Pet insurance and wellness plans are two options that can help to make your pet's veterinary care more affordable. However, there are distinct differences between both of these choices and it's important that you, as a pet owner, understand what they are. Here, our Mandeville vets explain the differences between wellness plans and pet insurance.
Protecting Your Pet's Future
Both pet insurance and wellness plans offer benefits to you and your pet, but they do so very differently. It's important that you understand what kinds of services each covers your pet for, since that should determine what option you choose. By understanding your options, you won't be left out of pocket by surprise when you need to plan payments for your pet's veterinary care.
What is a wellness plan?
Wellness plans are designed to make it easier for you to cover the cost of your pet's routine veterinary care. Unlike coverage provided by pet insurance, only entails payment for treatments to use throughout the year.
Wellness plans let you adopt a more proactive approach to your pet's care by paying small monthly amounts rather than a lump sum at each of your visits. These plans not only help your vet to spot the signs of emergency illness or conditions but prevent them from ever arising in the first place.
What does a wellness plan cover?
Generally, wellness plans cover routine vet care including wellness exams, parasite preventives, annual blood testing and vaccines. Improving and maintaining the standard of your pet’s overall health during their lifetime is easier because these plans spread out the cost of routine vet care.
What is pet insurance?
If your pet should need emergency veterinary care pet insurance can help you to care for the cost of treatment.
Treatments for veterinary emergencies or for serious conditions like diabetes or cancer can become quite expensive. If you have pet insurance, it means that you will have financial help to pay the bills for any conditions or accidents that are covered by your pet insurance policies.
What does pet insurance cover?
Pet insurance policies differ but they generally cover treatment for illnesses or emergency treatment required after accidents. Some policies may also include prescription medications and the treatment of hereditary and congenital conditions as well as orthopedic conditions.
How do I choose which option to buy?
Making sure that your know precisely how a wellness plan or pet insurance plan can benefit you and your pet should be the guiding factor in how you make the choice between the two. Some pet owners select one or the other, while others subscribe to both to ensure that their pet has coverage for any and all veterinary care.
If you aren't sure which kind of coverage is right for you and your pet, ask your vet. They will be able to help you make the choice based on their knowledge of your pet's needs, concerns and medical history.