How to choose the best health insurance for dogs

As we cherish the companionship of our pets, their health will inevitably deteriorate at some point, and we need to be prepared to provide them with the best possible care. As we all know, long terms treatments for our pets can create a big pinch over our pockets to some extent. Health insurance for dogs comes to relief as all the pet parents must consider it before or after adopting their pets. Have you thought about buying pet insurance but found yourself in a jinx of being unable to decide which insurance is the best? Did you go through many brands and insurance companies but still find nothing? Then this article is for your as you will get to know the best way to choose pet insurance for your dog.

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Who needs health insurance for dogs?

Before jumping into the facts and discussing how you can buy the most effective pet insurance, knowing who should consider pet health insurance and who should not is essential if you are someone who has a healthy pet but is capable of foreseeing the inevitable future expenses that a simple check-up or surgery might follow, then it is for you. If you are a pet parent who can pay the premiums and wants every possible best treatment for their pet, then having health insurance will be necessary for you. A good expense coverage could help you relax your tension of paying a heaping amount of money or from the burden and pain of saying goodbye to your pets.

In India, the expenses of treating your pet are pretty low compared to the USA; but that does not count the Indian pet parents excluded from the list. Being a pet parent of two, I have faced a similar situation when I felt the need for health insurance. Those who can bear the premium amount from $50 to $100 should consider taking the health care plan for their pup. However, dog health insurance must be considered essential by every pet parent, as it reduces pocket expenses and supports minor vet visits, medications, and regular treatments. In some instances, many pet parents want to try saving money instead of taking a health insurance plan for their dog. One major health issue and you can lose all your savings, while pet health insurance can protect you from such a situation.

Also read: Important Step to Take Proper Care of Your Dog After Surgery- Know In Details.

What coverage will you get in health insurance for dogs?

Health insurance for dogs has a particular disparity or differentiation from what we humans expect from our health insurance. Under insurance, one cannot expect regular preventive care and checkups like dental or blood work to be covered. Purchasing health insurance for dogs is essential to provide financial support to the pet parents where unpredictable situations could occur, like bone fractures, critical illness, or surgery. Nonetheless, it is often better to select a more expensive policy covering you from head to toe for your pet’s health care rather than to keep some money each month aside in the savings fund for your pet’s future treatment. Some companies provide pet insurance with higher return rates during reimbursements, but this should benefit the pet parents only when they would not miss an appointment for a check-up or annual vaccination that the insurance company is already paying for.

Some of the insurance plans also can exclude the pre-existing conditions in your pet if you purchase a health insurance plan when your pet is a bit older than a 6 to the 8-month-old puppy. Let’s take an instance where you have missed a vaccination shot for your pet, and after a few months, you find your pet having – health issues like kennel cough or a lung infection. These scenarios are excluded where some companies would be reluctant to cover if you have not kept the vaccination card for the treatment schedule up to date. 

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Before purchasing an insurance plan, understanding what health insurance for dogs is usually covers is essential. Under the terms and conditions, pet parents can concentrate on three types of health insurance. First is the accident cover, where the insurance will cover all the expenses if any unwanted accident happens to the pet. The second type of health insurance cover accidents and illnesses. The pet parent would be able to claim coverage for both illness and misfortunate accidents of their pets. The third type of health insurance is the Wellness plan, where every requirement starting from A health check-up, bloodwork, dental work, and annual vaccinations, will be covered in such insurance plans. Suppose you are planning to buy health insurance for your pet, you should consider it as early as possible when your pet is young, as most insurance companies exclude pre-existing hereditary conditions.

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Many insurance companies offer health insurance for an older dog with a hereditary illness. It is commonly noticed that the premium cost of insuring an older pet could help you save $26000 annually by purchasing the right insurance plan for your senior pet. The following table could help you get an idea of the same.

Insurance company	Providing covers for senior pet’s hereditary illness
AKC	provides congenital and hereditary illness cover
Embrace	Cover genetic disease in senior pets.
Figo	Provides required coverage for senior pets
Healthy Paws	The 12-month waiting period and the age criteria are under six years old for hip dysplasia expense coverage.
New India Assurance General Insurance Company Limited	Provides health coverage from 8 weeks to 8 years.
Oriental Insurance Company Limited	Allows pet parents to buy insurance up to 8 years of age.

Though, pets diagnosed with pre-existing conditions such as cancer or similar to that might be excluded from the reimbursement by the insurance company. But purchasing a health insurance plan for your pet is worthwhile as it might cover other areas that appear unexpectedly. However, The hereditary illness and its coverage would be reimbursed from the company unless and until the veterinarian has already mentioned in the prescription terms like suspected or pre-existing before you take a step for the insurance purchase.

