Why get pet insurance?

Any pet owner will tell you how much love and acceptance an animal can bring into your life. Pet ownership can, however, be expensive. A pet insurance policy is a solution which helps cover those unexpected medical expenses at a time when making decisions concerning your best friend is not the easiest thing to do.

My wife and I lived together without a pet for five years. The thought of owning a pet seemed absurd. We didn�t want to worry with grooming it, taking it for walks, and all the other responsibilities that come along with pet ownership.

However, while reading the paper one day, I changed my mind, deciding it was time to purchase a dog. Although it took several days to convince my wife, she reluctantly agreed. We immediately searched the Internet, taking tests to determine the type of dog that would best fit our lifestyle. Great research revealed the West Highland White Terrier to be the perfect dog for our family.

My wife immediately began scouring the paper and calling breeders to find our perfect puppy. (It�s funny to hear her recount the stories of calls made to breeders who, almost in tears, explained that their dog had failed to impregnate.) We finally found someone in the area who had four West Highland White Terriers for sale. Upon reaching the sellers� house, however, we immediately realized their West Highland White Terriers were not white�they were actually brown! But after watching one of the female puppies fail all our required new-puppy tests, we couldn�t resist and decided to take her home. It just did not seem right to tell someone their puppy was not good enough.

Within only a few minutes on our drive home, we had fallen deeply in love with our new dog, Patty. Shortly thereafter we were already spoiling her, buying her everything we could find in the pet section at Kmart.

Several months later, we decided Patty needed a buddy. (We also really wanted a white West Highland Terrier.) Thus, Kacey joined our family. Kacey was much smaller than Patty; however, it didn�t take long for her to let Patty know she was the boss. Both Kacey and Patty stole our hearts.

About a year later, Kacey became very ill and almost died. We were forced to take her to the emergency veterinarian clinic, as it was a weekend and our veterinarian�s office was not open. Many tests and 24 hours later, the vets diagnosed Kacey with Addison�s disease. This condition impacts the adrenal gland and, left untreated, would take Kacey�s life. As a result, we must now medicate her twice a day for the rest of her life.

Since acquiring our beloved dogs, we have incurred many other medically-related expenses. For example, Patty injured her paw once, and she commenced licking until it grew twice its normal size. Our vet had to medicate and disinfect the paw, and then instruct us how to treat the problem properly. Recently, Kacey began itching, and she scratched herself until her skin turned red. Again, a veterinarian performed multiple tests to determine the problem. Several weeks of tests and many vet visits later, allergies were determined to be the cause of her incessant itching. We now treat this with over-the-counter drugs; however, tests are still being conducted to determine to what she is allergic.

Pet ownership has taught me a few things. First, our dogs bring more joy to our lives than I could ever have imagined. Additionally, I could have saved myself a lot of money and heartache by investing in pet insurance, which covers the cost of many unexpected medical expenses associated with pet ownership.

Trust me�Investing in pet insurance is the best thing you can do for your pet and family. Your pet loves you unconditionally�love him back by being financially prepared when he needs your help!