Having a puppy in the house is as adorable and sweet as it gets. They make a house feel like a home by adding an extra bit of life into it. But nothing comes without a cost and neither do those cute little puppies. There are some costs associated with even the healthy puppies, which include adoption fees, food, toys, crate, puppy pads, and most importantly, proper veterinary care.
Even if you do all mandatory vaccination and neutering on time, your puppy is a living being and can get sick, just like a healthy human being. It can swallow something harmful or can get hurt by stumbling onto something, which would mean that you need to take the puppy to veterinary care and bear its expenses. Mostly, pet parents pay for the medical care of their puppies out of their own pocket. It is understandable to do that if you are earning enough money to put aside some for the healthcare of your puppy. Most pet parents in the US do not earn or save such kind of money. That is why getting pet insurance even for healthy puppies becomes utterly important.
Following are the reasons why your healthy puppy needs pet insurance.
Uncertainty cannot be ruled out
No matter how healthy your puppy is and how much care you take of it, you can never be sure that it will not fall ill or get injured. In the US, one in every three pets needs emergency veterinary care every year. If that happens with your puppy, you will do your best to bring it back to health which can be a financial burden if you don’t have pet insurance.
Lower premium
All pet insurance companies charge premiums based on the age, health, and breed of the pet. If you get pet insurance for your healthy puppy, it would be cheaper as compared to puppies with some health issues and it won’t break your bank. So, get your puppy insured while it is perfectly healthy, so you don’t have to worry when it falls ill or gets injured.
Preparing for future
If your puppy has an existing health condition, your pet insurance would not cover that. As you cannot rule out the possibility of your puppy getting sick in the future, it is wise to get pet insurance before that happens so everything is covered in the insurance and you’ll have one less thing to worry about.
Puppies do crazy stuff
Puppies are fearless creatures, and you cannot do enough to stop them every time they try to do crazy things trying to eat things that they should not. If that happens, your puppy will need foreign body surgery which can get really expensive. In the US, the average cost of a foreign body surgery is around $1050. Without an insurance plan, this can hit you hard financially. On the other hand, if you have pet insurance, depending on your insurance plan, the insurance company will pay you back 70% to 90% of the amount you paid for the surgery.
Covering routine expenses
Routine expenses of your puppy can be a big headache which includes food, toys, and other expenses. Depending on the breed, age, and location of your puppy, these routine expenses can vary from $350 to $650 per year. Vaccination of a puppy can cost around $100. You can add the vaccination and other routine expenses to your insurance coverage to get rid of this extra expense.
Covering serious diseases
The worst thing that can happen to your puppy and you financially is that they develop some serious disease. Chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and allergies can be a big blow to your puppy and your pocket. If you didn’t get pet insurance for your puppy when it was healthy, now you’ll have to bear the expenses by yourself. On the other hand, if you have a pet insurance policy for your puppy, you’ll be getting most of your money back into your account.
Generally, pet insurance works just like health insurance for humans. You buy insurance plans from an insurance company that would cover specific expenses of your puppy’s healthcare. You will be asked to pay a monthly insurance premium to the insurance provider. The coverage will start when you meet the deductible and after that, you’ll pay the premium up to the limit of your plan. One key difference between human health insurance and pet insurance is that in the former, the insurance provider reimburses the expenses to the hospital or the doctor, while pet insurance will reimburse the expenses directly to you.
So, if you own a completely healthy puppy, it’s the best time to get pet insurance and save yourself some valuable money.
