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Last Updated on April 10, 2024 by Insurdinary -->
The best way to keep your pet happy and healthy is by keeping up with their routine vet visits. Preventative care can go a long way in enhancing your furry friend's quality of life. Of course, it's no secret that the essential preventative care services your trusted veterinary professional provides can cost a pretty penny.
Pet insurance for preventative care is a great way to access more affordable care from your preferred veterinary service provider. When you add a wellness plan to a pet insurance policy, you round out your pet's coverage. Doing so can reduce the costs of essential services like routine check-ups and vaccinations.
So, with the right pet insurance, you can give your pet all the care they need without straining your finances.
If you've explored pet health insurance plans before, then you know that the typical policy only covers accidents and illnesses. To expand your pet's coverage, you can also add on a wellness plan, which covers multiple types of preventative services.
When you enroll in a wellness plan, your pet’s insurer agrees to reimburse you for some or all of the preventative care services your pet needs. Depending on your pet’s policy, these preventive services include things like your dog's or cat’s routine checkups and vaccinations.
The overall goal of preventative pet care is to give your furry friend everything they need to live their healthiest life.
For example, preventative vet care can help prevent the following issues:
While some pet diseases will only cause minor irritation, others can be life-threatening. Sooner or later, investing in preventative care could prove to be an investment in your pet's life.
If you're like most pet owners, you spend hundreds of dollars every year on basic preventative care services for your pet. According to the ASPCA, dog owners pay $410 or more each year for preventative care, while cat owners spend at least $300 annually. Without pet insurance for preventative care, costs can quickly rise, especially if your pet needs additional tests or treatment.
Preventive care pet insurance offers peace of mind when your vet bills turn out to be larger than you expected. Although your plan's coverage depends on the policy you go with, most wellness plans cover the following services:
Vets often recommend annual blood tests to pick up markers of underlying problems sooner. Early detection is essential for treating infections and diseases as soon as possible. Without insurance, it can cost $100 to $200 for blood work tests.
Intestinal pests like roundworms and tapeworms can make your furry friends sick. Deworming is a common preventative service. If your pet has any type of worms, your vet will likely prescribe oral medications to help get rid of them.
While the initial tests cost around $25 to $50, prescription deworming treatment can cost up to $60 per dose. The treatment depends on the severity of the infestation.
If you're diligent about your own healthcare, you visit your dentist once or twice a year for routine cleanings to prevent gum disease. Your pet needs the same dental care.
Pet insurance for preventative care includes routine dental cleanings and exams. During an exam, your vet will check for signs of gum disease that could pose a serious risk to your pet's overall health without prompt treatment. They will also clean tartar and plaque off their teeth to prevent diseases.
Some of the most common pests that can irritate your dog or cat are ticks, fleas, and heartworms.
Fortunately, you can easily prevent these with different kinds of medications. Most wellness plans cover these options.
Vets use urinalysis to determine how healthy your pet's kidneys are.
Getting routine urinalysis is essential because kidney disease can be life-threatening, but catching it early gives your pet a fighting chance.
Vaccinations are among the most common and effective ways to keep your pet disease-free. Veterinarians will recommend different types of vaccines for different pets.
If you have a dog, you'll likely need to schedule the following vaccines throughout its life:
There's no denying the importance of preventative care for your dog or cat, but you also need to find the right policy to get more affordable services. First, think about what your preventative care routine already looks like. Do you schedule regular dental cleanings or pay for heartworm, flea, and tick prevention medication?
If you’re already spending between $400 and $500 each year on preventative care for your dog or cat, getting insurance for preventive vet services is a worthwhile investment. Pet insurance also makes treatment and services more affordable by spreading out the costs. For instance, it may be better for your budget to pay $50 each month to insure your dog rather than paying thousands upfront to pay for treatment or exams.
Wellness plans are especially beneficial for puppies and kittens. Young pets visit the vet more frequently and require more vaccinations within a shorter time frame. Pet insurance for preventative care helps mitigate these costs and makes it easier to pay for the numerous services your little furry friend needs.
Pet insurance that covers preventative care can help pay for essential vet treatments, but you need to know how these policies work. Like your own health insurance policy, pet insurance has different deductibles, annual limits, and coverage options.
Your deductible is the amount that you must pay before the insurance provider covers its share of the costs. When exploring your policy options, pay close attention to what your annual deductible is and keep in mind that the higher your deductible is, the lower your monthly premiums will likely be.
You also need to think about what your policy's annual limit is. Your annual limit is the total amount that the insurance company will pay out within one calendar year. If your vet care exceeds this limit, you could end up with out-of-pocket expenses.
Finally, you need to think about the coverage and how the company pays for services. Each policy will have different coverage limits, but most pet wellness plans will cover the preventative services mentioned above. Bear in mind that you’ll likely be getting a reimbursement for services, which means you need to pay for them upfront.
With most pet insurance policies, you can visit any veterinary clinic so long as the veterinarian has the proper licensing and qualifications. To receive payment for vet services, you must submit receipts to the insurer when submitting a claim.
Wellness plans are a great option for cat and dog owners who want well-rounded pet insurance coverage. Since wellness plans are an add-on to comprehensive pet insurance policies, you can also have peace of mind knowing that your insurance provider will reimburse you for unexpected emergency visits and treatments.
Let Insurdinary help you find the perfect policy for your pet, get a quote today!