Imagine this. One day you notice that your precious three-week-old puppy is throwing up worms. You are in awe and decide that he needs to get immediate attention. When you take him to the vet, you are relieved to learn that his illness can be treated. However, you are not happy with the high vet bill. This is what pet owners go through on a regular basis. Pets, just like us and our children, become ill throughout life. It is our job as their protectors to care for these sweet furry darlings. But the task of caring for them can take a huge negative toll on our pockets when they need emergency care from the vet.
So what do we do? Do we purchase pet insurance? Do we pay the high cost of the vet fees? Do we just let our fuzzy family members suffer? Is there a way for our pets to live a healthy life without suffering financially? Yes, there is a way. Let’s take a look!
A Pet Story
When it comes to the well-being of our pets, most pet owners take it as an extremely serious commitment. This is especially true for David, the owner of a 5-month-old kitten named Jasper, who needed a life-saving kidney transplant a few years ago. This particular transplant was quoted at $5,000, which at the time was extensively steep for David. But luckily, because Jasper was a value to David’s family, David was able and willing to dish out $3,000 for Jasper’s procedure. Jasper underwent surgery and had a smooth recovery.
Unfortunately, many pet owners experience similar high vet bills as David. In fact, the average pet owner spends $611 per year per pet on healthcare expenses such as vet visits, prescriptions, flea and tick protection and emergency care. As for chronic conditions, the average spending on healthcare increases to $935 per year per pet on healthcare. Pet illness resulting in vet visits happens to every pet owner some time or another.
About Vaccinations & Preventative Care
The High Costs of Pet Conditions
According to statistics, a pet owner is faced with a vet bill for more than $5,000 every six seconds. The reasoning behind this is the high vet fee that is imposed on pet owners for some of the most common pet chronic illnesses. For instance, the cost to treat your pet’s following illnesses are:
- Anemia: $500 to $2000
- Arthritis: $200 to $10,000
- Cancer: $5,000 to $20,000
- Cardiac issues: $1,000 to $20,000
- Ear infection: $2,500 to $5,000
- Eye problems: $50 to $3,000
- Stomach ulcers: $1,000 to $7,000
These are example of the costs associated with some of the common pets’ illnesses. These costs are immensely excessive and it is a jaw-dropping fact that these same costs are increasing annually.
The Solution: Getting Pet Insurance
So what is the resolution in preventing these unaffordable pet care fees? The answer is to purchase pet insurance. That’s right! We have it for ourselves and our children, right? So why not our darling pets? Pet insurance comes along with many benefits including:
It gives you peace of mind – It is budget-friendly – It prevents you from dipping into your emergency funds – It gives you protection from rising vet costs – The Annoying Reimbursement Procedure
- It gives you peace of mind: When our pets are ill-stricken, it is already a scary time. Why should we have to also worry about how much money we will have to put together to get our pets back to health? With pet insurance, we can rest assured that we are financially protected should any unexpected circumstance arise.
- It is budget-friendly: You are allowed the freedom to choose whether paying monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually is best for you.
- It prevents you from dipping into your emergency funds: Pet owners who do not have pet insurance usually depend on their emergency reserves to pay for unforeseen vet bills.
- It gives you protection from rising vet costs: As with any other expense, vet costs are also on the rise. Pet insurance eliminates the inconvenience of increasing prices.
The only downfall with pet insurance is that it does not operate in the same manner as health insurance for humans. As our health insurance deals with co-pays and different coverages, pet insurance works by reimbursing pet owners. This means that pet owners pay the vet directly, and are then required to submit the vet receipt to the pet insurance provider in order for recompensation. The pet insurance provider will then review the receipt and pay the percentage of the bill for items that are covered by the insurance policy.
As it is now known, owning pets can result in high vet costs. With these costly vet expenses, it is wise for pet owners to acquire pet insurance. Pet insurance, with its many benefits, will decrease the many financial challenges that pet owners without pet insurance face. Get your pet insured and keep your adorable friend healthy and your pockets full!