Just like us humans, our pets have health needs that can’t be ignored.
Different pets have their own set of needs, which is why it’s important to find the right plan that caters to their specific health requirements, such as breed-related conditions and lifestyle factors, ensuring they receive the best love and care possible – After all, healthy pets are happy pets!
If you’re on the hunt for the right health cover for your pet, you’ve landed on the right page. Explore the difference between pet health plans and pet insurance, explore different types of policies, and learn tell-tell signs that your pet is unwell in this complete guide.
Pet Health Plans Vs Pet Insurance: What’s the Difference?
There are two ways you can cover your pet’s health: pet health plans and pet insurance policies.
Both options are worthy investments, and can be combined to maximise your pet’s well-being and ensure they get the exact care they need, without emptying your bank account!
Let’s explore both avenues…
Pet Health Plans
Pet health plans cover your pet for essential routine care, such as check-ups, vaccinations, flea and tick treatments, and even select dental care, such as routine cleaning. They typically have a fixed monthly fee but can also be paid annually.
Pet health plans are often provider-specific, meaning you can only get them at specific vet clinics.
Pet Insurance
Pet insurance helps cover vet bills related to emergency care, accidental injury treatment, surgery, and common illness treatment. They have annual benefit limits which provide a set amount of coverage each year for vet expenses, ensuring you get a reimbursement for any eligible expenses charged after the claim treatment date.
Most pet insurance policies won’t cover treatment costs for any pre-existing conditions that your pet had prior to the policy period starting, but they do usually cover long-term treatment for chronic conditions like cancer or arthritis.
Key Differences
Now you know what pet health plans and pet insurance offer, let’s explore how they differ:
- Pet insurance has an annual benefit limit, meaning there’s a maximum amount of eligible vet expenses an insurer will reimburse each year
- Pet health plans have a fixed cost that includes routine care and select treatments
- Pet insurance covers emergency care
- Pet health plans cover routine and preventive treatment
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
There are different pet insurance policy structures to choose from, each suited to different pets’ needs and pet parents’ budgets.
While different pet insurance providers have their own set of eligible vet expenses and policy terms, they generally all fall within one of four structures: accident-only, maximum benefit, time-limited, and comprehensive (lifetime) coverage.
Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect from each type of pet insurance cover:
Accident-Only Coverage
If you’ve got a clumsy fur baby that’s otherwise in good health, an accident-only plan is likely all you need!
Accident-only policies exclusively cover veterinary treatment costs relating to specified accidental injuries, such as broken or fractured bones. This is the most basic, and in many cases the most affordable, plan you can get.
Maximum Benefit Coverage
Maximum benefit coverage works by setting a fixed benefit limit for each condition. Once you exhaust the limit for each condition, be it related to an accidental injury or illness, you’re no longer covered. This gives you comprehensive coverage without time limits while giving you clear financial caps for each condition.
Time-Limited Coverage
Time-limited coverage gives you protection against common illnesses and injury-related treatments for a set amount of time, such as 12-months. This option is budget-friendly and suited to pets who have run into some temporary health problems.
Comprehensive (Lifetime) Coverage
If you want full protection against accidental injury and illness-related treatment, comprehensive coverage, also known as lifetime coverage, is exactly what you need.
This plan offers a full package of cover, making it perfect for fur babies who need ongoing treatment, or those who are at a high risk for developing health issues, like hereditary diseases or chronic conditions.
Because comprehensive policies give you the most coverage, they tend to be more costly. However, the monthly premiums you pay for comprehensive cover will certainly save you $1,000s in annual vet bills.
Getting Extra Cover for Your Furry Family Members
In many cases, pet insurers will offer a selection of add-ons that let you tailor your chosen policy to meet your pet’s needs. Common policy extras include:
- Preventive and Wellness: Many insurers offer add-on preventive and wellness treatment cover, such as dental cleaning, vaccinations, and routine check-ups.
