Is everyone in your family insured? I’m not talking about your spouse or your children, I’m talking about your pets. As a pet owner of two dogs, a cat and a horse, I often feel like I’m always at the vet’s office for something. The annual costs can be a bit much, if not overwhelming. So what can you do to get financial help? For me the answer was pet insurance. Many don’t take advantage of this type of insurance or even know it exists. In this article I’m going to share with you what’s covered with pet insurance, cost of a typical plan and where you can find the policy best for your pet.

FUN FACT: Pet insurance isn’t just for dogs and cats. You can get pet insurance for other animals like horses, rabbits, snakes, turtles, pigs, ferrets, goats, hedgehogs, and other exotic pets.

So what is pet insurance? Pet insurance (also known as pet health insurance) helps cover the cost of veterinary care if your pet becomes ill or injured. Some pet insurance plans also provide reimbursement for wellness procedures such as vaccinations, heartworm testing and spaying/neutering. Pet insurance is similar to human health insurance in that it has: deductibles, co-pays, maximum payouts, premiums, waiting periods, and normally does not offer cover-age for pre-existing conditions. Unlike coverage for humans, you usually have to pay the vet bills in full and wait for reimbursement. In addition, you don’t have a network of providers to worry about. In fact, any licensed vet, animal hospital, emergency clinic or veterinary specialist nationwide is accepted by most insurance carriers.