How to Choose Good Affordable Pet Insurance
The pet insurance industry is an absolute minefield, with hundreds of companies offering complicated policies, some pets are excluded and others give shocks, when they don’t pay out for loved animal companions.
If you are on a low income, you may qualify for free or affordable vet care. Also if adopting or fostering pets from shelters, often they will pay for vet care, so check that first.
What’s The Best Pet Insurance to Buy?
If you can, go for an affordable lifetime cover plan. This means that if you pet developed an ongoing condition (like diabetes), costs would be covered. This plan will be more expensive, but a better safety net.
Note that there are always bad experiences with any pet insurance company, remember each one has millions of customers.
So don’t discount one company, if (understandably) an angry or grief-stricken pet parent gives a bad review. Go through all the reviews, for a balanced decision.
Note some pet insurance companies also allow claims on pet detectives, for lost pets.
- Waggel offers a simpler pet insurance, designed to update the very confusing pet insurance industry. Dental coverage included.
- Agria Pet Insurance is a Which? Best Buy. It’s been around since 1890, and even offers lifetime insurance for horses.
- Pet Plan offers simple lifetime plans, and is well-known from TV ads.
We could do with a company like the USA’s Healthy Paws which almost uniquely for a pet insurance company has good reviews and simple policies, and uses profits to help animal shelters.
What Happens if Your Pet Is Not Covered?
Some breeds (and older pets) are often not covered by pet insurance. So in that case, the best scenario is simply to put some money away for a rainy day account, so you’re covered in emergencies.
When the time comes, we all want home euthanasia as the best choice, but death is not always easy and pretty. RSPCA has good info on signs an animal is dying, and how to make the end for your best friend as peaceful as possible. Blue Cross has information on (including horse euthanasia).
Read more on how to cope when companion animals die.
