Pets Blog

I first heard about pet insurance almost six years ago when I saw a magazine ad which directed me to a website for a quote.

I can’t remember which company it was for, but I remember the pet insurance rates listed were about $20 per month, per pet. Being a broke graduate student at the time, I didn’t make the purchase.

It surprises me today how many pet owners have faced daunting vet bills, yet how few have heard of pet health insurance. And now that I work for Pets Best Insurance, people always ask “How much would it be for my 8 year-old Great Dane?” or “Would your plans cover my cat’s urinary tract problems?”

There are a few things to consider when shopping for a pet health insurance company. While excellent customer service, fast payment and easy online account maintenance is a plus (Pets Best Insurance offers all of these), for many of us, it comes down to monthly pet insurance rates. When I adopted my dog Jayda last spring, I was pleased to discover I would’ve chosen Pets Best Insurance even if I didn’t work here. One company offers 45 days of free coverage and a discount the first month after that, but after I did a little research, switching to Pets Best Insurance was a no-brainer.

For me, it was important to have a variety of deductibles to choose from, in order to get the perfect monthly pet insurance rates. I also didn’t want to be nickled-and-dimed to death with things like extra cancer coverage. (Pets Best Insurance plans cover cancer, so long as the cancer isn’t pre-existing.)

I was surprised to see some companies require a full 30-day waiting period, so you’re paying for an entire month with no coverage—which didn’t seem very fair to me, and didn’t seem to make sense for my dog’s health care.  Read more...

My miniature Chihuahua Torrey and I will soon be departing for the annual American Veterinary Association convention—not only has Torrey become a regular attendee, but she’s become quite the pet insurance promoter.

Traveling with pets requires extra planning and cost, especially when traveling by air. Despite her doggie carrier being stowed under the seat, costs to fly with pets are on the rise. For that reason, Torrey’s travels and my frequent flyer miles have recently been on the decline.

In addition to booking our flight early and ensuring I’m abiding by the airline’s pet guidelines, I also have to remember to check with the hotel to make sure they are pet friendly.

For cross-country flights, I pack a water bottle, a bowl, a blanket for naps in the hotel room and a few of Torrey’s favorite treats. Also, I always bring along her favorite canned food and store it in the mini fridge, although she much prefers room service menus that include chicken.

My conference schedule is set to ensure Torrey has adequate time for bathroom breaks. Fortunately, I have her trained to use paper should I take too long at dinner or social events where she’s not invited (we don’t want yipping any time someone asks to pass the salt.)

During these conferences we meet with veterinarians, technicians and hospital managers to tout the benefits of pet insurance. We also request feedback from the attendees to ensure our pet care insurance is the best it can be for our policy holders.

Despite her expected territorial “Chihuahua” behavior, Torrey is generally well-received by passersby at our Pets Best Insurance booth. For many attendees, interacting with Torrey is an annual routine- and a quest to see if they can befriend her, this time, without too much of a Chihuahua fuss.  Read more...

There’s one sneaking, creeping, crawling, biting, whimpering consideration you have probably not made when looking into your home insurance quote, and that is the impact that your pet might have on your home insurance quote. You see, depending on the type of pet you have, you may find that the price of your home insurance rates are affected by the furry little beast you call family. Generally, most breeds of cats and dogs will not cause your home insurance rates to go up. But if you have a breed that is associated with aggression and dog bites, like a Pit Bull or Rottweiler, then you will likely experience an increase in premiums. The reason for this is because if your dog bites someone, then they can place a claim against your home insurance policy for the medical expenses caused by the treatment of the bite. They may even get some additional funds for stress and damages.

By walking your dog on a leash and having a securely fenced area for the dog to play in you will reduce your likelihood of risk and may even reduce your premiums. Likewise, some exotic pets like monkeys, dingoes and sloths might carry increased premium risks. You’ll need appropriate pens and play areas to help keep your premiums down. Another pet that may increase your home insurance premiums is a lizard or other cold-blooded creature. This may seem strange, but because you must have special warming lights and devices to keep your clod-blooded pet alive, it can increase your risk of having a fire which can increase your insurance premiums.  Read more...

Prior to choosing the pet insurance company you need to consider several aspects as a pet owner. You certainly need best for your pet. You need to consider different plans for different types of animals. The initial thing to think about while choosing pet insurance coverage is to figure out the number of medical visits for your pet. How many times you take your pet to a pet doctor? In today’s time, technology has moved forward in several ways. Anways, you spend as much on your pet as you do on your own. Pet insurance coverage has to be perfect in all ways. Pet Insurance is great if you have a domestic cat or dog that usually lives indoor then it is better to go for pet insurance coverage that covers almost all types of pet accidents. Guess why? This is because cats are naturally very curious to touch items in our homes. It should also offer medical medicine coverage for you cat or dog.

If your pet is young you should opt for the pet insurance coverage offering financial support for at least 2 new illnesses every year. Little pets are like young kids who are vulnerable to injuries and accidents due to naughty behavior. The old aged pets are prone to several diseases and geriatric issues. Many folks should purchase pet insurance coverage that provides cover for most of the illnesses that are vernacular amongst senior animals. All those folks who own pure breed pets have to give preference to different items while selecting the pet insurance coverage right to their needs. Pure breed dogs and cats have more health issues than the mixed breed pets including hereditary defects. You have to be aware of the fact that there are select pet insurance coverage plans for micro chipped pets as well. They will be receiving emergency coverage in case their pet is found sick anywhere. So, it is important to determine the category that suits you good.

If some day our beloved pet be it a dog or a cat faces some accident or any other emergency and immediate medical help is required, and you simply cannot afford at that time then what would happen? That is the time where pet insurance plans are really fruitful and trustworthy. These insurance plans save the precious life of your pet.

Without pet cat insurance plan you will be helpless in such serious conditions. Sometimes the cat may face accident and get fractured in it. The cost of this fracture can be as high as few thousand dollars which is really a big amount. Then the cat insurance policy can pay off all the expenses of your veterinarian and also the prescription bills along with the lab tests, hospitalization, surgery and expensive drugs.

There are cat insurance policies that cover the routine checkups also. This routine checkup will include spaying, dental cleaning, neutering and timely vaccinations also. Pet insurance policies are available for every age group only the premium amount may vary with the age and the health conditions of the pet. These policies can be for treatment of disease also without any time limit which means that if your cat is suffering from a disease which requires a long term treatment then it will be covered by the cat insurance plan that you have opted for.

Even the hereditary and disease that is by birth is also covered by some of the pet insurance companies. Sometimes the kittens swallow some piece of yarn accidently while playing with it, and then the cat insurance plan will help you out by taking care of all the medical expenses. We cannot avoid such incidences but can only be prepared to face them by having a good and reliable best pet insurance policy for the beloved pet.