Pet Insurance Comparison

Considering the fact that there are several insurance companies with slightly different offerings, trying to find pet insurance can be difficult.

To review all of the individual policies to help you to select the best choice for you and your requirements is the goal for the pet insurance reviews website.

This short article will go over a number of the policies reviewed so far. Since I'll be updating the table as I review more policies you should continue to check back.

During a previous article I gave some ideas about the types of information you ought to be trying to find when you compare pet insurance. Below you'll find some additional things it's vital to ask your insurer about when you do your own comparison of pet insurance.

Critical Pet Insurance Questions

1.            Price - This is an obvious one, because it's very imperative to stay in your financial budget monthly, but your primary focus needs to be on the quality of the offering instead of the expense alone. For instance many will provide you with lower premiums but ask you for an excess, or just rebate a percentage of the claim. Although it will just make it worth claiming for large bills for the veterinarian, it is a good idea to sometimes choose higher excesses for lower premiums. Some insurance providers will even give you a multi pet discount so it will be worthwhile asking for those who have two or more furry friends.

2.            Lifetime Cover - A number of companies will provide lifetime cover, and this means that even once your pet has turned eight or nine years old they'll renew your policy each year. However if your pet experiences prolonged sickness like diabetes you'll probably discover you can just claim one time and then you're no longer insured for that specific condition. Other insurance companies like PetPlan for example provide a real Lifetime Cover. What this means is that they'll continue covering the health problem of your pet each year giving you the opportunity to claim for a persistent disorder each year up to the annual limit.

3.            What is Covered? - Getting reimbursement for your veterinary costs if your pet is hurt or becomes sick is the main reason you're looking for insurance. The waiting periods and exclusions will differ with some companies. So you don't get any crazy surprises at claims time you should make sure you know what's covered and what isn't. I have mentioned within a prior posting several of the questions to ask about rebates. Take a look at some particular health conditions you should inquire about

a.            Hereditary and Congenital Conditions - Health conditions like heart defects and diabetes won't be covered by some companies. It is definitely worth asking about these health problems specifically.

b.            Cruciate Ligament and Orthopaedics - Be sure to ask insurance companies if they deal with cruciate ligament tears. If they say “yes”, ask if it's bilateral coverage, which means that if a leg is impaired will the other leg still be protected. If you own a dog you should inquire about one more orthopaedic issue referred to as hip dysplasia, since dogs such as a Golden Labrador are quite susceptible to it.

Conclusion

It is always a good idea to call the company and ask about the policy first when you are shopping around for insurance. Remember though they'll all claim to be the ones that provide you with the best value for your money, but you should never take their word for it and call around. I called two or three and uncovered great variations in prices.

In order to assist you with comparing many of the insurance policies we have mentioned up to now on this site is a pet insurance comparison chart below. Give the company a call if you have any more questions or concerns, and only buy insurance once you are positive you know what's covered and what isn't covered. That way you shouldn’t have any ugly surprises.

For more about Pet Insurance check our Pet Insurance Reviews

Some Interesting Pet Facts

Have you ever thought your pet is your best friend? You are not alone here are some interesting pet facts that may surprise you.

According to a poll by Harris Interactive in 2009, 88% of pet owners regard their pet as a member of their family……….

…….But do Pet Owners like their pet more than their partners?  Well you decide, according to research carried out on behalf of Directline Insurance in the UK

• 90 per cent of dog owners take more pictures of their pet than their partners
• 86 per cent of dog owners prefer to have their pet as their screen saver
• 45 per cent of dog owners always use a picture of their pet as their social media profile

Speaking of interesting stuff from the UK check out these dancing dogs at www.dothepetstep.com

Australians also prefer the company of their pets with 83% women and 64% of men saying they would not enter into a relationship with someone who did not like their pet, according to research carried out on behalf of Pet Care.

A study by www.nsalamerica.org found that more than half of pet owners would rather be stranded on a desert island with their pet than another person.

Pets are also good for our health

·         Pet owners are less likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than non-pet owners (ava.com).

·         Dog owners are more likely to interact with others while out walking their dog (sciencekids.co.nz).

 Interesting Pet Stats

The total number of household pets in Australia is 33 million.  Of these 3.41million are dogs, 2.35 million are cats and the remainders are other types of pets – ie rabbits, fish, guinea pigs, birds etc. (ava.com).

Australians spend around $1500 per year on their pet, (source: Ibisworld.com)

The average life span of a cat is 12-15 years (source: tips for cats.com)

Like human babies all kittens are born with blue eyes (source: tipsforcats.com)

Pet Health Facts and Statistics

Australians spent $12.2bn on vet bills in 2009 (ratecity.com.au)

According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention (APOP) 52% of dogs and 58,3% of cats in the US are considered overweight or obese,

Cancer is the number one cause of natural death in older pets. Source: Veterinary Oncology & Haematology Centre

Pet Insurance Statistics

The first pet insurance policy ever written in the United States was by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) for the famous television dog Lassie in 1982 (source: Wikipedia)

A quarter of pet owners in Great Britain have pet insurance this compares to less than 10% of Australian pet owners.

In Great Britain, roughly 25% of pet owners have pet insurance. In Sweden, nearly 50% of pet owners insure their pets.

How to Choose Pet Insurance

Australians love their pets almost as much as the rest of their family. This is why when their pet is injured or falls ill they will often take out a loan to cover the cost of making their pet well again.   But what happens to those that have no savings and can’t afford to take out a loan to pay treatment?   Often pet owners have to make the decision to have their pet euthanized rather than treated.     I have been in that position, which lead me to taking out pet insurance to cover future issues.  I have put together this blog to document my journey of shopping for pet insurance to help you choose the right insurance for you.

When you choose the right plan, you need not worry about the vet bills as it covers most of those expenses. There are two types of pet insurance policies available, Comprehensive cover and Accident only cover. The former covers the surgical and medical expenses if your pet falls ill or gets injured accidently while the later covers only those expenses incurred when your pet gets injured accidentally.

 There are a number of different policies available, each offering different benefits.  Therefore it is necessary to shop around and check each policy carefully by reading the fine print to know which policy offers what.

When you are choosing a particular pet insurance policy, you need to consider these few things to make the right choice:

1.     Find out if there are any limitations:  This often means reading the fine print thoroughly so you know exactly what is and isn’t covered... Generally, there are some breeds of cats and dogs that are prone to illness , so check if your insurer offers cover for such breeds.

2.    What is the proportion of the rebate?   For example you may only get 75% to 80% of the vet charges back.   

3.    Find out if there is an excess payable – Some insurers will only cover a certain proportion of the bill while others will charge an excess.  Then there are those that will charge both.

4.    Are there any other exclusions? -  Know which breeds the policy will cover. There are some policies that don’t cover some breeds or certain illnesses like hip dysplasia.

5.    The maximum amount that you can claim each year? Some insurers will only allow you to claim a particular amount each year, usually between $6000 and $15000.  Some also set a maximum amount that you can claim on certain illness (sub limits). For example you may only be able to claim $100 per year for tick paralysis treatment.

6.    How are premiums recalculated?:  - Most insurers increase the premium every year with the increase in your pets age, or with the number of times you claim.

7.    Do they pay for some specialist treatments? -  Know if you pet is insured for specialist treatments or referrals.

8.    Some insurers cover for the prescriptions too, know if the one you choose also covers for the prescriptions given by the vet.

While reading the fine print, you are free to call the company in case there are some terms that aren’t clear. You have many options out there, so shop around to choose the best one.  For more questions to ask insurers read my other post.