Pet Insurance
Clients often spend $200, $300 and even $400 every year on "routine" health such as vaccinations, and heartworm prevention, only to compromise on the optimum treatments available when actually sick or injured. Often clients even resort to euthenasia due to costs.
We urge all clients to get your pets insured before you do anything else. Although still important to have an annual health check and ideally prevent diseases that we can vaccinate against and heartworm, these things happen far less than serious accidents and illnesses. Consider the following:
$15.80 per month for up to $8000 cover for veterinary bills.
- 4 month old pup starting to scratch excessively, diagnosed with atopy, and costs of $500 to $2000 per year to control severe allergies, for life!
- 6 month old pup limping one night. Diagnosis, elbow dysplasia needing a $1500 surgery, per side! Ongoing medical ttreatment for life of possibly hundreds of dollars
- 8 month old pup having swallowed an object resulting in severe intestinal damage. Treatment could range from $1200 to $3000, with no guarantee of a successful outcome.
- Pets of any age with a lump that appears for the first time. Cancer treatments commonly cost well over three to four thousand dollars for the best options.
At Southern vets we advise all our clients: Get your pets insured first, before you spend any other money on them at all. If after you have your pets insured the budget allows for routine health, now get this done every year!
There are many different insurance policies out there which have different excess and conditions. It can be confusing to know what you should get. We have no association with any insurance company, but we are happy to go through some examples with you, such as the $15.80 monthly premium above.
PET INSURANCE POLICIES: There are numerous insurance policies. These are independent companies to veterinary clinics so we urge clients to choose carefully. Although we don't recommend any in particular we will use a few examples here to show clients what is available, but ultimately check with the company you choose directly to know what you're covered for. We have included a few links to insurance companies at the end of this section. The examples that follow are at different ends of the cost spectrum.
Medibank:
$15.80 per month with a $200 excess (per condition). This covers up to $8000 annually. Very affordable cover for accident and illness.
Log onto www.medibank.com.au//Pet-Insurance.aspx
Petplan:
$23.50 per month. This only has a $100 excess, so this is great value for many "minor" conditions that can cost a few hundred dollars. If your budget allows, this would be our recommendation as a great intermediate "value" option. 75% of all veterinary costs above the $100 excess are covered.
Log onto www.petplan.com.au
RSPCA:
$35 per month. This covers 80% of all veterinary costs, but has no excess. Hence for all conditions, even minor trips to the vet, most is returned. A fantastic option if the budget allows.
We urge all pet owners to at very least take the $10 per month option. If affordable, the other ones are even better. Combine any suitable insurance policy with our reward incentive and ebjoy great yearly benefits even if you never need to make a claim. It is very rare for pets to never have a major illness throughout their lives, and pets commonly have numerous minor problems from year to year. Let us help you protect them.
Log onto www.petsure.com.au for more information. |
