Dog Health Insurance for Your Pet

The word insurance is one of those words that makes you cringe. Next to putting gas in your car, it seems that the biggest expense you have and there is only so much that you need. You must have insurance for your car (which would have been nice if someone had told how a financial burden that would be great), if you own a home you pay homeowners insurance if you rent an apartment with the assurance tenants, you struggle with the ever increasing cost of health care insurance, and if you are a very responsible member of the family with life insurance. And now you find that you hear that you should consider purchasing a health insurance plan for your dog.
   
You love your dog, he's more then a pet, he's a valued member of your family and probably your best friend. But health insurance? You can barely afford to put food on your table how are you supposed to be able to afford to insure your pet. Besides he's just a mutt, dog health care insurance is for fancy purebred show dogs, not your rescue pet.
   
The shoestring you’re probably living on is the very reason you might want to consider putting pet health insurance on your pet. The average dog owner takes their pet dog to the veterinarian approximately 2.3 times a year and it will cost you approximately two hundred and eleven dollars per year.  My guess is that each time you pay the vet bill your budget is screaming for mercy.
   
What happens if your dog contracts a disease, or gets hurt? It doesn't take much to rack up some pretty serious vet bills. What if you have to leave town and can't take your dog with you? Can you really afford to leave your dog at a boarding kennel? You already know how much you have to pay for your prescriptions, do you really think that a dog prescription is going to be any cheaper.

Your dog is your best friend and a treasured member of your family could you really live with yourself if you had to put him to sleep just because you couldn't afford his vet bill.
   
It is possible to get health care insurance for your dog for approximately ten dollars a month. While it might not cover all of your dogs vet care needs it could help. If you shop around and read each plan carefully you should even be able to find a pet healthcare plan that will help pay for your routine vet visits. Some pet insurance plans will even cover some boarding expenses.

Some questions you should ask the pet health insurance company you are considering buying a pet health care policy from is whether or not your vet accepts that particular type of insurance, if there is a cap on treatments, how much is your deductible, and how will they handle any pre-existing conditions your dog might have.

Compare Pet Health Insurance in the USA

In Europe, more than twenty-five percent of all animals carry a health insurance policy for pets in your pet owners. About half of pet owners have insurance in Sweden. A recent poll of pet owners in the United States predicted that only three percent had purchased a health care plan for pets. Many veterinarians feel that three percent is a very generous estimate. A major veterinary reasons to believe many Europeans insurance pet health is due to a bill passed in 1971 stated that if a dog was considered responsible for an accident, an accident of car owner responsible mascot. This prompted many dog owners to purchase something called Third Party Liability Insurance which would pay for any damages caused by the policy holder's pet dog.

Chances are good that if you were to ask ten of your neighbors how they felt about pet health insurance you would probably get ten very different answers.

Some pet owners are fanatical about their pets. They will except nothing but the best for their family pet, the best food, the best water, the best doggie bed, and of course the best medical treatments available. Every time it even looks like their cat or dog is about to cough or sneeze they rush the pet to the veterinarians clinic and start a fresh round of antibiotics. Because maintaining the absolute best health care available is quite expensive this type of owner is quick to purchase animal health insurance that promotes good pet medicine. At the slightest hint you are even considering purchasing pet health insurance for your pet and this over the top pet owner is shoving all sorts of flyers and brochures and applications in your hand, sometimes they even offer to call their pet health insurance rep. for you. This is fine and dandy but generally (not always) their monthly pet insurance bills are higher then you can afford.

Another owner might love their family pet just as much as the over the top owner. They might wish they could provide their pet with the very best but it simply isn't economically possible. This pet owner’s advice about pet health insurance would be your own pet health insurance. Put the money you might have spent on a monthly insurance premium aside and use that to cover your pets medical needs. After all if you put aside thirty dollars a month then you'll have enough money to cover the routine visits to the vet’s office plus have a little extra set aside if an emergency happens down the road. This type of insurance is called self insurance. While it sounds like a good idea there are a couple of problems. One if a medical emergency happens right away you might not have enough money on hand to cover the treatment and be forced to accept economic euthanasia for your pet. A second problem with self insurance is that its money that’s just laying around, its way to easy to see it as spare cash and use it on the family vacation or as a down payment on that laptop you've always wanted.  

If as a pet owner you decide that pet health insurance simply isn’t for you or your pet you will want to check and see if your homeowners insurance covers any potential accidents caused by your pet. If a dog or cat bites somebody the bitten person can sue you and in some cases demand that the pet be euthanized. If your homeowners insurance does not cover pet mishaps you should probably give a lot of thought to purchasing pet liability insurance.

