As a dog owner, apart from the obvious sadness from losing your beloved pet altogether to an accident or illness, what is the worst thing you can imagine happening?
What if your four-legged friend has contracted a serious illness or has suffered a life-threatening accident, there is treatment available that could save their life, but it might end up costing a fortune which is money you just don’t have.
There may be different avenues you could pursue, such as borrowing from family or friends, but the bottom line is, for most this is not a valid option and in many cases, the valued family member has to be euthanized (known as economic euthanasia).
Here, I would like to explore the question, is dog health insurance worth it?
At perfectpuppypal.com, we are not qualified veterinarians or animal nutritionists. The information that we provide is general and educational information only and is not a substitute for professional advice.
Why purchase insurance for your dog?
Pet insurance, while not cheap, could save you a lot of money in the long run, and even if times are hard could be the difference between saving your favourite pals life or not.
The technological advancement in veterinary medical care has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, which is great news for pet owners. But, because of this, the costs of medical treatment for your animal have also increased in this time.
Insuring your beloved pet, depending on which plan you have taken out, can help to offset most, if not all medical expenses you could be subject to paying if anything bad were to happen to your best friend.
Benefits
A lot of people already invest in health insurance for themselves, as your four-legged friend is also a part of the family then why not get insurance for them too. There are many benefits to having pet insurance for your dog, these include;
- Peace of mind – If the worst happens and your pet has an accident or contracts some type of disease, having insurance is worth it for the peace of mind knowing that the provider will cover the majority of the costs for you.
- Money-saving – One of the main reasons pet owners take out insurance for their beloved pals is to save money. Although not cheap, having insurance could save you a fortune if an accident or illness suddenly happens to your dog.
- Budgeting – Some pet owners prefer the option of putting aside some money every week or month just in case it is needed in a time of emergency. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with this at all. But what if something serious was to happen in the first few months or even years of your pets life that could leave a bill for many thousands and you have only put by a few hundred. Having insurance is a way to budget and spread that cost out so you don’t end up having to fork out a huge sum all at once.
- Pick your own plan – One of the great benefits of pet insurance is that you can choose the plan that best suits you and your furry friend. Depending on your budget you are able to pick just the most basic of plans which will not cost an arm or a leg up the premium that many providers offer.
- Multiple pets at a discounted price – Having more than one dog under your roof can be a wonderful experience but the expenses can rack up very quickly. Most insurance providers will give you a discounted price if you insure two or more animals under the same plan.
- Ability to choose your own vet – Having pet insurance gives you the freedom to visit which vet you prefer to see unlike the human equivalent of health insurance where they dictate where you must go and who to see. Also, to see a specialist, a referral is not normally needed so the worry of seeing an out of hours professional is reduced substantially.
What is covered in different plans?
There are many different dog insurance plans available to you out there, some are obviously better than others depending on how much of your hard-earned cash you are willing to spend. Generally speaking, the more you spend on a plan the better the coverage is for your pal.
Before deciding to purchase insurance for Fido, it’s worth researching what plan would be best for you and your pal. The most basic of plans normally include either illness or accident coverage, these can be upgraded to include both and even a dog wellness plan sometimes.
It’s always important to read the fine print when choosing insurance as most will not cover things such as routine checkups, pre-existing conditions, dental disease, grooming, or behaviour difficulties.
Costs
Is pet insurance going to save you a lot of money in the long run? It’s a great question and one that has many divisive answers. If you are lucky enough to have a dog that will never suffer any serious injuries or illnesses in their lifetime then purchasing pet insurance will be an expense that you could do without.
But just think is it worth the risk? Dogs are dogs and have in my experience the ability to destroy and eat anything and everything which is in their grasp.
If you have an extremely active furry little friend (as I do!), who just runs and plays non-stop, jumping from chair to sofa to floor and back again is a normal daily activity.
But just imagine, if a single one of these jumps or landings goes wrong out of how many hundreds or evens thousands they are able to perform per day. The result could be a broken leg or a ligament injury where vets bills or surgery could be crippling to those on an already very tight budget, resulting in thousands needing to be paid.
If already on an extremely tight budget and the money is just not available, this, unfortunately, could mean the end for your beloved pal.
To sum up – Is dog health insurance worth it?
In my personal opinion, I do believe that having insurance for your furry friend is worthwhile. It’s the peace of mind 
and financial security that if anything happens then you know that you and your loved one will be covered.
If you have anything you would like to share about any experiences you have had with insurance for your beloved friend or would like to add your point of view then please feel free to leave a comment below.