Protect Your Pet: Pet Insurance

by Ariel Morrison, Volunteer

What is it?

Pet insurance is very similar to human health insurance, except it is tailored to fit your pet’s needs. There are numerous plans available and coverage options that can be customized dependent upon the animal and prior health conditions. Below the three most common pet insurance plans are described:

Pet's Best Pet Insurance

Pet's Best Insurance offers four different types of pet insurance plans, plus a routine care option.  All levels of insurance cover accidents, illness and hereditary/congenital ailments.  The differentiators with Pet's Best Insurance are that you choose your annual deductible level ($0-$1000) as well as your reimbursement level, from 70-100%, and Holistic Care coverage exists with all plans. 

Pet's Best also offers three focused plans as defined below:

Feline Illness Plan:

-         Includes diagnosis and treatment of common feline chronic illnesses like diabetes and kidney failure

-         Excludes undiagnosed conditions, accidents, routine care, acupuncture and chiropractics

-         $4,000 annual limit/$10,000 lifetime limit

Accident Only:

-         Includes treatment of accidents including X-rays, surgeries, hospitalization and medications related

-         Excludes illnesses, routine care, acupuncture and chiropractics

-         $10,000 annual limit/$20,000 lifetime limit  

Cancer Only:

-         Includes diagnosis and treatment of cancer including bloodwork, surgeries, medication and chemotherapy

-         Excludes other illnesses, accidents, routine care, acupuncture and chiropractics

-         $8,000 annual limit/$30,000 lifetime limit  

Pet's Best offers a $0 deductible option and has no age limit for new or existing coverage.  Your pet will *not* be dropped as he/she ages.  Find more information at www.petsbest.com or contact Bill Smock Insurance, where a portion of your policy premium is donated to Brown Dog Foundation! 

VPI- Nationwide Pet Insurance

Injury Plan (Emergency)

Covers Accidents Only

-Pays for injuries such as broken bones

-Covers accidents such as poisonings

- Maximum benefit of $14,000/year

Medical Plan Economical

Covers Accidents and Illnesses

-         Covers everything in the injury plan + illnesses

-         Covers chronic illnesses

-         Maximum benefit of $7000/year

Major Medical Plan Comprehensive

Covers accidents, illnesses, and hereditary conditions

-         Covers everything in the medical plan economical

-         Includes benefits for limited hereditary coverage after the first year

-         Maximum benefit of $14000/year

Careguard

-         Can be added to any of the above plans

-         Includes additional benefits related to pet welfare including (exams, vaccinations, heartworm preventative, and dental cleaning)

-         Ranges in price from $12-$22/month

** Please note that existing conditions are not covered if condition started prior to animal having insurance. Also, ligament injuries are only covered after having insurance for 1 year.

Benefits

All of the above insurance policies agree to not drop any pet regardless of age or number of claims filed a year. There are flexible deductibles for each plan. Owners have the freedom to choose which vet or animal emergency services location for service. Benefits renew each year in full.

How Do I Apply

An online application can be completed at www.petinsurance.com. Select “get a quote” from the homepage. The process is very simple and takes about 5 minutes to complete. The quote will be based off of your area, dog breed, dog age, and deductible option.

Trupanion Pet Insurance

Trupanion only offers one all inclusive insurance plan. However, there are multiple add-on options that make this company unique from other pet insurance providers. Please see the below:

Additional Care Package:

-         Includes hydrotherapy, chiropractic, and acupuncture services

-         Includes several non-traditional services for dogs

-         Ranges from $9.95-$35/ month

Pet Owner Assistance Package:

-         Covers boarding fees

-         Pays for rewards and advertising costs up to $500 if pet is lost/stolen

-         Pays for damages up to $25000 due to property damage from your pet

Trupanion also offers a $0 deductible option. Find more information at www.trupanion.com.

Pet Insurance

Written by Andy Chmiel, VP of Business Development at Medicare.com
Brown Dog Foundation, National Board Officer (Treasurer)

It seems these days you can insure anything. Your hands... if you are a surgeon, your voice... if you’re a singer, and even your back side... if you’re Jennifer (J-Lo) Lopez. As a licensed Insurance agent I was intrigued when this product hit the main stream market a few years back – Pet insurance. A unique way for people to make sure no medical surprise disrupts their pet’s everyday life.

My team of agents reviewed the products and found out that this all started in England with a company named Veterinary Pet Insurance or VPI. Their first pet insurance policy was sold back in 1947. While Pet insurance has been around for quite some time, less than 1% of Americans have taken advantage of this opportunity. As more and more Americans choose to pursue their careers, they want to share their success with a devoted and loyal companion. No, not always a spouse, but four legged and feathered friends too. More and more empty nesters are adopting ‘loved ones’ to care for in their golden years. Americans have never been more poised to spend more time with their beloved pets then right now. These Insurance plans are just what the public needs.

