pet insurance obesity is cutting many pets lives short
pet insurance obesity is cutting many pets lives short Petplan, one of the UK’s most popular pet insurers, has revealed that 60% of pets can be considered obese.
Owners treat their beloved pets with what they feel will do them good – fatty snacks, titbits from the table – in addition to the large portions of food they already eat at mealtimes.
As a result, pet insurance claims due to health problems directly related to being overweight are spiralling.
So what are the facts?
Petplan insures 800,000 pets in the UK, and in the last five years they have seen obesity related health claims increase by 60%.
The result – pet insurers could start slashing payouts as a penalty if your pet is overweight.
So what health problems can an overweight pet experience?
Common problems include joint, ligament and tendon issues, problems with breathing, overexertion on the heart, and diabetes. Large, overweight cats can develop skin disorders because they are not able to clean themselves properly.
Pet Insurance. Obesity Is Cutting Many Pets’ Lives Short 2022
The long-term effects on your pet‘s health and lifespan could be disastrous.
It’s not all bad news though – putting your pet on a diet is a lot easier than doing the same to yourself. At least your pet has no choice in the matter,
and doesn’t have to deal with the temptation of the Indian takeaway after a hard day at the office, or that second, third, fourth (!) glass of wine. Your pet can only eat what it’s given, so you can take control of the situation.
The weight of your pet is your responsibility, so if it is overweight then it’s your job to remedy the situation.
It’s not all about food either, if you have an overweight dog then take a bat and ball on the walk and really get that doggy working out! It will do you some good too.
Here’s how to tell if your pet needs to lose some weight. Of course your pet will have a certain amount of padding, but there shouldn’t be too much.
First off, rub your pet gently over their ribs, you should be able to feel them without any trouble and the skin should move over the ribs quite easily.
Then take a look at your pet from the side from a few metres away. If your pet has a hanging stomach and looks like it could be expecting some babies, then it’s definitely time to introduce a diet.
Your pet‘s stomach should slope in to form an obvious waist area at the bottom of the rib cage. Now stand over your pet and take a look from above. If your pet‘s middle is bulging out to the sides like an apple then it’s carrying extra weight.
It’s not just the four-legged friends either, birds can also be overweight. Examine your bird for rolls of fat or a larger than usual breast area.
Some breeds and species of pet have weight problems inherent in their genetic make up.
For the dogs: Labradors, spaniels, beagles, corgis and retrievers are all genetically predisposed to becoming overweight, especially as they get older.
For the cats: less-active breeds, Persians for example, put on weight as they don’t do much exercise. Zany, fast moving breeds like Abyssinians and Siamese usually keep the weight off.
For the birds: Amazon parrots are particularly prone to piling on the ounces.
If you have just come to the conclusion that your pet is overweight, don’t be tempted to put your pet on a crash diet. Cats can develop a fatal liver problem if their food rations are suddenly cut and they lose weight at a fast rate.
Pets put on weight gradually so the reverse should be applied and their food allowance should gradually be cut. Stop giving them snacks between meals and stick rigidly to set mealtimes.
They’ll soon get used to the new regime. You can also introduce more exercise to help them get fitter and also improve their quality of life.
Ask your vet for advice on how best to put your pet on a diet, and commit yourself to carrying it through. You owe it to your pet.
Pet Insurance For Smart Pet Owners
The recent trend towards having pets is giving them names like their human counterparts to officially welcome them to the family.
In a study by Veterinary PET Insurance, the top 10 common names of pets regardless if it is a dog, cat or bird, include Max, Bailey, Buddy, Molly, Maggie, Jake, Lucy, Daisy, Rocky and Sadie.
These names are not just to identify them, but defines their identities as well. However, like their human “best friends”, they need to stay healthy to be able to fully maximize their co-existence. Pet owners today have been resorting to pet insurance to pay for the trips to the veterinarian.
Due to rapid growth of the world today, pets have been especially prone to a lot of illnesses. A lot of factors exacerbate these sicknesses, which can create havoc to the expenses of the owner.
Unforeseen accidents, new government mandated procedures on animal care, new shots needed by the pets are some of these factors.
Owners should be prepared, and plan ahead for these sudden illnesses by managing their budgets to include pet health care.
