Pets
Insuring A Pet From The Beginning Can Save Pet Owners Money
By
Aug 11, 2005, 00:25

(NAPSI)-When bringing home a new pet, most pet owners know their pet will need a place to sleep, food and toys-and increasingly, pet owners also realize the need to get health insurance for their new family member.

Even a young pet might potentially have a medical emergency and health insurance can be a smart way for pet owners to protect themselves from what can amount to significant expenses.

Cat owner Marla Ramirez learned a costly lesson about the merits of buying a medical policy for a pet. Mere months after adopting a kitten, Roxxy, she spent close to $500 on testing alone after her cat developed an adverse reaction to her flea and tick medication. Leery of future incidents, Ramirez took her veterinarian's advice.

"I went on the Internet, researched pet insurance and purchased a VPI Pet Insurance policy," said Ramirez.

Had she been equipped with insurance before Roxxy's allergic reaction, VPI would have covered a significant amount of the veterinarian's costs.

"Roxxy's almost a year old now, and certainly not immune from unexpected accidents and illnesses," added Ramirez. "But now she's protected."

Living through a pet's accident can be bad enough without having to foot a costly bill.

Insuring their 4-month-old Golden Retriever, Maggie, not only saved her life, but saved her owners over $2,000 in veterinary costs. After the puppy darted into the street and was struck by a car, she needed emergency care for a fractured radius and severe skin loss of her right paw.

Her bill totaled over $3,000, but the Locke family paid only $831 of it. Maggie was covered by a VPI Pet Insurance policy.

"In addition to diseases puppies and kittens could be exposed to, there are countless injuries and accidents that a new pet owner should be fiscally prepared for," said New York veterinarian Dr. Erin Burya. "An affordable monthly policy premium can provide new pet owners peace of mind, knowing that they can handle the unexpected when it arises."

Enrolling in pet insurance when you first bring your pet home can result in extra savings because the rates tend to be lower.

For example, the VPI Superior Plan starts as low as $17 for puppies and $12 for kittens. Base medical policies reimburse for the testing and treatment of thousands of medical conditions related to accidents, illnesses and injuries.

An optional rider for preventive care is available and ideal for young canines and felines who require vaccinations, spaying/neutering, teeth cleanings, dewormings, annual exams, etc.

Enrolling a pet while it's young lessens the chance of having medical exlusions placed on a policy. Each day a pet remains uninsured is increasing the risk that it could develop a potentially chronic condition.

"Insure them early on to avoid the risk of coverage exclusions," says Dr. Burya. "It's unfortunate when a client is unable to afford treatment for an ailment and can't seek relief from insurance since the condition surfaced prior to coverage and is therefore deemed an exclusion."

Puppy and kitten owners can ensure the affordability of future disease treatment by purchasing VPI's Cancer Rider, which increases the eligible benefit amounts available for certain types of cancer. If added to a policy before the pet is one year of age, an annual puppy/kitten lock-in rate for the rider applies (a separate lock-in rate also applies to the 1-3 age group).

Since 1982, Veterinary Pet Insurance has reimbursed puppy and kitten owners for a host of unexpected incidents, including foreign body ingestion, poisonings, bone fractures, ear infections, allergies, and more. Insured pets, including birds and exotic pets, can be covered throughout their life span. For more information, call 866-823-5595 or visit www.petinsurance.com/info.

Insuring a pet when you first bring it home can make good financial sense.

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