4 Expensive Medical Issues Pet Insurance Can Cover

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Will your pet get the best care when big problems arise?

Key points

• Veterinary care is essential to help pets cope with serious medical issues.
• Some types of veterinary care can be very expensive.
• Pet insurance can pay for many costly medical issues that arise.

Like people, pets need excellent medical care when coping with illness or injury. The good news is that veterinary medicine is an advanced science and a great many treatments are offered that help improve and prolong the lives of our animal companions.

The bad news, however, is that many types of medical care that pets need can be very expensive. In fact, owners may find themselves forced to choose between going into debt to pay for veterinary care or not treating certain serious medical issues. However, owners who don’t want to find themselves facing this impossible choice can buy pet insurance.

Pet insurance policies differ with regard to what they cover and how much can be paid out. In general, though, this type of insurance policy can cover many different kinds of health problems including but not limited to these four expensive medical issues.

1. Accidental injuries

Pets can sometimes get themselves into a world of trouble, especially when they are young and haven’t yet been fully trained. From getting hit by a car to breaking a leg from an ill-advised jump from a high location, a huge number of injuries could occur that potentially require expensive treatment.

A policy that covers accidents — as most do — can ensure that any necessary veterinary care is covered when something goes wrong. Accident coverage is usually widely available and, in fact, it may even be easy and affordable to get accident-only pet insurance on older animals or pets with pre-existing conditions.

2. Cancer

Pets can sadly get cancer just as people do. And when the worst happens and a pet develops this life-threatening disease, there are a huge range of treatments available including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. These treatments can be very expensive, but fortunately pet insurance should cover them so animals have the best chance of fighting this condition.

3. Heart disease

Heart disease is another ailment that affects animals as well as humans. Even diagnosing heart disease can be expensive as it’s often necessary to visit a veterinary cardiologist for an echocardiogram (ECG). A pet that develops a heart condition may require expensive medication for the remainder of their life, as well as hospital or vet visits to stabilize the animal and adjust medications if heart failure occurs.

Pet insurance can pay for the cost of this veterinary care to ensure that a companion animal lives the best and longest life possible even with heart problems.

4. Chronic illnesses

Finally, pets can get many different chronic illnesses, including diabetes, asthma, and kidney disease.

When an animal develops these problems, this can lead to many vet visits, specialist treatment, and sometimes ongoing medication administration. All of this can be very costly, but pet insurance should pay for it as long as the policy was purchased before a condition developed.

These are just four of the many expensive medical issues that pet insurance policies generally cover. No owner ever wants to be faced with choosing between debt or denying care, so it’s best to buy coverage ASAP upon bringing an animal home to make sure that pets get the very best medical care that’s on offer whenever a health problem arises.