- Alternative and Holistic Therapies: Ideal if your pet has unique health needs and requires alternative or holistic therapies, such as chiropractic care, physiotherapy, or hydrotherapy.
- Behavioural Treatment: If you’ve got a naughty pooch or an anxious feline, consider adding behavioural treatment to your policy.
- Prescription Diets and Supplements: If your dog has allergies, intolerances, digestive issues, or is recovering from a procedure, your vet will likely prescribe a special diet or supplement. Most policies only cover prescribed medication, so it’s worth investing in diet and supplement coverage if your four-legged companion has ongoing nutritional needs.
- Non-Routine Dental: If your pet has dental problems and needs special procedures done, like extractions or gum disease treatment, non-routine dental coverage is a wise choice.
- Missing Pet Assistance: If your poor fur baby goes missing, some insurers will help cover the expense of advertising and found rewards.
- End-of-Life & Euthanasia: If you’ve got an elderly pet who’s near the end of their life, end-of-life and euthanasia cover will ease the load of cremation, burial, and euthanasia costs.
- Travel Cover: Travel cover is a must-have for jet-setting pet parents. It ensures you get reimbursed for overseas vet bills while travelling with your furry friend.
- Third-Party Liability: If you’ve got a cheeky pet who sometimes causes havoc, third-party liability coverage is a worthy investment. This will cover the legal costs if your pet causes an injury or damage to property.
Picking the Right Pet Insurance Policy
When choosing a policy, consider factors like your pet’s age, breed, and any health conditions they have or are likely to develop to find cover that’s suited to their needs.
When you’ve found a policy that ticks your boxes, be sure to compare similar plans from other providers before making any commitments, as you may find a better deal elsewhere.
It’s also worth keeping an eye out for any special perks and deals. For instance, at PetsOnMe, we offer multi-pet discounts and treat our customers to 12% off select pet care, including dog walking and pet sitting.
Once you’ve chosen the right policy for you and your fur baby, review the fine print, AKA the product disclosure statement. This will explain what eligible vet bills you can claim, waiting periods, cancellation x, and so on. By carefully reviewing your chosen insurer’s terms and conditions, you’ll avoid any sudden surprises down the line.
Common Signs Your Pet Is Unwell
Our pets can’t tell us when they are sick or injured, but they can show us!
Certain symptoms can be down to an underlying or causative condition, so it’s best to get your pup or feline seen by a veterinarian as soon as you spot that something is off.
Here are the most common tell-tell signs that your fur baby is poorly:
- Eating less or more than usual, or refusing food altogether
- Excessive sleepiness and lack of energy
- Vomiting or diarrhoea
- Excessive thirstiness
- Frequent urination
- Sudden increase in aggression or anxiety
- Distressed vocalisations (such as whimpering)
- Regular sneezing or coughing
- Limping or difficulty moving
- Excessive grooming
- Sudden weight loss or weight gain
- Strong bad breath
- Rashes and hair loss
Find the Right Pet Insurance Plan at PetsOnMe
Get award-winning pet insurance with PetsOnMe!
Our selection of budget-friendly, transparent, and straightforward policies is tailored to meet the needs of pet parents and fur babies.
Whichever pet insurance policy you go for, you’re guaranteed super speedy claims, no lock-ins or cancellation fees, a benefit percentage of up to 80%, multi-pet discounts when you purchase a second or subsequent policy for an extra pet, and no sub-limits.
As an extra thank you to our loyal customers, we also offer 12% off select pet care, including dog walking and pet sitting!
Thinking about switching to PetsOnMe? We’ll waive our applicable waiting periods if you’ve been with your previous insurer for over 12 months with no interruption in cover, ensuring a smooth, hassle-free transition without the worry about gaps in protection.
Discover and compare our pet insurance plans at PetsOnMe today!
Find out more about our pet insurance via our FAQs Page or reach out to our friendly customer service team.