5 Things Pet Insurance Won’t Cover

Whether you are the excited new owner of a dog or cat, or you have a faithful animal companion that is getting on in years, pet insurance is a powerful tool to help keep your four-legged friend healthy. At its core, pet insurance is built to ensure that you have the peace of mind you deserve to enjoy your pet for as long as possible. 

What Exactly is Pet Insurance?

While pet insurance can become one of the best ways to help keep your pet healthy, and give yourself the ease of mind you deserve, some people may not understand what it is. For many people, pet insurance is a novel concept that they may have never thought of before. What’s more, is that the moment you say the word ‘insurance’, instantly memories of tedious paperwork, endless phone calls, and hassle may come to mind.

The good news is that pet insurance never has to be a headache to both understand and utilize. Pet insurance exists very simply, to make sure that your pet will always receive the treatment that it needs without any cost-prohibition. However, knowing exactly what pet insurance will and won’t do can help to give you clarity on whether this is the right step for you. 

Here is everything you need to know about what pet insurance won’t cover, as you look for the policy that is right for you! 

Is Pet Insurance Necessary?

This question can easily be answered as ‘yes’, but a more accurate answer would be that no, it’s not necessary for everyone. However, a better answer is that is a good option for everyone. For instance, some illnesses or accidents can result in treatments and procedures that cost upwards of thousands of dollars. Veterinarian and animal clinic bills simply are not cheap. Things like parvo, or other illnesses, bowel impactions, or fractures all can cost thousands of dollars to treat. 

What’s more, is that at times, these treatments can be the difference between life and death for your pet. As much as you hope and pray that your pet never has need of these services like any pet owner can tell you, the chances of your pet getting ill or having an accident are high. 

This is where pet insurance for some people may not be necessary as it can be a procedure that costs thousands of dollars, however, it is beneficial for all people because it can save money in big ways. For those who cannot afford these treatments or procedures without insurance, the outcomes can be tragic for their faithful companion. That’s why pet insurance gives you peace of mind and is an investment that typically more than pays for itself. 

This doesn’t just apply to treatments and procedures for things that ‘happen’ but can typically also cover preventative care. These are services that are necessary for pets to maintain good health, like vet checkups, supplements and even in some cases specialized diets. 

What Pet Insurance Won’t Cover

One of the best ways to understand what pet insurance won’t cover is to understand why pet insurance exists. Pet insurance exists to ensure that certain, necessary procedures, treatments, and even services are never cost-prohibitive for your pet to benefit from. 

This means that certain scenarios involving things like illness, accidents, and even preventative care are typically going to either be covered directly in a policy or an add-on service. 

A good way of thinking about what a pet insurance policy typically does not cover is to think of elective treatments. Here are 5 things pet insurance typically doesn’t cover. 

Spaying and Neutering

That means things like neutering or spaying an animal. While this may be non-negotiable for you, it does still fall into an elective treatment. 

Boarding

Pet insurance focuses on health-related issues that are necessary to keep your pet alive and healthy, a service like boarding is typically not covered.

Cosmetic Procedures

Cosmetic procedures are an important part of a pet and owner’s relationship and should be your right to choose. However, insurances rarely cover cosmetic procedures as they fall under elective choices and are not a necessity. 

Pre-Existing Conditions

For serious or chronic pre-existing conditions, most pet insurances will not allow coverage in their policy. Temporary, or curable conditions are a different story, like UTIs or small fractures.

Conditions That Occur During Waiting Period 

Typical policies will have a waiting period and this is something to be aware of when signing up for a new pet insurance plan. Conditions that do occur during this waiting period may not be covered by the policy, and count as pre-existing conditions. 

Conclusion 

When looking for pet insurance, it’s important to get the one that offers you the most satisfaction and peace of mind. The whole point of having pet insurance is to be able to enjoy your time with your pet even more and get the most joy out of them. By getting a policy that covers what you find important, you can do just that rest assured that they are taken care of.