Care and Health Insurance for your Pet Pot Bellied Pig

There have been many books written about dogs like Old Yeller and where the red fern, Black Beauty is every girls dream horse after his memoirs were so cleverly translated, and a recent series of detective novels featuring detective cats won felines a place in literary annals. Considering that is not it interesting that some of the animal characters most people seem to remember the best are pigs. When book lovers think of pigs they smile as they remember the sweet innocence of Wilbur as he strutted around the barnyard, or they shudder with delicious distaste what they think about how George Orwell Napoleon considered the farm after overthrowing humans in animal farm.

Recently pigs have been finding their way into more and more homes as family pets. Many pet owners are delighted by the pig’s keen intelligence and dynamic personality. Or they walk into a neat tidy barn and spot and entire litter of new piglets sleeping in a little pig heap on a bed of straw. The next thing they know they have purchased a young pot bellied pig and are taking it home.

The first mistake people often make is assuming that a pot bellied pig would make a good pet for their family is that they don't really understand that the cuteness fades...fast. One minute they are holding a cute little piglet, the next they are looking at a short legged growing piglet with a strangely shaped skull, drooping jowls, and stiff hair.

The next mistake pet owners make when they purchase a potbellied pig is that they assume it will stay miniature sized. While it is true that the pot bellied pig is considerably smaller then its barnyard cousins pet owners need to understand that the pigs that are used for bacon and Easter hams are normally butchered at weight surpassing three hundred and fifty pounds. The full grown sows can weigh in at well over five hundred pounds.

Once you have purchased a newborn potbellied pig you need to start thinking about its health care. Pot bellied pigs need to be spayed or neutered, they need to have their feet trimmed on a regular basis, they need to have their long tusks trimmed, and they need yearly vaccinations. Purchasing a pet health plan for your new pet might help make veterinary care more affordable. If you decide to purchase a health insurance plan for your pot bellied pig make sure it is one that it will still be valid at the end of your pets life, which could bet twenty years away. If you are unable to find a pet health insurance company who is selling coverage for potbellied pigs try to get a deal through an insurance company that insure farmers’ valuable livestock.

In addition to health insurance pot bellied pig owners should probably consider getting some type of liability insurance in case their pot bellied pig accidentally hurts someone. For the most part pot bellied pigs are low key and amiable but once in a while you can stumble across one that gets irritated with people. Just like their larger, barnyard cousins, pot bellied pigs a re very strong they literally toss a full grown man to the side with just a little nudge of their snout.

Canada’s Pet Health Concerns that Benefit from Canadian Pet Health Insurance

There are two health care issues that might make Canada’s pet owners consider purchasing Canadian Pet Health Insurance for their family pets : Cancer and Tularemia.

The Cancer is a type of tumor or tumors invade surrounding tissues and used to move the blood spread to other parts of the body malignant. Some cancers recur even after removal of the tumor in question. Cancer can result if the tumor cells and the remaining cancer is treated correctly removed. Due to the improvement of veterinary care for pets nutritional needs of the family are living longer. As a direct consequence of the increase in life expectancy of pets in the family wore more cases of cancer are seen.
   
Signs that the family pet might have cancer are abnormal swellings that continue to grow, sores are a few heel, bleeding or other discharge from body openings, the pet is having a difficult time eating and swallowing, persistent lameness, difficulty breathing, painful urination, chronic coughing, weight loss, fevers, lack of appetite, and stamina. If you notice your pet experience the any individual or combination of the symptoms you should consult your local veterinarian.
   
In the not so distant past cancer and pets was a virtual kiss of death. In today's medically advanced world of veterinary medicine your pet’s outcome is more positive. Early detection followed by timely intervention is the most positive here for your pet's cancer.
   
In some cases simple removal on the tumor is all that is required to other may any cancer cells. Some types of cancer require or surgery. The surgery has an excellent success rate with cancers that were detected early on. If your pet has a tumor that is inoperable your veterinarian might suggest radiation, chemical, or biological therapy.
   
Radiation therapy exposes the malignant cells to high level of radiation with the hope that the radiation will kill the cancer cells.
Chemical therapy is medication design to kill the cancer cells. In particularly aggressive forms of cancer chemical and radiation therapy is used jointly. Other forms of therapies used to treat and comfort your pet when they are diagnosed with cancer are grooming, nutritional support, Soft bedding, pain management, ulcer prevention, and physical therapy. If your pet is diagnosed with cancer discuss treat to the veterinarian and call your pet health care insurance representative to find out what can be done to extend life of your pet.
   
