As most readers know, my dog Darcie is pushing 18 years of age. For an 18 year old she's pretty healthy. She can't see too well. She can't hear much and she doesn't like to take long walks like she used to. But hey, if I'm doing as well as Darcie when I'm 126 I'll be very happy. Like I'm going to make it that long.
Darcie's biggest problem is probably chronic pain from arthritis in her cervical spine. She can't go down steps very well so she doesn't sleep in our bedroom with us anymore. She can still go up steps, just not down because going down involves extending her neck to see the steps and that's too painful for her.
To have a veterinarian diagnose and treat this problem would probably involve several hundred dollars of radio-graphs, MRI's, other lab tests and the expense of lifelong pain medication.
Too bad Darcie doesn't have insurance.
The fact is that Darcie really isn't a candidate for insurance. She's too old and she has too many pre-existing conditions that would not be covered. A pre-existing condition is a medical condition that has manifested or shown clinical signs. The condition may have been diagnosed by a previous veterinary visit. Basically it's something that the pet owner has seen or has already caused the pet a problem.
Insurance doesn't cover pre-existing conditions. It's similar to getting into an automobile accident and then trying to go to an insurance agent to get coverage for the damage to your car. Not going to happen.
So, ironically, the best time to get health insurance for your pet is when they are young and hopefully, healthy.
You can get a PurinaCare policy as early as 8 weeks of age. If you get a policy that covers preventive care everything you spend on vaccinations, lab tests, exams, deworming, spaying or neutering, flea and heartworm prevention, applies to the deductible. In many cases spending on these routine procedures will completely satisfy the deductible and if something weird happens requiring veterinary intervention, you'd be covered for that amount less your co-pay, which with PurinaCare is 20%.
Puppies and kittens by definition should have few if any pre-exsiting conditions. And with PurinaCare, if your puppy or kitten has an hereditary condition that has not yet shown clinical signs, you should be covered for that as wel
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The example I like to use for hereditary conditions is hip dysplasia. Many large breed dogs carry the genes for hip dysplasia but they may not start showing clinical signs of pain or lameness until they are over 2 years of age. Some may never show signs, but unfortunately many do and in some cases they require surgery and long term care.
If you had insured your large breed dog as a puppy before he showed any signs of hip dysplasia and kept your policy in force, you'd be covered for this condition when it was subsequently diagnosed.
Insurance is about peace of mind and being in a position to provide the best possible veterinary care when and if you should need it without having to worry so much about cost. That peace of mind is worth a lot to some people.
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