Dog insurance

Medical treatment for your dog can be very expensive and always comes when you least expect it. So how are we going to pay those bills? Maybe pet insurance is a good option, but which one do we choose?

In Europe it's pretty common for dog owners to insure their pets, in Sweden for instance 49 percent of pet owners have them insured, in the United states it is just about one percent. According to "Dog and Kennel" it's worth looking into given the advances in medical technology, including everything from magnetic-resonance imaging scans (MRIs) to bone-grafts and advanced cancer treatments that are now available for dogs, it's worth looking into -- especially in case of catastrophic accident or illness.

Pet health insurance policies are similar to human policies; annual premiums, deductibles, and different coverage plans based on what the owner chooses. Plans are based on species, age, pre-existing conditions. Unfortunately, like human health insurance, most pet insurance policies involve a lot of small print, including coverage levels, waiting periods for policies to take effect, exclusions, deductibles, payout caps per incident, per year and per ailment, and extremely limited coverage for older dogs, so do your homework before you get one. Ask your veterinarian. He or she may offer a locally-based discount plan for pets, which might be better for you than one of the bigger plans, depending on both your financial situation and the kind of dog you own.

Points to keep in mind:

• are premiums based on age?
• is there a waiting period?
• does it cover routine wellness care (inoculations / vaccinations)
• does it cover tests like heartworm tests
• dental and eye care?
• id chip
• neutering
• nail trimming
• flea and tick control and prevention
• is there a limit on pay-outs?
• can you pay for the policy on a monthly basis?
• are you limited to the insurer's choice of veterinarians?
• Hereditary problems

In cases of catastrophic accident and illness, it can and has been a lifesaver for pets without draining the owner financially, or forcing them to make a decision to have a pet put down because they couldn't afford its medical treatment. But inform your self well, check out your options.

We can't advice you which insurance you should take for your dog because it depends on many factors (breed, age, existing illnesses, place where you live) but please do your research thoroughly.