Advice about Pets and Vets

/image courtesy: fdbnetwork.com/

Families who already have a pet will know what an enriching and educational addition to family life they can be. Children love nothing more than to have a special friend, who will love them unconditionally, and listen to all their secrets without telling a soul. Pets teach them about unselfishness, self-sacrifice, responsibility and loyalty. Pets are a huge comfort to both children and parents.

Rescue Pets

Many people adopt rescue animals from a shelter. This is another great opportunity for your children to learn about compassion and helping the weakest in the world. The rescue of pets is considered to be so important that even President Obama came under scrutiny when he adopted his dog. Bo had been rejected by his first family, and was then given to the President as a gift.

Vets and Pets

There is no magic wand when it comes to pets. They get ill, just like your children, and they need medical treatment in just the same way. Most people understand the need for pet insurance, and pay it willingly. Rescue pets are a great option, but sometimes they come with a pre-existing medical condition, which will make finding the best deal on pet insurance harder to find. How many know the fine detail about this type of insurance, to enable them to get the best deal? Not many.

The small print can be confusing, and some companies make it deliberately so. Here we explore the fine print of comparing pet insurance deal for those pets with a pre-existing condition, so you’ll be better informed when to take out your first pet insurance contract. Some insurance companies don’t cover pets with a pre-existing condition at all, and some companies will insure your pet but won’t offer cover for health problems connected with the pre-existing health problem. The fine print will help you decide which policy is best for you. So what do you need to know?

Hereditary or Congenital Conditions

Pre-existing medical conditions can either be classed as hereditary or congenital. Genetic conditions tend to particularly affect pedigree dogs, and there has been a lot of controversy about the issue. These are known as a ‘hereditary’ conditions. Because pedigree dogs come from a limited gene pool (only the best will do!) any genetic problems in one stud dog will be passed on to his puppies, who then pass it on to their puppies. It is common for large dogs to suffer problems with their hips (hip dysplasia), and other breeds such as German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels and St Bernards, can suffer from deafness, blindness and epilepsy. If your pet was born with a condition that is not related to its breed, this is known as a ‘congenital’ disorder, and you will have to check whether your insurer will allow for congenital conditions. An example of this could be a cat born with kidney or heart problems. You will need to be able to decide if your pet has a congenital or hereditary condition, or you may find some of your vet’s bill are not covered. Ask your vet if you are not sure.

Other Pre-Existing Conditions

You will need to tell your insurer about other types of existing conditions too. These can either be ‘on-going’ or ‘recurrent’ in nature.  ‘On-going conditions’ could be previously broken bones, whilst ‘recurrent conditions’ are things such as infections which may come back at a later date. Most insurance companies will cover a pet with on-going and recurrent problems as long as you declare it at the time you take out your policy.

Compare Insurance Policies

Once you have decided on what type of pre-existing medical condition your pet has you will need to look at a pet insurance comparison site to find the best deal. Look at

·         The maximum vets fees covered

·         Time limits for claims

·         Minimum excess charged – exclude any deals if you couldn’t afford the excess

·         Existing conditions cover

Once you have compared all these elements you should be able to find the decision about which insurance to choose a little easier. Beware of deals that offer to cover ‘every breed’ but don’t make the small print clear or easy to find. Insurance comparison sites take a lot of legwork out of finding the best deal, and are really easy to use. You will need to arm yourself with a few facts, but then it should be relatively simple to protect your furriest family member without anxiety. We always hope against hope that we will never need to use medical insurance. But if we do, it’s great to know there is a security net there, and no anxiety about getting the best treatment possible. 

Author : Claire