Are you considering purchasing a wellness plan for your pet but you want to know if it is worth it, and what it covers? Our New Iberia vets will discuss wellness plans and why they are beneficial for your pet.
What Is A Pet Wellness Plan?
Now that you have a pet you want to care for it the best that you can, but pet care can be very expensive especially if your pet becomes sick or injured. A wellness plan can help with those costs.
A wellness plan costs a small amount of money each month but the wellness Plans "group" all the preventive services you need to keep your pet healthy throughout the year into a monthly payment plan, helping you save money and manage your budget.
What Does It Cover?
The main difference between pet wellness plans vs pet insurance is that the latter covers the cost of injury or illness treatments after they happen. On the other hand, pet wellness plans cover routine and preventive care procedures and screenings to avoid potential health issues.
Vaccines
Core vaccines must be given to every pet to ensure that they will not catch infections or diseases that could harm them, your other pets, and sometimes even humans.
For dogs, core vaccines are canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies. For cats, core vaccines are panleukopenia, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I, and rabies. These diseases are the leading causes of death in puppies and kittens, and some within days of contagion. So, vaccines are essential.
If you don’t have a pet wellness care plan you’d need to pay out of pocket for each vaccine.
Blood test
Complete blood tests will inform the vet about any abnormalities in the pet’s blood that might indicate a necessary intervention. If there is an issue, your standard pet insurance policy should be able to cover it. But the screening itself is only included in additional wellness and preventive care packages.
Heartworm tests & Prevention
While heartworm treatment is covered by pet insurance, prevention and test are covered only by pet wellness insurance.
If you don’t have such a policy, you will have to pay out of pocket.
Fecal Tests, Deworming & Urinalysis
A Fecal test is performed once per year to determine if any gastrointestinal parasites are present. Similarly to this are the heartworm and tapeworm tests to determine if these parasites are present. This may require several treatments over some time.
Urinalysis is a routine test that scans for chemicals in the urine. This is done because we want early detection of diseases like kidney failure and urinary infections. While pet health care plans will cover the treatment, preventive measures are typically excluded.
Flea & Tick Prevention
There are a few options for preventing ticks and fleas. But most pets are given monthly medicine to avoid this.
What Is The Difference Between Pet Insurance And A Wellness Plan?
Both wellness plans and pet insurance policies offer benefits, but they are very different. When it comes to your pet's veterinary care, it’s important to understand which services your pet is and isn't covered for. That way you won't be left unexpectedly out of pocket when you visit your vet or need to plan the payment for your pet's care and treatment.
What Does A Wellness Plan Cover?
Routine vet care such as microchipping, vaccinations, and dental care is generally covered by wellness plans. The primary purpose of these plans is to help you to spread out the cost of improving and maintaining the standard of your pet’s overall health.
What Is Pet Insurance?
Pet insurance takes care of any veterinary bills if your pet requires emergency veterinary care.
Treating an illness such as cancer or diabetes, or emergency treatment, can become very expensive. Pet insurance provides you with financial help to pay the bills for accidents and conditions covered by your pet's insurance policy.
What Does Pet Insurance Cover?
Policies differ, but generally, pet insurance covers treatment for illnesses as well as any emergency treatment required after accidents. Some pet insurance policies may also include prescription medications, the treatment of hereditary and congenital conditions as well as orthopedic conditions.
How Do I Choose Which Option To Buy?
Some pet owners subscribe to both pet insurance and wellness plans to ensure their pet has complete protection, while other pet owners opt for one or the other. Understanding how each of these options works can benefit you and your pet and can help you decide on what the best option is for you and your pet.
Ask your vet if you would like help deciding what is best for your pet based on their particular needs and concerns.