insured your large breed dog as a puppy before he was diagnosed or showed any signs of hip dysplasia and kept your policy in force, you'd be covered for this condition when it was subsequently diagnosed.
Insurance is about peace of mind and being in a position to provide the best possible veterinary care when and if you should need it without having to worry so much about cost. That peace of mind is worth a lot to some people.
This article is based on a post originally published by Dr. Larry as Guest Author on the ScratchingsandSniffings.com blog and is used here courtesy of Yvonne DiVita.
This information is being provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as specific veterinary advice for your cat or dog. It should not be considered or used as a replacement for any qualified veterinary care.
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