A Critical Way To Protect Your Pet… And Your Wallet

Three years ago, I was on the down and out. I had recently lost my job, and finances were extremely tight. Then, the unthinkable happened.

My dog, Duke, developed a limp. Then, a sound developed in his left leg that, until this day, makes my skin crawl – a clicking sound every time he took a step. I immediately took him to my trusted veterinarian, fearing the worst for my friend. After some inspection and tests, the doctor informed me that Duke would require an operation to correct a torn ligament in his knee. He also told me that the operation would cost around $5,000 and if I didn’t have it performed, it would cause pain and permanent damage to Duke’s leg. My heart sank.

Thank goodness, while unemployed, that I didn’t cancel my little buddy’s pet insurance. The operation was performed, and after a little bit of rehab, Duke’s as good as new. I was incredibly grateful for this, especially since there is always a risk when your pet goes under anesthesia, but there was still the reimbursement from the insurance company to worry about, and needless to say, I was skeptical of how much they would cover. Low and behold, when the reimbursement check came, I was shocked – I opened the envelope… and pet insurance covered 60% of the bill – $3,000 dollars. Thank goodness.

Pet insurance is a great way to reduce stress and protect your pet. I highly encourage signing up for it. There’s a whole slew of reasons why you may end up needing pet insurance, but unfortunately many people don’t figure it out (or even find out about it) until it’s too late. The illustration below shows some of the actual conditions and costs for claims reimbursed by the pet insurance company Petplan in the past. It gives a great overview of not only what you can expect in return out of purchasing pet insurance, but some of the many conditions and unfortunate events that may leave you needing pet insurance for your best friend.

Luckily, pet insurance plans are reasonably affordable and can start at as low as $40.00 a month. Here is a list of the best pet insurance providers of 2014, as rated by www.ConsumersAdvocate.org. I personally have Trupanion (Rated # 4 on Consumers Advocate’s 10 Best Pet Insurance list) and have had a great experience so far. Here’s a brief overview on ConsumerAdvocate.org’s top 3 pet insurance providers: