Tyler J.Brian K.

Andrew K.Chelsea M.

InsuranceCost of medical care for pets is rising fast

which is spurring on sales for pet insurance.Pet owners can choose from a large variety of

policies, featuring alternative-medicine treatments.

Some focus on accidents and illnesses.Others include wellness checkups and shots.Hereditary conditions, which weren’t

originally covered, are now paid for under many plans.

InsuranceMany pet policies can be just as confusing as

plans for yourself.Pet insurance often places strict limits on

how much it will pay for particular procedures.

Premiums vary from around $10 to $75 per month depending on various factors, including location, animal’s breed and age.

InsuranceThis year, pet owners are expected to spend

around $12.2 billion for veterinary care.It was $11.1 billion last year and $8.2 billion

five years ago.Various procedures widely used for people,

including chemotherapy and dialysis, are now available to pets, causing the prices to spike.

One Million InsuredAccording to the North American Pet Health

Insurance Association, around a million U.S. pets are insured.

The number is growing about 10% per year.This group guesses that this only covers a

fraction of all pets.

InsuranceAround 90% of all insured are dogs.The remaining 10% are cats and a small

number of other animals.The biggest U.S. pet-insurance company,

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), a unit of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, says it has written policies for hedgehogs, snakes, turtles, and geckos.

Donna OliverLives in Austin, TexasShe has paid about $32,600 since 2007 to

care for two dogs who passed away this year.Marley, a Labrador, got stem-cell therapy for

his arthritis, surgery on his windpipe to deal with a condition that was cutting off his breathing, and, at the end, medication to ease the pain of advanced cancer.

Maddie, a corgi mix, suffered from Cushing’s disease, a hormonal disorder, and got treatment including surgery to heal ulcers on her corneas.

She said, “It does cost a lot if you want to do the right thing by them.”

She recently bought insurance for her three remaining dogs, Chelsea, Jasmine, and Runner.

Workplace BenefitConsumers may also be able to buy pet

insurance through their workplace, which is often cheaper than buying it on their own.

Around 19% of employers offer the policies as a voluntary benefit.

This includes firms such as Colgate-Palmolive Co. and Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc.

Tips on Buying InsuranceCheck out some of these sites:petinsurancereview.com dogtime.com petinsuranceguideus.com

Industry and Veterinary Group SitesAmerican Animal Hospital Association North American Pet Health Insurance Associ

ation

American Veterinary Medical Association

Pet Insurance Companieshttp://www.akcpethealthcare.com/ http://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/ http://www.embracepetinsurance.com/ http://www.gopetplan.com/ http://www.hartvillegroup.com/ http://www.petcareinsurance.com/ http://www.petfirsthealthcare.com/ http://www.petinsurance.com/ http://www.petsbest.com/ http://www.purinacare.com/ http://www.trupanionpetinsurance.com/