Pet Insurance for Your Puppy
No matter if your new family member is a pure bred or mixed breed, it will bring lots of fun into your life, with months of laughs, love and delightful puppy play. It is hard to imagine that this energetic little fur-ball could someday be lethargic, or vomiting and refusing to eat. It doesn’t happen too often, but it can. That’s when the question about cost of treatment comes up, and one way to protect yourself from this unexpected expense is pet insurance for your puppy.
We at Selkirk Veterinary Services work closely with a number of pet insurance companies, mostly Trupanion, Fetch and Petsecure. Although we strongly recommend pet insurance for your puppy and even offer direct billing, we are not endorsing one provider over the other, since pet insurance plans differ in cost and coverage and what the conditions are for eligible claims.
To make it easier for you to decide on a specific insurance plan, we are providing a list of questions to compare plans, some of the answers can be found on their websites:
- Can I see any veterinarian I want?
- Have the premiums increased over the past years? By how much?
- What happens to my coverage and premiums when my pet gets older or after claims?
- Are there reasons or conditions that prevent me from renewing the policy?
- What type of coverage and co-insurance does the policy require?
- What kinds of care are excluded or limited? Are congenital or hereditary diseases covered?
- Does the plan cover cancer treatment?
- Is dental prophylaxis covered? Or just tooth injuries?
- If my pet is diagnosed with a condition in one year, will it be excluded as pre-existing the next year?
- Are benefits available for wellness or preventive care for my pet?
- Deductible: Can I choose the amount? Can I change the amount from year to year? Will the deductible be applied once per year or once per medical incident?
- What is the waiting period before my coverage becomes effective?
- Is there a maximum age for enrollment?
- Are there limits per incident, per year, per lifetime, or per body system? What are those limits?
- Is a physical examination required for enrollment or renewal?
- How quickly are claims processed and paid?
- Are there any billing fees or discounts? Do you have a current promotion with rebates?
- How much does the plan cost for my pet per month?
- Are add-ons available, e.g. dental care, emergency care?
- If I sign up multiple pets, would I receive a discount?
- If I had a $500 vet bill that is an eligible claim, what amounts will be paid out? Will the vet clinic be paid directly or will I get reimbursed? How long does it usually take until I receive my reimbursement?
- Can the insurance company terminate my policy at-will?
