COLUMNS
August 8, 2009 A local veterinarian was trying to find a home for a pure-bred dog.
A friend at work was thinking about adopting it – after all, it was free.
The dog had suffered from a couple of health problems, one of which was pneumonia, but the previous owners could not afford the cost for treatment. They agreed to let the vet treat it himself and then find it a new home.
The dog is healthy now but my friend is still concerned.
Someone that he knows had adopted a "free" kitten, only to find it had some serious health problems.
Hundreds of dollars later, his friend was painfully aware that the kitten wasn't exactly "free".
So my co-worker was concerned that he might find himself in the same predicament, caring for a pet that might need expensive treatment.
The truth is that pets, like people, don't come with guarantees.
But you can do for your pet what you do for yourself and that's to buy some health insurance.
It's not a new idea.
Pet health insurance had been available for almost thirty years.
What started with one company has now grown into a sizable industry with more than a dozen providers and a variety of plans and coverage to suit almost every budget and situation.
You can select a plan that pays for preventive care, like checkups and vaccinations, or one that covers accidents and illnesses.
There are some that offer coverage for catastrophic illnesses requiring treatments like radiation therapy, MRIs, even transplants.
Just like human health care policies, those for pets often have deductibles.
Almost all require co-pays.
And many have limits on what they will pay out each year.
It may be more difficult to find an affordable policy that will cover an older pet, or one with existing health problems.
But you may be able to get a discount if you are insuring more than one pet.
In these economic times, pet health insurance may be just what the doctor ordered.
Be sure to shop around, ask questions, and make sure you're getting the right policy for your situation.
Then relax, knowing that you're doing even more to protect your best friend, when you're speaking of pets.
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