When is the right time to buy pet insurance?

Though currently, many insurance companies are also providing health insurance for senior dogs, it is advisable that if you are thinking about purchasing health insurance for your pet, you should consider it at an early age of your pet. Insurance companies commonly insist that you register your pet for health insurance as early as possible, specifically in the early years, starting from 6 months to 12 months. This will benefit you by providing more coverage and ensuring long-term health benefits for your pet. Even though you need to consider buying health insurance for your pet at an early age, it does not indicate that you should not think about your senior companions, as many companies have come to the forefront to offer health insurance for your senior pets. I have researched through many companies like Petco, MetLife, and Lemonade Pet Insurance that provide health insurance for dogs, manifested a similar trend since 2012, like the rate of health insurance premiums for pets has increased by 5% to 6% compared to before 2005. It indicated that you should consider buying pet insurance as soon as you adopt a new pet or puppy.

Take an instance where you have adopted a pet dog of 2 years old, and you might think that the pup is so young and healthy and there will be minor requirement for health insurance right now. But according to the statistics, it is observed that 80% of the dog who seems to be healthy often suffer from gum infection by the time they reach the age of 3. The total extraction and treatment for the gum infection and surgery will be approximately $1000. Where is in India, a simple surgery of spaying or nurturing your dog (privately) might cost you around 40,000 to 50,000 (approx. $500 to $600) excluded from the hospital stay and post-operative medication. Hence, you can get health expense coverage for your pet from an early age, where the chances of getting coverage are pretty high with the lowest premium comparatively. 

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How to determine the right pet insurance for your pet?

Before purchasing health insurance for your dog, you need to jot down specific points that will help you understand your exact requirements, which will help you direct yourself to the right insurance plan. First of all, you need to understand which of the critical illnesses and possible accidents you want to cover in the future. After that, according to your pet’s age, size, and medical history, you can ask for quotes from reputed organizations that provide insurance plans for young to older pets. Primarily, there are few health insurance companies that I find very reliable and authentic in terms of coverage and services, such as Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Figo Pet Insurance, New India Assurance General Insurance Company Limited, Bajaj Allianz pet insurance, and so on. However, each insurance provider’s prices and covering policies depend on varied circumstances and conditions.

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 The process of purchasing health insurance for dogs includes several variations and variable depending on terms and conditions, and pet parents often get confused about the differentiation among these organizations. Here are few terms that all parents need to understand before deciding on health insurance for their pets.

Policy: Represent the entire information related to the health insurance that you would do for your pet, which includes policy terms and conditions,  benefits, premiums, deductibles, co-insurances, and so on, for your complete understanding.

Coverage: This explains what your policy will reimburse and the plan. The policy might include several aspects like vet visits, labs, treatments, medications, surgery post-hospitalization costs, and pre-surgery costs. On the other hand, in the case of certain policy providers, some areas exclude and are only limited to the wellness plans where a particular type of surgery is being covered.

Benefits: Discuss the policy plans and the amount you will get back as reimbursement from the organization under certain circumstances. Here, you can see that some companies are ready to pay 70% to 90% of the repayment of the paid amount you have given as a premium. This part also discusses the additional benefits and covers that the company will be providing you under the insurance plan for a limited period or for a lifetime.

Deductible: Deductibles are the charges on the premium you are accountable to pay the organization before raising any reimbursement claim. The deductible amount depends on the premium plan and the pet’s lifetime, which also decides the insurance plan’s annual reset amount. This also helps you understand how the deductible must be determined. As I have researched,  if you set the deductible at a high level, you will be paying a lower premium. At the same time, a lower deductible would cost you a higher premium annually. For example, if you are paying $500 as a deductible, then a premium would be less than a deductible amount of $100 annually.

In some instances, the pet parents often opt for a $0 deductible, which would lead to a high premium annually. While selecting pet insurance, you need to remember that health insurance for dogs can act as a unique tool to avoid unwarranted situations and circumstances along with unexpected expenses and provide you the opportunity to choose the best treatment plan for your pet.

Closing statement

Though, considering health insurance for dogs can help many pet parents to protect themselves from an unexpected financial burden that comes with the unanticipated mental trauma when their pets get minor to critical health conditions. But it is also advisable to keep a certain amount of money in hand for the initial payment so that your pet does not have to suffer or compromise its life.