How to provide chronic care to your pet so that they can still live a happy, healthy life despite their illness.
Bringing a pet into your home means that you are signing up for the good times and the bad, and we know how much you want to be able to provide your pet with longevity and good health.
Sometimes though, the cards just aren’t in our favour, and we need to find ways to deal with the circumstances at hand. When you have a chronically ill pet, it may take some time to come to terms with their illness and to understand the ins and outs of having an ill furry member of the family.
At Oneplan Pet Insurance, we believe that being armed with the right information and amenities will help you get the best care for your pet and we’re here to help you out on that front.
What is a chronic illness?
For a pet to be termed chronically ill, it will have to be suffering from a long-term illness that requires long-term treatment. It is absolutely possible for your pet to have many more joyful years whilst having a chronic illness and we’re going to explore how to make that happen.
Common chronic illnesses:
- Arthritis and other orthopaedic conditions
- Hepatitis
- Skin allergies
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Diabetes
- Addison’s Disease
- Hypothyroidism
Read this: When to take your pet to the vet: 5 warning signs
What to do once your pet has been diagnosed
Once your pet has been diagnosed with a chronic illness, you’re going to need to formulate an action plan. First things first, you’ll need to find out everything you can from your vet – the two of you are going to be seeing each other more often than usual and they will be a huge part of this journey.
Take some time to discuss the following with your vet to make sure you have a solid understanding of all the details of the health of your pet:
- Is the disease a progressive or stable disease?
- Can it be stabilized through treatment?
- How to pick up if their condition is worsening
- What you can do to increase the quality of your pet’s life
- Creating a personal plan for how often you need to visit for a recheck
- How you can lessen unpleasant side effects from medication
The reality and financial implications of chronic care on a long term basis
We know it’s tricky sometimes to fully face the reality that your pet is sick and may pass away sooner than you expected. It will only help to get the answers you need as quickly as possible so that you can take the reins.
Chronic care and pet insurance
If you already have pet insurance, you need to let your insurer know about your pet’s diagnoses and you can work out your options. Hopefully, your insurer was upfront about the terms and conditions regarding your coverage when it comes to chronic illnesses. It is an incredibly expensive claim to take on and some insurers find the risk too high.
I don’t have pet insurance, what can I do?
Having a chronically ill pet without pet insurance isn’t a fantastic position to be in but it isn’t an entirely lost cause. If you find the right insurer, you could still save tons of money on chronic medication and treatment.
We happen to be the right insurer, in case you were wondering. We will cover your pet with a chronic illness provided they are older than 8 weeks and younger than 9 years old (for large dogs – if your dog is medium sized, they need to be younger than 10 years old, and if they are a small breed, then they need to be younger than 11 years old).
With Oneplan Pet Insurance, you can start claiming for your pet’s chronic illness after a 12 month waiting period. This waiting period is put in place to lower the risk of fraud and false claims. Insurance is a preventative tool and the sooner you get it, the better.
Related: Pet Insurance claiming and waiting periods explained
Oneplan policies that cover chronic illness
Two of our four plans will have you covered for chronic medication and treatment with the Pet Med Savings Benefit, which lets you claim for routine care and chronic care events not covered by your other pet insurance benefits. It makes the load significantly lighter when you have somebody on your side to front the cash for expensive scripts and medication.
Pet Classic Plan from R280pm (Pet Med Savings up to R800 per year)
Pet Super Plan from R430pm (Pet Med Savings up to R900 per year)
You can also get the Pet Med Booster Add On for our Pet Primary and Pet Hospital Plans, meaning you get to add R350 in Pet Med Savings to your plan for only R35pm.
Please note that these prices are reflective of the date that this article was written. For up-to-date pricing, please follow this link.
Discover: The Expert Guide to Oneplan’s Pawsome Pet Insurance Plans
Teamwork makes the dream work
We believe that the best way to care for your chronically ill pet is to create a team of pet experts: us, your vet, and you. Together, we will all work our hardest to make sure your pet has access to excellent healthcare in their trying times.
Your Pet Insurance Family,
Oneplan
