By Dr. K.
So…I got a new Springer Spaniel Puppy! And guess what the first thing is that I did? I GOT PET INSURANCE!!!!
But…I’m a vet. Why would I get pet insurance? The answer is: because the expenses of treating serious accident, injury, illness or underlying orthopedic conditions can get VERY expensive very quickly and require specialty care that I cannot provide for my own animal (never mind the average dog owner).
In addition, there are many genetic diseases that could be an issue for my dog before I even have any other problems! Check out this website and find your breed (or the parents of your breed if a known mix) and see how many possible diseases your breeder should have screened for BEFORE breeding your dog/puppy:
For the English Springer Spaniel here are the suggested screenings:
• Hip Dysplasia
• Elbow Dysplasia
• Eye Examination
• Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) DNA Test
• FUCOSIDOSIS
• PFK
• Degenerative Myelopathy
• Autoimmune thyroiditis
• Cardiac Evaluation
These are just SOME of the possible underlying genetic diseases that are common in the breed I chose. I will hope I never have to deal with any of them!!
So how much is Pet Insurance, anyway? Here is the chart I was sent by the insurance company that I chose. Obviously, as your deductible goes up, your cost goes down! I ultimately chose a higher deductible since I am mainly interested in covering catastrophic issues. Keep in mind that this chart may be significantly different for other breeds and ages:
| Deductible | Taxes | Recovery and Complementary Care (Optional) | Monthly Cost |
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 15.56 | 136.09 |
| 50.00 | 0.00 | 12.45 | 110.28 |
| 100.00 | 0.00 | 10.78 | 96.43 |
| 200.00 | 0.00 | 8.87 | 80.62 |
| 250.00 | 0.00 | 8.20 | 75.07 |
| 500.00 | 0.00 | 5.94 | 56.26 |
| 750.00 | 0.00 | 4.47 | 44.04 |
| 1000.00 | 0.00 | 3.36 | 34.79 |
I chose the company Trupanion, because they were willing to waive all wait periods for any issues I had provided I signed up for a policy immediately after my dog was examined by a veterinarian. I also considered Healthy Paws, a very good company that QK owner Jennifer Broome has had excellent experience with over several years with multiple dogs.
So, food for thought – consider pet insurance, especially if your dog is young. It is best to get insurance before any underlying issues surface which are then considered to be pre-existing conditions and are excluded from coverage!
Doc K
