Vet visits and routine healthcare costs can quickly start to make a dent in your budget. We dig into our pet insurance policies and cover for diagnostics such as if a pet blood test is needed.
It’s no secret that the accumulative costs of vet visits and pet healthcare can quickly add up and adversely impact your monthly budget. Which is why so many pet parents are turning to financial back‑up solutions like pet insurance.
Pet insurance will not only save you from both expected vet visits and routine healthcare costs, but it will also help pay for the unexpected and costly bills related to emergencies, accidents and illnesses.
Why you need coverage for routine healthcare and vet visits
Bills for check‑ups, vaccinations, prescribed medication, tick and flea control and blood tests closely rival those of doctor bills for humans. Keep in mind that as veterinary medicine advances and allows our pets to lead longer healthier lives, these innovations come with a hefty price tag.
But, can you really put a price on the health and wellbeing of your precious pet? We think not.
Discover: Pet Insurance: Can I afford it? With Oneplan, you can!
Pet insurance that gives you options
This is why we created our pet insurance plans to give you a range of options and benefits to choose from. From the accident‑only cover (which does not have any age limits), to pet hospital plans and, of course, our more comprehensive plans such as the Pet Super Plan.
Does pet insurance have pet blood test cover?
Diagnostic testing, such as blood tests, allow your vet to access important information about how well your pet’s body is functioning. Blood tests are typically a vet’s first step in finding out more about an injury or illness.
With Oneplan Pet Insurance, we include cover for blood tests under our vet‑visit benefit if the blood tests are conducted out of the hospital. If the tests form part of a valid hospital claim, then they will be included in the applicable accident or illness cover benefit.
The lowdown on blood tests for pets
What can a pet blood test be used for?
There are a number of reasons why your vet might recommend blood tests; these are the most common:
- Preventive testing to detect and treat illnesses before they progress into something more serious:
- Tick disease tests in dogs
- Feline leukaemia virus in cats
- To identify congenital and hereditary conditions (Complete Blood Cell Count and Biochemical Profile—CBC/Chemistry) such as kidney or liver disease
- Thyroid tests to screen for hyperthyroidism in older cats and dogs
- Before sedation or anaesthesia for an illness or injury
- Before starting a new medication
- Routinely for chronic medication—to ensure your pet’s organs (kidneys and liver) are functioning correctly and to predict any side effects from the chronic medication
- Diagnose medical illnesses
- To monitor chronic illnesses
How much do pet blood tests cost?
- Pre‑anaesthetic blood tests (covering liver and kidney function, stress, diabetes, and electrolytes) cost about R600 to R700.
- Chronic‑medication consultations and blood tests every 6 months will cost between R300 and R800 each time.
(Costs vary depending on your vet and region.)
Are blood tests covered by Oneplan Pet Insurance?
Coverage of blood tests depends on your chosen plan and its benefits.
For example:
- If your pet, Bruno, is reacting poorly to chronic medication, a vet‑visit blood test would be covered under the vet‑visit benefit.
- If Bruno is admitted to the hospital due to an accident and requires pre‑anaesthetic blood tests before surgery, this would be covered under the accident/hospital benefit.
Fronted with cash before you see the vet
The great thing about our vet‑visit cover is that we pay you before you see your vet of choice. We do this using our unique Oneplan Claim Card. Simply log into the Oneplan App, preload your claim, and the funds are transferred onto your Oneplan Claim Card within seconds.
Read next: Claiming for a vet visit and waiting periods: When can you claim? And how does it work?
Got any more questions? We’d be happy to help!
Yours in quality pet insurance,
Oneplan
