We are feeling glad we got pet insurance for my dog and I wanted to share what we learned. Tomorrow is week 4 after her ACL repair surgery. She had her other back leg ACL repaired a few years ago, so we are well versed in how pet insurance works now. We look forward to the day she will run again (hopefully in another 4 weeks or more)!

Here she is, our senior dog, Willow, running at full speed in 2020, captured by the very talented Terran at Westway Studio. 

Pet Insurance For My Dog

Since I am a pet portrait artist and in touch with many pet parents, I wanted to be sure to share our experience in hopes that it may help you. We chose pet insurance for my dog with a $500 deductible plan and a max of $10k coverage. We had already reached her deductible for this year, so we just had to pay 20% of the surgery and the pet insurance paid 80%. Our out of pocket, including the deductible was around $600. The surgery itself was $2.6k. We have been paying $96/month to insure 4 pets, Willow being one of them.

My friends at Money Magazine have a great article breaking down their different pet insurance recommendations and why. First, they explain pet insurance below and then I give their article link at the end here. Enjoy! Hope this helps!

Thinking of Insurance for your Pet?

As pet owners, we know how special our dog, cat, and even turtle is for us and our family. They are more than just pets, filling our lives with joy just like any family member would, which is why it’s so important that we treat them like one. In the case of health insurance, many consider it an expensive, unnecessary or even confusing endeavor, but choosing the pet insurance that’s right for you takes just a little research and patience. Pet insurance is a dynamic venture, since there is always a plan that adjusts to your budget and your pet’s needs.

 Just like with any other type of insurance, you need to know the specifics of each plan, since you don’t want to get either too much or too little in coverage. To give you a head start, I will cover the basics of pet insurance. 

There are three types of pet insurance

• comprehensive
• accidents-only
• wellness coverage

Comprehensive is the most expensive, covering most accidents and illnesses like fractures, fevers, and even cancer.

Accident-only is self-explanatory: it only covers accidents, making it a cheaper choice for pet owners on a budget.

The cheapest type of insurance is wellness insurance, which reimburses you for basic routine expenses like physical exams, vaccines, and parasite prevention. 

Exclusions / Pre-Existing Conditions

All pet insurance plans have their exclusions, which is why it is very important to know about them before committing to any given plan. One of the most common exclusions is known as “pre-existing conditions,” referring to any conditions your pet had before getting insured. This means that, if your pet had cancer before getting insured, it won’t be covered unless the provider explicitly says otherwise.

For this reason, it is important to get your pet insured as early as possible, since it would prevent future conditions from being treated as pre-existing.  

Deductibles and Premiums

Remember also to set adequate deductibles and to check for benefit limits, since these will determine how much money you spend monthly and on your vet bill. Pet insurance companies let you set how much you want to pay for your deductible – the higher it is, the lower your monthly premiums are.

Although this saves you money in the long run, some might prefer a lower deductible since it helps them spend less out-of-pocket.  Benefit limits can be unlimited or capped annually, per incident or per lifetime, so you need to check that your plan offers the right amount of coverage that your pet needs. 

Pet Insurance Waiting Period

Pet insurance plans also have an enrollment waiting period, known as a “cooling off” period, meant to limit you from using your insurance from day one and to give you the time to decide if you want to cancel your plan. If you cancel during this time, you usually get a full refund.   

Treat your pets like family and give them the medical care that’s best for them and for you. If you want to know more about pet insurance and about different providers, you can go check out Money Magazine resource on pet insurance.

Pet Insurance Alternative

From Dr. Lisa Lippman on IG “When it comes to pet insurance, you can officially RE-LAX, it’s not as expensive or confusing as you might think. Insert the industry disrupter: Wagmo.

Wagmo has two plans: Wellness and Insurance. Their wellness plans start at $20/mo. and insurance at $13/mo….the part I love most, you can mix and match them to create your perfect package…” Read more at Wagmo.io.

Our gal Willow, Image copyrighted to Westway Studio

Which Insurance We Used For Willow

The pet insurance we have used for Willow is Embrace, and would recommend them. Here at Greyboy Pet Prints, I firmly believe pets are family and indeed, therapy. Let’s take care of them as best we can 🙂

p.s. If you ever get into a bind where you just cannot pay for your pet’s care and really are in dire straits, you may want to read about RedRover’s Urgent Care Grants.