On October 2, 2004 Health Canada issued an advisory about a potential health concern to dwarf and regular hamsters called Tularemia.

   
Tularemia is caused by a bacterial disease that is most commonly seen in wild rodents and rabbits. Although it only happens rarely, Tularemia is transferable to humans causing flu like symptoms. Tularemia typically found in all muskrats, squirrels, beavers, rabbit, skunks, dear, bison, foxes, opossums, and woodchucks. Although Tularemia is seldom seen in dogs and cats can be contaminated through water, eating infected rabbits, and being bitten by contaminated ticks. The typical symptoms of Tularemia are fever, a loss of appetite, weakness, and diarrhea. If the condition is left untreated infected animals frequently died.

The typical treatment plan for pets infected with Tularemia is to first eliminate any infected ticks from your pet’s fur. After that the drugs Strptomycin and Gentamycin are administered for one to two weeks. Tetracycline and Chloramphencicol have also been used to treat pets diagnosed with Tularemia.

Animal Health Insurance for your pet Ferret

Ferrets are long, silky, fun and cuddly. They can provide hours and hours of fun. We can also give you a headache trying to pay vet bills when he does not think cute ferret acquired spontaneously impossible with very sharp face in the local pet store.
   
The average lifespan is 7-10 years old with each year equaling ten human years. The temperature of a healthy ferret is between 100 and 104 degrees, with most of them hovering at a comfortable 101.9 degrees. The heart rate of the average ferret is about 225 beats per minute but it can range from 180-250 beats per minute. Ferrets have an average respiration rate of 33-36 breaths per minute. It is important to get to know your pet’s personality, the better you know your ferrets personality the quicker you will be able to recognize any health issues your ferret might have.
   
The first thing you might learn about your pet ferret is that not only will it love to have your undivided attention it can also catch that twenty-four hour flue you had a few days ago. The ability to catch diseases from their human owners is one of those unique traits that separates ferrets from cats and dogs (cats and dogs can not catch the flu from humans). Hopefully now that you are armed with that knowledge you will be savvy enough to bring your pet ferret to the veterinarian (preferably one with knowledge and experience about ferrets) before it starts showing flu like symptoms. Ferrets are very sturdy animals when they are healthy but once they get sick they can go down hill fast. It is important your veterinarian sees your pet and prescribe a treatment as soon as possible.
   
Young ferrets are often fed hard food before they are really ready for it. The hard food can cause your new pet to develop a prolapsed rectum (the rectum is on the outside of the body instead of inside). Oddly enough this is not normally something your local veterinarian needs to see. Normally the rectum returns to its normal position after a few days. Smear a small amount of Preparation-H on the exposed rectum to help keep it moist and keep a close eye on it. Remember that pink is good. As long as the flesh of the prolapsed rectum is a nice healthy looking rosy pink it’s healthy. If the healthy pink color starts to fade take your pet ferret to the vet for a consultation.
     
Ferrets suffer from a variety of diseases and tumors such as insulinoma, tumors, heart disease, intestinal conditions, and complications involving the liver and intestines and spleen. Many pet ferrets are plagued with multiple issues at the same time. Most diseases commonly found in ferrets will need some type of veterinary care which will often include surgery.
   
If you are concerned about being flooded with an endless amount of expensive veterinarian bills that you don't know if you will be able to pay you may want to consider purchasing animal health insurance for your pet ferret.

AKC Pet Health Insurance

You love them or hate them, the members, breeders and owners who are affiliated with the American Kennel Club. Puppies that are registered with the American Kennel Club are the aristocracy of the dog world, authorized the establishment, the best clubs and most exclusive clubs. Not recognized by the Kennel Club or dogs that are American races mixed ancestry often feel like outsiders or commoners.

For all the hoopla surrounding the American Kennel Club only members actually seem to know what it really is.

The American Kennel Club is the largest registry of purebred dogs in the entire world. In 2006 there were over nine hundred thousand dogs registered with the American Kennel Club. In addition to registering dogs the American Kennel Club also host several large shows including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (it is actually older then the kennel club) and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championships.
The American Kennel Club has been registering puppies for over one hundred and twenty-two years. In 2006 the AKC signed a contract with the pet stores Petland but later rescinded the offer after a flurry of controversy.

In addition to hosting dog show and overseeing the registration of hundreds of thousands of dogs each year, the American Kennel Club also takes an active interest in canine health research. Some dog owners are familiar with their current advertising campaign promoting their commitment to healthy dogs. 

