The latest statistics show that 62% of homes have pets in them. That percentage is increasing year after year! It’s no surprise, there is a dynamic pet insurance market rising up to help pet owners cope with the expenses of their pet if their pet needs medical care. Pet Insurance is here and it’s here to stay – and WE OFFER IT!

To many families, a pet can bring love, companionship, and security to a home. With this relationship comes a responsibility on behalf of the owner to provide for their pet’s proper veterinary care; whether it’s a routine checkup or an emergency. Purchasing a pet insurance policy can oftentimes help ease that financial burden.

There are basically two types of insurance that all pet owners should seriously consider: health insurance, and liability insurance. Liability insurance is often included as part of a homeowners insurance policy. Pet health care insurance specializes in the medical care / veterinarian segment of the insurance industry.

Regardless of whether a pet was purchased from an expert breeder or adopted from a local center, all animals should see a veterinarian for an initial examination. These initial visits can run anywhere from $70 to $300 depending on geographic location, and the extent of the medical services provided. Many pets will also require regularly scheduled follow up visits to a veterinarian as part of a well-care program that includes vaccinations, immunizations, as well as routine medical examinations. The point here is the cost of providing routine pet health care can be a significant expense. If we add to this the unplanned costs that can occur from accidents and illnesses, then it’s even clearer why there is a steady and growing demand for health insurance that covers pets.

To protect themselves from the high cost of medical care, many owners are turning to pet health insurance plans or pet health care coverage. These insurance plans cover both the costs of routine health care examinations as well as the cost for medical care administered due to illness.

Typical health care coverage contained in this type of insurance policy includes:

• Routine and emergency veterinarian office visits
• Pet hospitalization
• Prescription medications
• Diagnostic medical tests
• X-ray examinations
• Surgeries
• Heartworm protection
• Spaying and neutering
• Laboratory fees
• Vaccines and immunizations

Many are surprised to learn that monthly premiums are very reasonable. Costs will vary according to the plan selected, but typical health insurance premiums for a dog will be around $25 per month, while health care insurance premiums for cats are in the range of $18 per month. Keep in mind these premium quotes are for what’s assumed to be a relatively young and healthy dog or cat. It may be expensive or impractical to obtain health care insurance for animals with pre-existing health conditions.

The second type of pet insurance has to do with liability protection. Every pet owner, especially dog owners, needs to carefully consider purchasing liability insurance for several very good reasons. The first and foremost reason for considering this type of insurance has to do with the simple fact that dogs do bite. Each year, nearly five million people in the U.S. alone are bitten by dogs. The liability payments associated with these accidents approaches one billion dollars annually. The second reason for carrying this type of pet insurance is because it helps to protect those that are around the pet most frequently. That means protecting friends and relatives from the expense associated with a dog-related injury.

In the past, it was very easy to find pet liability insurance. Typical renters and homeowners insurance policies provided victims of dog bites with $100,000 or more in coverage. However, the insurance industry has been slowly moving away from providing this type of coverage automatically within a homeowners policy. Today’s new insurance policies may actually exclude bites and injuries caused by dogs, while other insurance carriers are beginning to eliminate this coverage from their existing policies. In addition, a more common tactic of an insurance carrier might be to identify certain breeds of dogs that have been associated with these types of injuries and exclude them from coverage. Our companies pay close attention to breeds of dogs in your home before they’ll insure your home.

The bottom line here is that pet owners, especially dog owners, should make sure their insurance policy provides them with the protection they need. Anyone that owns a dog, and their existing insurance policy explicitly denies this liability coverage, may want to give serious consideration to switching to an insurance carrier that will provide this coverage.

At Benton White Insurance, we offer pet coverage on automobiles and healthcare coverage policies. Our home insurance liability covers certain pets and if you have farm animals such as chickens, horses etc., we can step up with liability coverage there also. In other words, if you have animals – we can find a way to insure you appropriately in most all cases. Let us help you if you have the need! EMAIL us at info@BentonWhite.com or call any of our staff at 615.377.1212. We’re here to earn your business and your pets too!