Are your pets insured?

I hadn't put my pets on insurance for a while. I didn't give it much thought - until one day when my dog got very ill. She had picked up a piece of meat off the street when I was walking her. My dog was so sick - vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration (food poisoning). I had to take her to an emergency animal hospital after midnight and she was hospitalized for a few days.

The bill was very high.

Although I'd set aside some money for my pets in case of emergencies, I found that the money I saved was not enough. It cost a lot for just one visit to a vet (an emergency vet, in this case) and my pet's resulting hospital stay (for IV, monitoring and more tests). I can only guess what the bill would be for even more serious emergencies that require things like surgery.

So, I enrolled my dog in a pet insurance company. I chose a plan that covers accidental injuries, emergencies, illnesses, office visits, prescriptions, diagnostic tests, x-rays, lab fees and so on.

Pet insurance may not be very common among pet owners yet, though it may become so in the future considering more and more pets are welcomed as family members. The mere idea of the expensive veterinarian fees are daunting, but pet insurance certainly gives me peace of mind knowing that my dog can receive whatever pet medical care is needed when accidents or illnesses happen to her.