Tips to Save Money When Shopping for Pet Insurance

1. Ask your veterinarian for the pet insurance plans they accept and those that they recommend. Policies that they support due to minimal paperwork hassle will likely be simpler for you to use.

2. Ask for a larger deductible. The more you agree to pay toward services, the less you pay per month or per year for the policy.

3. Get a pet insurance plan that covers mail in pet medicines. Pet prescriptions like heart worm medicine can be costly, but this is reduced by mailing the prescription to a warehouse that sends it back, instead of paying retail price at the vet. If the medicines are covered by pet insurance, the costs are even lower.

4. Is your pet up to date on vaccinations? Get the records to prove it. If you can demonstrate that pets are kept up on vaccinations, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate for pet insurance.

5. Know what you are willing to do to extend the life of your pet. If Fido or Fluffy has developed cancer, will you pay thousands of dollars for chemotherapy, or have them put to sleep? If they grow old and ill, will you pay thousands for a few more months or another year or two of life, or will you let them pass? If you do not plan on massively expensive (and heart wrenching) life extension, you likely do not need pet insurance with a high cap. If you would do anything to save your pet and extend their life, then save money by getting a plan with a higher cap before you have to pay the whole amount.

6. Get a vet who accepts pet insurance or a pet insurance policy that lets you see the vet you want. Having to drive farther to see a vet who is on the policy or pay out of pocket to see the good vet you want cancels the savings pet insurance can yield.

7. Foreign body ingestion is the condition of the pet having swallowed something it shouldn’t have. This is also one of the most expensive conditions to treat. Limit the cost by minimizing the number of swallow-able items left on the floor. Where possible, train pets not to chew and swallow on items like shoes and socks. Contain where puppies are left to roam so that they don’t accidentally swallow a phone thinking it is a chew toy or get a pigeon and swallow bird bones.