Part of raising a happy & healthy puppy is making sure you keep your pup’s health at the forefront of everything you do – and there sure is a lot to do! You’ve researched how to choose an excellent licensed veterinarian that fits you and your puppy’s criteria. You make sure they eat high-quality puppy food and pay attention to their unique nutritional needs. You understand your breed’s activity level and provide fun ways to exercise your puppy. But that’s not all – you recognize the importance of mental stimulation for puppies and have fun, durable toys and puzzles to keep their brains occupied.
We could go on, but you are committed to taking your puppy’s health seriously because you want to provide the absolute best life you can for your new 4-legged best friend.
When you bring home a new puppy, selecting a pet insurance policy is another piece to keeping your puppy happy and healthy. Find out what exactly is pet insurance, why you need it, and how to choose the right pet insurance plan to fit your needs.
What is Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance is a contract between you and a pet insurance company that pays all or a portion of the covered medical and wellness services your puppy receives. Services covered vary widely and depend on which plan you choose. Pet owners pay for the policy each month in addition to certain percentages of costs.
Every pet insurance policy will outline its coverage, benefits, premiums, deductibles, coinsurance, and waiting periods. It’s always important to read the fine print and discuss any questions or concerns you may have with your pet insurance agent so that you fully understand how your policy works.
Why Do I Need Pet Insurance?
Taking out a pet insurance policy for your puppy can provide immense peace of mind in times of financial surprises. A pet insurance policy can reimburse you for both routine procedures as well as relieve the financial burden of emergency situations.
Even if you’re the most conscientious puppy owner, emergencies and unforeseen circumstances can happen, often to the tune of thousands of dollars in medical care. You may be required to pay upfront for the full cost of the treatment – and many of us simply won’t be prepared to fork over the entire amount during a time of extreme stress and worry.
A puppy’s immune system is not quite fully developed, which makes them susceptible to environmental bacteria and contagions. While your puppy comes up-to-date with the core vaccinations puppies need, they aren’t considered fully vaccinated until they complete their booster shots.
While several common puppy illnesses are easy to avoid with proper puppy health care, your puppy can still contract those without a cure.
To keep your puppy happy and healthy, you can choose to extend your base coverage policy until your puppy’s immune system is fully developed and all necessary puppy vaccinations have been administered.
What Types of Pet Insurance Plans Are Available?
Just like car and health insurance, you have a wide variety of plans and levels that will help cover all sorts of issues and help take the financial burden of expensive emergencies or regular procedures off your plate. The wonderful thing about pet insurance is that there are so many options to choose from, and you get to decide what services and plans are right for you.
How much does pet insurance cost?
When you’re looking for a puppy, you should already be aware of the financial costs of owning a puppy. Just like human insurance, there is no one universal price for all pet insurance plans. Rather, you’ll choose the plan that meets your needs for both your puppy and your budget.
Regardless of what type of plan you choose, the security of knowing you’ll be able to help your pet’s health in all situations is priceless.
What terms do I need to understand in pet life insurance plans?
Pet insurance policies will vary in benefits, but most will offer a variety of components and terms. It’s important to know the definitions of each term you’ll encounter in pet insurance policies.
Your pet insurance premium is the cost of the policy to you each month, quarter, or other timeframes. You will pay this amount regardless of the services you use and is a flat fee.
The deductible is how much you will pay out of pocket before your benefits kick in and provide a percentage of reimbursement. Some pet insurance deductibles can range from $0 - $1000, but it all depends on the plan you choose. Typically, you can choose to raise or lower your deductible, and a higher deductible can lower your premium. Deductibles can be annual, lifetime, or incident-specific.
A copay is a set amount of money you pay at office visits for your regular veterinarian’s office visit or a trip to the emergency vet. Each policy will have a set amount depending on who your pet sees for a particular situation or service.
Your annual and lifetime coverage will state how much reimbursement will be provided after you reach your deductible. The annual coverage limit is the maximum amount of reimbursement you will receive in a 12-month period.
Coinsurance is a breakdown of the percentage of the cost of services you are covered for and what percentage you are responsible for. Typically, the higher deductible you pay, the less your coinsurance will be.
Your pet insurance company may also offer add-ons, riders, and supplemental plans for preventative and wellness care, as some of these services are not covered under your regular pet insurance policy.
What Can Pet Insurance Plans Cover?
While no pet insurance policy is the exact same as far as cost, coverage, deductibles, coinsurance, and benefits, as well as additional add-ons you wish to purchase, here are some items a pet insurance plan or add-ons may cover or reimburse a portion of the following possible issues:
- X-Rays
- Cancer
- Surgeries
- Cremation
- Vaccinations
- Hospitalization
- Specialist visits
- Laboratory services
- Routine teeth cleaning
- Urgent or Emergency Care
- Chronic medical conditions
- Spay and neuter procedures
- Accidental injuries and illnesses
- Prescription medications or diets
- Holistic care & alternative therapies
- Some common illnesses like parvo, distemper, etc.
- ACL, MCL, CCl, PCL, IVDD ligament & disc diseases
Again, we want to emphasize that each plan is very specific as to what they will and will not cover, so always read the fine print and consult your agent.
When Should I Start My Policy?
You should activate your pet insurance policy the day your puppy comes home. Some policies require a 14-day or even 12-month wait period, while others begin right away upon enrollment.
When you get a policy right away, the total cost of pet insurance over your pet’s lifetime can be reduced rather than waiting until later on in your pet’s life. In addition, your premiums may be more expensive, especially if your pet develops certain health conditions. That being said, you can enroll your puppy even when they grow to be a senior dog.
Does Pawrade offer Pet Insurance?
When you buy a puppy at Pawrade, you can rest assured we take our puppy first approach very seriously. All of our trusted breeders vaccinate their puppies for sale for parvo and other common illnesses and arrive with a Health Certificate from a USDA-licensed veterinarian.
Our comprehensive Health Guarantee outlines the responsibilities of both breeder and buyer to ensure you will raise a happy, healthy puppy for years to come.
While we ourselves do not offer policies or insure puppies, we do offer 30 days of complimentary MetLife Pet Insurance for dogs when you purchase your puppy for sale. All puppy owners (with the exception of South Carolina and New York) are eligible to register their 30-day complimentary plan at 12:01 AM the following day after you complete registration.
This policy has a $50 deductible and covers 90% of the cost with a maximum of $500 for the first claim.** You will have the opportunity to select an extended plan to ensure you are covered in the event your puppy needs urgent care.
Insure a Pawrade Puppy
When you’re searching for puppies for sale, you can be confident that our partner breeders are preparing healthy puppies to leave for their furever homes. To further make sure you maintain the health of your puppy and prepare for emergencies, begin by activating your complimentary 30-day MetLife Pet Insurance the day you receive your bundle of joy while you decide which extended plans are a great fit for you and your puppy.
**This is a sample plan example. Plans are subject to change at any point, so please consult your MetLife Pet Insurance Agent for the most current version of coverage and options.