Because the American Kennel Club realizes that the high cost of veterinary care can be difficult for many dog owners to afford they now offer AKC pet health insurance.

The American Kennel Club Healthcare Plan is designed to help offset the high cost of Veterinary treatments, surgery, and prescriptions.

On the American Kennel Club website they have a list of claims that have recently been paid to dog owners who have purchased an AKC pet health care plan. These claims included a $2,600.00 dollar claim for poison toadstools, for a recent case of bee stings they paid a claim of $2,200, and the owners of a dog that was bitten by a snake received a check for 1,262, $2,000 for an intestinal resection, and $2,800 paid out for a ruptured ligament. The biggest claim currently listed on the website is for a ruptured vertebral disc that would have cost the owners an additional $3,329 out of their pockets.

The American Kennel Club estimates that the average daily cost of a healthcare plan for your dog is approximately sixty-eight cents a day (this is based on the Essential plan's annual price). You can pick from four different types of healthcare insurance plans, you have a variety of wellness options you can choose from that will help cover dental cleaning, shots, and checkup. Applying for the insurance is supposed to be easy and you can choose to pay monthly or yearly. You get to continue to use you very own veterinarian. The American Kennel Club also offers coverage for cats.

One of the really nice features about the AKC pet healthcare coverage is the sixty-day complimentary trail period.

A Comparison of Five Pet Health Insurance Plans

Regardless if you've already decided to purchase health insurance for your pet or no. When you compare the budget for a health insurance quote to another remember that the base amount is not the only number you have to consider. In addition to the monthly payment make sure you also check out exactly what type of veterinary care and treatments are covered (some basic insurance plans do not include cancer treatment), what kind of deductible you, the owner of the animal is expected to pay, is there an annual limit on medical expenses, and this kind of discounts are available.

At the moment there are only a handful of companies that offer pet health insurance. Five of the most popular companies are Pets Best Pet Insurance, Veterinary Pet Insurance, ShelterCare, Pets Health and PetCare.

-An insurance plan through Pets Best Pet Insurance will cost approximately $32.00 a month ($384.00 annually). Pets Best will cover pet sterilization provided the pet owner purchases an additional wellness plan. Pets Best does not cover pre-existing medical conditions a pet has so its best to insure them early in life before problems develop. Pets Best has a life time limit of $99,750 dollars per pet. Pets Best health insurance plans come with a $75.00 deductible. Multiple pet discounts are available. Pet’s Best pet health insurance does cover cancer.

Veterinary Pet Insurance is a company that offers pet owner a $14,000 a year cap on an insurance plan that only costs approximately $20.00 dollars a month. Veterinary Pet Insurance offers plans with a $50.00 deductible (after the deductible they pay ninety percent of the bill) on plans that include pet sterilization and cancer coverage. Veterinary Pet Insurance does not accept pre-existing conditions and does not offer multi-pet discounts.

ShelterCare is a pet insurance that cost pet's owners approximately $29.95. For that $29.95 there is absolutely no deductible and cancer treatments are covered. ShelterCare will not pay for pet sterilization nor will they cover any pre-existing conditions. ShelterCare does not have a benefit cap. ShelterCare offers premium discounts for multi-pet plans, medical service, and micro-chips.

A pet health insurance policy through PetsHealth insurance company will cost the pet owner approximately $37.17 dollars per month. PetsHealth covers 80% of the pets vet bill after the $100.00 doller deductible is paid. PetsHealth has a $13,000 dollar cap on each per year. PetHealth does insure pre-existing conditions after ninety days. Multi-pet discounts are available through PetHealth. PetsHealth does offer pet health insurance plans that cover cancer on a case by case basis.

PetCare is a pet health insurance company that estimates the average cost for a policy for a pet is $29.95 a month. This plan includes a fifty dollar deductible. While PetCare is happy to cover the cost your pet’s cancer treatments they will not pay for any pre-existing conditions nor will they pay for pet sterilization. PetCare offers discounts for multi-pet plans and medical service.







None of the estimated monthly prices for these insurance companies include any extra insurances riders.

Any one or all of these companies can change their policies between now and the time you purchase a pet health insurance plan.

Remember to read the fine print before you sign up for a pet health insurance plan.

All five of these pet health insurance companies have their own websites where you can go to get up to date pet health insurance quotes.

There are other pet health insurance companies with different prices, discounts, stipulations, and benefit caps if you are not content with the previous five comparisons.