It is understandable for the owner to think that a pet insurance is an additional expense to the health insurance for himself that he is still paying for.
However, having a pet insurance can actually save the owner from having emergency expenses when his pet gets sick.
A pet insurance is less expensive than a human health insurance. Even if a company where a person is employed shoulders more than half of the insurance policy, the employee still shells out a small part for his health insurance.
The averge cost is usually $3000. Employee shares usually range from $300 – $500. In acquiring a pet insurance policy, the pet owner definitely pays a lower insurance premium than that of a human insurance policy. This usually ranges to $30 – $100.
Pet insurance has been available in the market for more than 20 years. Pet owners have the responsibility to choose among the vast companies providing these types of insurance, based on the needs of their pets.
Basic pet insurance services include mandatory services by the veterinarian, while upgraded pet insurance consists of major surgeries. In the forefront of these pet insurance companies is Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI).
Veterinary Pet Insurance is one of the oldest and biggest pet health insurance company in the United States today.
It has been providing premium pet health care services to different pets (dogs, birds, exotic pets, cats) since 1982. Services include veterinary consultations, surgeries and diagnostic exams.
The company is underwritten by Veterinary Pet Insurance Company.
Some pet insurance companies do not have the proper processes to claim their pet insurance policies. One of Veterinary Pet Insurance ’s strengths are their easy to understand procedures on how to claim their policies.
In claiming policies, the pet owners just need to choose a licensed veterinarian. After the fees are paid, the pet owners just need to get the veterinary staff member to sign the receipt.
This is then forwarded to Veterinary Pet Insurance for their review and evaluation. Veterinary Pet Insurance then will reimburse the fees paid directly to the veterinarian.
The second strength of Veterinary Pet Insurance is the discounts that they give when the owner gets their services for additional pets.
Veterinary Pet Insurance gives 5-10% discount to pet owners when they enroll a second pet to Veterinary Pet Insurance.
A Comparison of Five Pet Health Insurance Plans
It doesn’t matter if you have already decided to purchase health insurance for the family pet or if you are simply.
When you are comparing the quote of one health insurance quote to another remember that the base doller amount is not the only number you have to consider.
In addition to the monthly payment make sure you also check out exactly what type of veterinary care and treatments are covered (some basic insurance plans do not include cancer treatment),
what kind of deductible you, the pet owner, will be expected to pay, is there a yearly cap on medical expenses, and what type of discounts are available.
At the moment there are only a handful of companies that offer pet health insurance. Five of the most popular companies are Pets Best Pet Insurance,
Veterinary Pet Insurance, ShelterCare, Pets Health and PetCare.
An insurance plan through Pets Best Pet Insurance will cost approximately $32.00 a month ($384.00 annually).
Pets Best will cover pet sterilization provided the pet owner purchases an additional wellness plan. Pets Best does not cover pre-existing medical conditions a pet has so its best to insure them early in life before problems develop.
Pets Best has a life time limit of $99,750 dollars per pet. Pets Best health insurance plans come with a $75.00 deductible. Multiple pet discounts are available. Pet’s Best pet health insurance does cover cancer.
Veterinary Pet Insurance is a company that offers pet owner a $14,000 a year cap on an insurance plan that only costs approximately $20.00 dollars a month.
Veterinary Pet Insurance offers plans with a $50.00 deductible (after the deductible they pay ninety percent of the bill) on plans that include pet sterilization and cancer coverage.
Veterinary Pet Insurance does not accept pre-existing conditions and does not offer multi-pet discounts.
ShelterCare is a pet insurance that cost pet‘s owners approximately $29.95.
For that $29.95 there is absolutely no deductible and cancer treatments are covered. ShelterCare will not pay for pet sterilization nor will they cover any pre-existing conditions.
ShelterCare does not have a benefit cap. ShelterCare offers premium discounts for multi-pet plans, medical service, and micro-chips.
A pet health insurance policy through PetsHealth insurance company will cost the pet owner approximately $37.17 dollars per month.
PetsHealth covers 80% of the pets vet bill after the $100.00 doller deductible is paid. PetsHealth has a $13,000 doller cap on each per year.
