Is there anything as unpredictable as your pet's health? The
typical costs associated with vaccinations, check-ups, etc., are
certainly expected, but who can know if your dog or cat is going to come
down with some type of unknown tumor, virus or other medical problem
that requires expensive examinations surgery. Or worse yet, the dreaded,
"exploratory surgery" where tests can cost hundreds if not thousands of
dollars just to find out what is actually wrong with your pet. My
father-in-law had a German Shepard dog with an enzymatic digestive
problem. The cost just to discover this problem ran him at least
hundreds of dollars if not more - and the treatment for curing it
included an ongoing expense of expensive enzymes that had to be added to
his food every day. Then, there was the hip replacement surgery which
cost $2,000. The dog was young at the time and so the surgery was
completely necessary. Who can predict these types of expensive pet car
necessities? It really does make one consider whether or not some type
of pet insurance program would be a a good idea from the very start of
your pet's life.
Pet insurance comes in so many different varieties that it can be confusing choosing one that matches your needs. There are pet insurance programs with large deductibles that cover a large variety of medical procedures, including vet checkups, lab work, surgery and other catastrophically expensive care for your pet. There are other plans that have deductibles which cover everything, but surgery. On the other hand, some pet plans cover surgery but not the small things such as routine care and check-ups. Other plans cover routine pet care, but not lab work, etc. The average monthly premium for most of these plans is $22-$29 per month per cat. From my own experience with cats that have had no major illnesses, the average cost per year for shots, neutering, check-ups, lab work, etc, averages out to about $150 per year. The deductible on most plans is $300-$500, making pet insurance unnecessary by the standards of my own example with cats over the last 25 years.
I did find another alternative that might be worth looking into: Discount Cards. A discount pet insurance card costs from $4-$7.00 per month and the benefit is a 25% flat reduction of your cat's medical fees, regardless of what they are. The 25% is good towards surgery, medical tests, lab work, check ups. Additionally, these discount cards usually offer discounts of 10% to 50% on other pet goods and services. If you're looking for the cheapest pet insurance, discount cards are the way to go.
Pet insurance comes in so many different varieties that it can be confusing choosing one that matches your needs. There are pet insurance programs with large deductibles that cover a large variety of medical procedures, including vet checkups, lab work, surgery and other catastrophically expensive care for your pet. There are other plans that have deductibles which cover everything, but surgery. On the other hand, some pet plans cover surgery but not the small things such as routine care and check-ups. Other plans cover routine pet care, but not lab work, etc. The average monthly premium for most of these plans is $22-$29 per month per cat. From my own experience with cats that have had no major illnesses, the average cost per year for shots, neutering, check-ups, lab work, etc, averages out to about $150 per year. The deductible on most plans is $300-$500, making pet insurance unnecessary by the standards of my own example with cats over the last 25 years.
I did find another alternative that might be worth looking into: Discount Cards. A discount pet insurance card costs from $4-$7.00 per month and the benefit is a 25% flat reduction of your cat's medical fees, regardless of what they are. The 25% is good towards surgery, medical tests, lab work, check ups. Additionally, these discount cards usually offer discounts of 10% to 50% on other pet goods and services. If you're looking for the cheapest pet insurance, discount cards are the way to go.
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