Are you on the fence in regards to buying pet insurance for your new puppy? Is it worth it? How likely is it a puppy will get ill anyway? If you find yourself asking these questions you’re not alone!
Buying a new puppy is a huge responsibility and can be very costly. Racking up a monthly insurance fee can put an even bigger burden on new puppy owners. Below, I will list a few of the pros and cons of purchasing puppy insurance. Hopefully, the information will help new puppy owners make informed and educated decisions regarding purchasing puppy insurance.
Pet Insurance Pros:
Let’s start with the pros. The good news is that pet insurance premiums are usually much lower for puppies compared to older adult dogs. Some companies even offer new puppy owners a complimentary month of pet insurance.
For instance, I send all my Shih Tzu puppies for sale home with one month of free puppy insurance through Trupanion: https://trupanion.com/. Furthermore, unlike human insurance, pet insurance usually doesn’t come with as many restrictions. Puppy owners typically can choose the vet of their choice and deductibles aren’t usually too unreasonable.
Another pro is that new puppy owners will sleep easier knowing that their puppy is covered financially if an unthinkable medical emergency ever happens. I’m here to tell you that the unthinkable can happen. Puppies are notorious for getting into everything! Our first puppy Izzy swallowed a piece of chewing gum that contained xylitol when she was little. Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs. It doesn’t take much xylitol to cause a toxic reaction in a toy-breed dog. Fortunately, Izzy was okay after having her stomach pumped. Let’s just say that the emergency vet visit after hours wasn’t cheap.
Pet Insurance Cons:
Now for the cons of having pet insurance. Pet insurance doesn’t cover everything. Some things like routine vet exams may be considered an out-of-pocket cost. Puppy clients may need to shop around to find the best bang for their buck as well. Also, it’s important to set aside money for vet emergencies to cover expenses until claims are processed. If you don’t plan on purchasing pet insurance it is even more essential to put aside money for pet emergencies.
Some of the lower-priced plans exclude certain diseases from coverage as well. Often clients need to go with a higher priced plan to get the coverage they’re looking for. There’s also the possibility that your puppy remains super healthy and never encounters any true emergencies. In that case, you’ve shelled out a lot of money. Nobody wants to waste money, especially in today’s economy.
In the end, it is up to each new puppy owner to decide whether or not pet insurance is worth the money. It is sort of a gamble. On the one hand, your pet could be blessed with perfect health and suffer no true emergencies. On the other hand, your pet could be a victim of an unfortunate medical emergency. Life doesn’t come with a guarantee for humans or animals. Either way, a responsible pet owner will front the cost to make their pet well again regardless of whether it is through pet insurance or money put aside for unforeseen pet emergencies. After all, our pets are family and we love them unconditionally to the very end.