PetHealth does insure pre-existing conditions after ninety days. Multi-pet discounts are available through PetHealth. PetsHealth does offer pet health insurance plans that cover cancer on a case by case basis.
PetCare is a pet health insurance company that estimates the average cost for a policy for a pet is $29.95 a month. This plan includes a fifty doller deductible.
While PetCare is happy to cover the cost your pet’s cancer treatments they will not pay for any pre-existing conditions nor will they pay for pet sterilization. PetCare offers discounts for multi-pet plans and medical service.
None of the estimated monthly prices for these insurance companies include any extra insurances riders.
Any one or all of these companies can change their policies between now and the time you purchase a pet health insurance plan.
Remember to read the fine print before you sign up for a pet health insurance plan.
All five of these pet health insurance companies have their own websites where you can go to get up to date pet health insurance quotes.
There are other pet health insurance companies with different prices, discounts, stipulations, and benefit caps if you are not content with the previous five comparisons.
Pet Insurance Guide-Pet Insurance is vital for your pets
Details of each and every pet insurance policy are different and policy coverage is also dissimilar from policy to policy.
There are three main categories of pet insurance policies out of them first covers each condition or event, second offers highest value on total annual payments whereas the category is the cheapest that gives limited payment for some specific condition and it ends after one year of the treatment.
Cost of each policy plan is different and you can select the best as per your pets’ requirements. Best time to have a pet insurance policy is when your pet is little. You may also insure your pet in the age of 8 weeks but it is very difficult to get maximum coverage after middle age.
Getting a new insurance policy in the middle age of your pet is very much expensive because at that time you’ll not be able to claim for existing health treatments.
Internet offers a quick as well as an easy way to shop for a pet insurance policy. It also helps in reducing the premiums. Not only pet insurance it also offers insurance for your car, home or life
Getting the Best Deal out of Pet Insurance Policies
There are many good reasons for spending time for investigating in the selection of an ideal pet insurance policy.
Some of the reasons are that, the pet owner may be attached to the pet very much emotionally, or the welfare of the pet may make a difference to the pet owner.
The health of the pet is very important to the pet owner it is part of the household. Pet insurance serves as a tool that makes sure that the pet does not suffer from any kind of short or long-term illnesses.
Financial planning plays a very important role as it may lead to a dangerous situation affecting the pet owner financially in the event of major medical condition when the pet gets injured in an accident or develops a life threatening disease etc.
Pet insurance can ease out all sorts of worries. It makes the pet owner free from worrying regarding healthcare, regular checkups, vaccinations, vision checks, gums and teeth checkups etc.
Pet insurance serves as an investment to the pet owner in shouldering the financial costs associated with the pet’s health.
Tips for getting a real deal out of insurance policies:
Everyone loves being safe and secure. That is the main reason that pet insurance concept has come into being. It acts as a risk management tool to the pet owner.
There are several pet insurance policies with various terms and conditions, to get the real deal out of the insurance policies.
The pet owner should go through each term and condition to select the one which will give the maximum benefit out of it. Online services are there to help such people who are confused about the pet insurance policy and the benefit the pet owner can get out of it.
Comparisons can be done in terms of premium, health coverage of the pet, if the policy suits the pet etc. as normally pet insurance is offered for cats and dogs.
If a person has iguana as his pet, he should look for an insurance company who covers this kind of pet.
Incase if the pet owner has more than one pet, he can very well approach the insurance company which offers discounts on insurance coverage for all his pets. This might be very useful in striking the real deal.
Pets are prone to accidents and illnesses, and the trip to the vet might be very costly affair. Hence pet insurance plays a vital role in providing financial assistance in such cases.
Since the vet is the person who is going to treat the pet, it is good to ask him regarding the best insurance policy for the pets.
Some vets have their own network of insurance agencies and companies and only work for them. In such cases the vet can provide some valuable information on which insurance company to be approached.
Since the vet knows the health condition of the pet, he can suggest the best pet insurance policy which may cover to the maximum.
Almost all pet insurance policies require the pet owners to pay the initial amount and then get the reimbursement of the amount they spent on their pets.
The vet suggestion may help the pet owner to get the real deal by having the best policy with a good reimbursement plan.
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