Insurance for Pets: how it works?

As with humans, health insurance exists for animals. Formerly ignored, they are more and more often subscribed by the owners. Why ? What this insurance actually consists of ? How to choose it ? Let’s find out the answers.

What is animal insurance ?

Insurance for pets is not compulsory, but is an excellent way to protect yourself financially from the high costs of veterinary invoices.

During the subscription, you choose from several formulas. Then, the day your dog has a health concern and medical expenses are incurred, you can, according to your formula, obtain a refund.

So it works like any insurance or mutual.

For which animals take out insurance ?

Insurance is often segmented into two categories: those for dogs and those for cats.

All races and ages are eligible for insurance. The amount requested for contributions varies according to the age of the animal, the breed and its state of health.

There are also insurance for pets, but they are rarer and more expensive.

Why take out animal insurance ?

The two main advantages of animal insurance are that you can always care for your animal and control your expenses.

Indeed, veterinary costs can be expensive, even when the dog does not have an illness. Take the example of my dog Jodie. In a month and a half, she combined several treatments for itching and redness, due to an allergy to pollen, and scaling. This earned me an invoice for € 350. It is sometimes an impossible amount to go out for households without savings.

If you love your animals as much as I do, the alternative of not caring for your pet is out of the question.

With the support of insurance that helps you during difficult times, you are appeased.

Insurance for pets has other advantages. In particular, there is a whole preventive component with certain insurance. Some companies help you pay for vaccines, scanners, dental checks … The goal is to detect big problems upstream to deal with them quickly. It costs less to insurance, to you and above all, is beneficial for the health of your companion.

Insurance is also there in the event of a serious accident. If your dog is run over by a driver, a quick call to your insurance may allow you to have the guarantee that the required operations will be reimbursed. Care is therefore immediate and increases the chances of recovery.

Finally, let’s not forget the cost of dog insurance. Paid monthly, insurance costs only a few euros for the cheapest contracts. For an elderly dog with a comfort formula, you are more around fifty euros.

How to choose insurance for your dog or cat ?

As the insurance market is buoyant, many professionals are positioned on the market. But, not all contracts are created equal and it is sometimes difficult to compare them.

I advise you to watch first :

The amount of contributions payable monthly
The amount of the deductible: the deductible corresponds to the amount to be paid out of your pocket before having the first euro reimbursed on the amount committed
The annual reimbursement ceiling: for certain contracts, you have a maximum reimbursement ceiling per year. It can be complicated if your dog reports a serious illness or suffers an accident.
Care and acts reimbursed: The more complete the formula, the more the number of treatments and acts reimbursed increases. Check the exclusions carefully. For example, for Jodie, certain assurances exclude the reimbursement of heart disease because the race is conducive to their development.

Other points to analyze such as possible expenses for prevention and education, your reimbursements in the event of a problem abroad, but also the client service of the insurer or the ease of termination of the contract.

I end this article by strongly recommending that you not lie about the situation of your animal. If your dog has an illness that you do not declare when signing the contract or that you give an incorrect age to pay two euros less monthly payments, you are exposed to a nullity of the contract.

Compare the insurers well, provide precise information on your situation and that of the doggie, then before or after each expense, check whether or not you are eligible for a refund. This is the best behavior to take advantage of insurance for pets as well as possible.