Finding the best pet insurance for your dog or cat can be one of the more overwhelming options for pet parents. Many times it seems to fall into the future “to-do” list more often than not. Maybe you can relate to some of these reasons;

“My dog is just a puppy; what could happen?”
“Which pet insurance makes sense for what I need or can afford?”
“I will get insurance for my dog once they get a little older.”
“I can’t spend that much extra every month right now.”
“I have too many pets to be able to afford insurance for all of them.”
“My pet has pre-existing conditions, and insurance probably won’t make sense.”

 

Often once a pet parent cares for their 1st pet and has been through accidents, diseases, illnesses, hereditary issues, or the 1001 other things that a pet may spring on you, pet insurance tends to move up on their list of “to-do’s” when they bring home a new furry friend.

Pet insurance is not inexpensive, or everyone would purchase it. For me, it does not cover as much preventative wellness or functional medicine as I would like. I also view teeth cleanings as a necessity and wish they were routinely covered since dental disease is showed to affect your pet’s entire quality of life and be a catalyst to heart disease. Still, pet insurance can make a massive difference when you have to choose between your pet getting the level of care they need and not being able to afford it.

When I rescued my first dog 18 years ago, pet insurance was not as accessible as it has become and was rarely discussed except for the possible pamphlet in the veterinarian’s office. Looking back, I was lucky Maru lead most of her life reasonably uneventfully in the way of health obstacles until one day when she didn’t. She developed an autoimmune disorder around eight years old, and coming with that was a myriad of various health problems. Because of this diagnosis, she had ongoing pre-existing conditions, so anything related to that illness would not be covered. Coverage can get tricky for pets with a pre-existing condition; nothing going forward related to that problem will be covered. We spent thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses for her continual care for the rest of her long life. And when she was near the end and suddenly needed a $5000 MRI for seizures, I wished I had prepared better and had insurance. Even if I had paid a little more for her insurance throughout her lifetime than I got reimbursed, I see it more as a savings account for the future or immediate future; you never know what may come up. You get to put some money aside every month, and then when things do come up, the financial burden is so much less. When your pet is sick, the last thing you want to think about is how you will pay for what they need? 

Fast forward to the newest dog in our family, an 8 lb. poodle we named Paddington. By the time we had rescued him last year at approximately 1.5 years old, he had already had a significant skin graph surgery, and I was fully prepared to get him insurance right away. But the adoption process was quicker than expected, and I hadn’t done my research yet, which left me asking around for what pet insurance was popular. My biggest concern was him getting diagnosed with a pre-existing condition before I landed on insurance for him. We ended up choosing Eusoh, a community-based sharing platform. Not exactly your typical pet insurance, but it works similarly in the sense that it covers and reimburses for many of the expenses we need. I also liked that the premium wouldn’t increase with age or certain illnesses, so it would be a little more transparent in what I would be paying year over year. The deductible is relatively low at $250 per year, not condition, and you can see any provider you want. After having Eusoh for over a year, I started seeing our premium go up almost $20 per month since we joined, making it now $65, so I called them. They have excellent customer service, which is essential in choosing an insurance brand, and it was explained that because of their exponential growth, they are trying to navigate how to land on making sure everyone is paying a fair price. Essentially, Paddington’s premium shouldn’t be the same as a 10 yr. old senior dog that has a chronic illness and requires frequent medical attention. He assured me that they were working on a solution for the problem, but the rise in my premium is because in a community platform like theirs, you are pooling your money for everyones animal. Overall, I am very thankful that I have pet insurance. It gives me peace of mind, and I never second guess going to the vet’s office, even for what may seem minor. 

 

The following are links to all of the pet insurances we have included in our comparison chart:

• AKC
• ASPCA
• Banfield
• Embrace
• Eusoh
• Figo 
• Geico
• Healthy Paws
• Lemonade
• Nationwide
• Pawp
• Petplan
• Progressive
• Pumpkin
• Spot
• Trupanion
• VCA Care Club
• Wagmo

 

BC Insurance Research

 

 

      In Part 2 of our Pet Insurance Blog, we will be discussing:

• Key items to look at when choosing a pet insurance for your family. 
• An example of how we use pet insurance and what it has/hasn't covered. 
• We will breakdown some common conditions that aren't covered.
• What some newer to market pet insurances are offering for "preventative wellness".

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