When should you get pet insurance? Why should you get pet insurance? And is it too late? Let’s find out!
As a pet parent, you know that pet insurance needs to come into the mix at some point. Or maybe you didn’t know. Whichever boat you’re in, there’s always room to learn and that’s what you’re here to do today!
Let’s start with why.
Why do pet parents even need pet insurance?
Well, there’s more than one answer. Firstly, pet insurance protects you from the massive costs that can come with a pet emergency. And if you’re wondering how often pet emergencies even happen, they happen. In fact, 1 in 3 pets will experience a medical emergency in their lifetime.
How many pets do you have? Two? Three? Suddenly those odds hit a little bit closer to home.
Secondly, pets need essential routine care to live a long, happy, and comfortable life. This includes regular visits to the vet and routine care, which can also cost you thousands of rands.
We don’t believe that looking after your pet should break the bank, which is why we do what we do. Every pet family is different. Maybe you’re expecting a new kitten, or you’ve adopted an older dog from your local shelter. Maybe your pup is reaching their young adult years and you haven’t jumped on the pet insurance bandwagon yet.
Whatever situation you’re in, there’s a solution for you.
The younger, the better
This is not to discourage pet owners with older doggos – we promise we will get to you soon!
Insuring your pet from a young age is the most effective way to save money and provide your pet with the best long-term health security. You see, the longer your pet is covered, the more they’re going to be covered for in their old age.
Things like hereditary, congenital, and pre-existing conditions play a huge part in your pet insurance policy. For the most part, insurers don’t like to cover these conditions because they’re too high risk. If you insure your pet from the get-go, however, you mitigate the risk of having to join a policy when your pet is already sick.
It may seem strange looking at your healthy, bouncy puppy and signing them onto a pet insurance policy. But trust us, young pets get sick. It isn’t just when they’re old and grey that illness, disease, and accidents start to creep in.
For example, studies have shown that between birth and the age of three, 80% of dogs show signs of gum disease. Dental work on your dog can cost you anywhere upwards of R5000, and that’s depending on how bad the damage is.
How young can I start?
Whilst you should insure your pet from as young as you possibly can, there is such thing as too young. Young puppies and kittens are very vulnerable in their first few weeks of being alive. That’s why pet insurers will have a limit on how early you can insure your pet.
With Oneplan, we insure pets older than 8 weeks old. So, it really isn’t a long time to wait – it’s just a little breathing period.
Waiting periods
Speaking of breathing periods, you need to take waiting periods into account. A waiting period is the set amount of time that must pass before you make a claim. These are standard insurance practices put in place to prevent people from signing up only when their pet falls ill or has an accident.
For example, Oneplan has a waiting period of 30 days before you can take your pet to the vet (well, you can take them, you just can’t claim for it and get money back!).
Is it too late to insure my senior dog?
No! If reading this blog has made you worried it’s too late, we have a solution. Oneplan allows dogs of all ages (provided they are older than 8 weeks) to join our tail-wag-worthy Accident Plan. That means your older doggo is covered for accidents that require hospital admission. Please bear in mind that an Accident Plan does not include Pet Med Savings (routine care) or illness cover.
Here are just a few more reasons why it makes sense to get pet insurance (with Oneplan):
- Prepaid routine care claims on your Onecard BEFORE you see the vet.
- Keep your pet’s favourite vet with no networks.
- We pay up to R5000 pre-authorisation deposit or NO deposit if you choose to visit one of our partnered vets.
- New policies up to your pet’s 11th birthday (except Accident Plan – no age limit)
- Get up to 25% DISCOUNT on pet food & supplies shopping in the Onepet Online Pet Store for the lifetime of your policy.
To make sure your pet receives all the benefits of pet insurance, get them insured with Oneplan Pet Insurance today. Did we tell you? We cover your pet for life. That means that once they’re covered by us, they’re covered for good.
Your Pet Insurance Family,
Oneplan
