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What is Pet Insurance?

puppy in a cone It is pretty obvious that pet insurance is a kind of insurance that has something to do with your pet. Many people don’t really know much about what, exactly, pet insurance will cover. Pet insurance is not something that most people think about, until after their pet has had a serious injury. If you have pets, it is better that you consider pet insurance before anything goes wrong. It might help you save some money on vet bills.

What does pet insurance cover? Basic pet insurance covers several things: accident coverage, illness coverage, routine health coverage, death, cremation, and burial coverage, and criminal coverage. Different companies will have slightly different policies, and charge different rates. You might want to shop around a little before deciding which insurance company to go with. All of them are going to come with deductibles, co-pays, and caps that place a limit on how much money will be paid out in a year. Some companies will not cover an older pet, or a pre-existing condition that a pet may have.

Accident coverage is exactly what it sounds like. This is the part of the pet insurance that covers the cost of veterinary care in case your pet has an injury that was caused by some kind of accident. Illness coverage is very important, because this is the part that covers vet bills if your pet gets sick. You may want to do some research and find out what kinds of illnesses your breed of pet has a tendency to develop. Then, read over the policy and make sure that illness is covered.

Routine health coverage is the part that covers some of the cost of regular checkups for your pet. These kinds of vet visits can add up to a large amount of money, over time. Many people will choose to pay the premiums involved with pet insurance, rather than to pay the full cost of the regular checkups out of pocket. If your beloved pet passes away, the pet insurance policy may cover costs of death, cremation, and burial coverage. Many people choose to have funerals for their pets, and to have their pet buried or cremated. This can be expensive, and no one wants to have to deal with financial matters while grieving. Some pet insurance policies can help cover these kinds of costs.

The criminal coverage part of a pet insurance policy covers the costs involved in case your pet is stolen. Sadly, there are people who will steal pets. Criminal coverage can help you pay for a reward that you can offer to whomever finds, and returns, your pet. It might help to pay for the cost of transport, as well. If your pet is not found, some pet insurance policies might pay for you to get another pet, if you want to do that.

Image by Lori Pedersen on Flickr