The policies begin at $10-15 a month for a basic plan and grow to $60-80 a month for plans which cover medications, well checks, and surgeries. Monthly premiums will depend on the age, breed and general health of the pet. Some employer groups have offered pet insurance as part of their employee benefit package and a greater number of folks are saying ‘yes’.

Getting a plan might be as easy as calling your current insurance agent but may require getting online and doing some research. Find a plan that will fit your life style and budget but most importantly the needs of your pet.

Your ultimate goal is the health and well being of your family’s best little friend. As a person that plans everything out I am sure that when the right little furry friend enters my life I will weigh the pros and cons and do my own research on insurance. It just makes sense to be a responsible pet owner who prepares for the financial surprises of being a pet owner.

Saving Money on Your Pet's Prescriptions

When a pet is diagnosed with a critical and chronic illness, the cost of prescription medications to provide a good quality of life can break the bank. Today, there are many options available to pet guardians to save money in this area. Your doctor will write a prescription that you can have filled elsewhere. And we recommend that you set up regular monitoring appointments with your Veterinarian if you choose to purchase medications from an outside resource.

Human Pharmacies - a few years back and to meet competitive pricing demands, human pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, WalMart, Target and grocery stores, created a $4 list. These drugs can be purchased in 30 day increments costing the purchaser only $4/month. At $4/month - just about any condition can be treated without forcing the family into financial ruin. Kroger has just announced their Pet Pharmacy Program.

Online Suppliers - one needs to be cautious in this arena as not all online suppliers are equal. We recommend FarmVet or Drs. Foster & Smith. For medications that are animal specific or are more expensive than the $4 list, you can often buy in bulk which will result in significant savings.

For those who prefer the alternative medicine route - a good resource is the Dog Owner's Guide: Alternative Medicine. If you decide to go this direction, however, we encourage you to consult a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine who has a certification in Holistic Medicine.

From Bad to Good

Last summer, a friend at a local Humane Society shelter told me to come meet a dog that looked as though she could be my recently deceased dog's grandbaby. I had loved Goldie so much and was disappointed that I only had 3 years with her, so finding a young one who looked like her was appealing. Hold onto your seat though... this little lady was nothing like Mama Goldie!

When I met her, she was extremely nervous and she didn't have a name. So I called her "Little Girl" during our initial interactions. She cowered in the corner the first several times I visited. Eventually, she came out of her shell and I fell in love. And, so she was named Beignet (Ben yay') and I brought her home.

She had been a stray for the first 14 months of her life, so she was not potty-trained, had a bad habit of eating paper and cardboard and thought that running through the house in circles was the best game! She wore me out and drove my older pit-mix, Toffee, over the edge. I had to do something. The accidents had given my home a distinct scent (not one I appreciated). The wildness was causing minor altercations with Toffee (who thank GOD is a great dog). We considered rehoming her, until my friend Cory at Middle TN Dog Psychology reminded me of the basics of behavior modification.

1. All dogs want a "job". No, modeling would not fit the bill (although she's pretty enough to be one) and no, I wouldn't be able to earn a living off of her efforts. Rather, they need a daily routine in which they focus on following their leader and being part of the pack. So, we started walking daily and to my happiness, she leash-trained quickly.

2. All dogs want "boundaries". She was not sleeping at night (I can assume a behavior leftover from nights as a stray) at the foot of my bed and I would wake up to toilet paper strewn throughout the room, magazines shredded and Christmas ornaments pulled off the tree and eaten. So, we began crating her at night. The crate became her den (her safe place) so she could relax and rest. And, this proved to be the core issue with Beignet's behavior. Not sleeping at night made her wild during the day! As soon as she began sleeping safely... that nervous energy that she'd exhausted on chewing, destruction and running around in circles slowed down considerably.

3. All dogs want "discipline". Not a heavy hand when they do something wrong - rather a set of rules to follow and be rewarded. Feeding time was tough at first because my pit sits and waits, but Beignet wasn't picking up on it. Cory fixed it in one 30 second session (still don't know what he did, but I'm glad he did it!). Now both dogs sit/wait until I release them to eat. Other routines include walks, potty breaks, snuggle time, play time with each other, chew on their bones time, and more.

Yes, I still coo over how pretty she is and kiss her and hug on her way more than I should. But, overall, we've settled into a nice routine. We still have the occasional destruction (recently she opened a cardboard case of beer, punctured a can and drank it as it was spraying all over the kitchen), but for the most part - our home is once again a peaceful, enjoyable place to be.