Unfortunately advanced veterinary procedures also correspond to advanced costs.  What’s a dog owner to do when faced with shelling out $1000 here and $500 there?  Well what do people do?  They buy health insurance to help offset rising medical costs.  Now you can do the same for your dog.

Pet insurance is a win-win proposition for both owner and dog.  Canines 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 dog is still a puppy because, just as many human insurance plans do, many 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 National Pet Club 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 dog’s health worth it?

(c) Margaret Svete 2000-2006