I remember several years ago when my beloved dog, Wanda had to have her knee replaced. That surgery alone set me back a couple thousand dollars. That’s in addition to her normal veterinary expenses. I wish I had known at the time that I could have bought Pet Insurance. Yes just like we can buy health insurance for ourselves, there are now plans out there to insure your beloved pet.

Pet insurance is a win-win proposition for both owner and pet. Our pets can be assured the best medical treatments while owners can be assured of not going broke. Pet insurance is still a relatively new concept to pet owners. According to statistics released by Veterinary Pet Insurance of Anaheim, CA and Petshealth Insurance only 1% or less of pets in the United States are covered by insurance compared to 22% in England, 45% in Sweden, and 20% in Canada.

Industry experts recommend investing in insurance while your pet is still young because, just as our health insurance plans do, most pet insurance plans exclude pre-existing conditions. The good news is that today there are several pet insurance plans to choose from. Companies like Veterinary Pet Insurance, the pioneer of pet insurance in the U.S., Pet Assure, and Embrace Pet Insurance are some of the better known in the industry.

Of course rates and plans vary from carrier to carrier. Similar to our insurance system some plans limit your choice of veterinarian to those participating in the network, while others allow you a choice (albeit for a higher price) of veterinarian. You can expect to pay anywhere from $60-$300 a year depending on your dog’s age and health. But hey – isn’t your pet’s health worth it?

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