Should You Buy Pet Health Insurance?

HOUSTON - What would we do without our pets? They work for us; they love us unconditionally, and in return, we take care of them. Sometimes, that means paying huge medical bills to save their lives.

When when Laura and Steve Clayton's Yorkie began to vomit blood, doctor's had to operate. They found a pecan in her intestines.

The dog is fine now, but the Claytons are still reeling from the $3,500 medical bill.

Steve then began looking into pet health insurance.

"You just don't want to have those kind of surprises pop up again" he said.

But surprises pop up all the time.

After an animal has emergency surgery or suffers unexpected injury, they can come to the Canine Health Institute for rehabilitation.

While many insurance plans won't cover hereditary conditions, illnesses or yearly vaccines, they will cover emergencies.

"The thing that pet insurance helps with is catastrophic problems-- your dog is hit by a car, needs surgery, hospitalization, " Veterinarian Dr. Adrianne Brode said. "A lot of those costs are unexpected; you can't predict those."

There are dozens of pet insurance plans available, with monthly rates ranging from $6 to $76.

The Claytons say they now want to be prepared.

"I have no problem paying $20 a month if we run into another incident about this if it helps us with the expenses," said Laura.

Remember, pet insurance doesn't work like human human health insurance. You must pay your pet's bill out of pocket, then file the claim to the insurance company for reimbursement.