Veterinary care for your pet’s unexpected injury or illness can be expensive. Options for paying for this care include health plans through your veterinarian, third-party payment options, and veterinary pet insurance.
Pet insurance has been around for years, and there are more options than ever before. Choosing the right policy requires some research. There are 12 licensed pet insurance companies operating in the U.S. Consider the following concerns when choosing the right company and policy for your pet.
Step 1. Check requirements such as age restrictions, pre-existing conditions, breed exclusions, and spay/neuter requirements.
Step 2. Compare insurance companies plan options. Get multiple quotes from highly-rated companies as prices can vary widely depending upon the amount of coverage and type of plan chosen. Consider amount of monthly premiums that your budget can afford. Consider the 2 types of deductibles—lifetime per incident and annual. Lifetime per incident make sense if your pet has a chronic condition such as allergies or arthritis. Annual deductibles work well if your pet needs to see the veterinarian for several different reasons throughout the year such as injuries, flea allergy or bee stings. Find out what’s covered and what’s not. Determine claim reimbursement amounts and limits. Generally a claim is submitted to the insurance company by the pet owner who is then reimbursed. Find out what services are covered. More expensive plans cover wellness services such as vaccines and heart-worm prevention. You might choose a less expensive plan that covers only catastrophic events.
It pays to research individual companies on such details as how fast claims are paid, ease of the claim process, quality of customer service, availability of apps and user-friendliness of website, and BBB rating. The team at Wellspring Animal Hospital wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, and a safe and prosperous New Year!
Health Benefits of Pet Ownership
The company of a pet relaxes and entertains people, but the benefits of pet ownership go beyond simple joy. Studies have shown that keeping a pet improves the health and well-being of the people in the household. During stressful times, the comfort of a pet protects against depression and loneliness. Animal companions ward off depression and loneliness among people with AIDS and Alzheimer’s disease. Stressful situations have less of an impact on elderly pet owners and visit their physician less frequently.
Pets allow their owners to feel needed as nurturers, while also nurturing their owner. An animal’s unconditional affection often increases the owner’s ability to cope with personal setbacks and depression and can reduce loneliness. Individuals who live “alone” with a pet are actually part of a family; they can look forward to being greeted and recognized when they walk in the door. Caring for a pet can make its owner feel needed and provide reasons for living and staying healthy.
Pets motivate people to be more active and social. Pets are conversation-starters, help to make new acquaintances. Walking the dog provides not only physical exercise but also an opportunity to interact with humans living and more vulnerable to depression. Dog-walking and being outdoors where social contact is possible are healthful effects of dog ownership.
The comfort, social interaction, and motivation provided by pets improve cardiovascular health and lower blood pressure. Physical and verbal interaction can lower blood pressure. One study of hypertensive patients showed those who were given pets handled stressful tasks better than those who relied on blood pressure medication alone. Research shows people are more likely to survive the year after a heart attack if they have both a companion dog and a human social support network. Animal companionship is commonly linked to lower death rates and better long-term health.