Pet Insurance: Why Should You Buy?

By: Zara Willmott

Pet Insurance, why should you buy? This is a huge question that all pet owners face. We wonder if pet insurance is worth it or if it is affordable.

Why Buy Pet Insurance in Toronto?

With most insurance policies you are paying to protect yourself against an “oh my” situation. Recently Fang had to have exploratory surgery, and like most pet owners we didn’t have insurance. Our philosophy was always “we will deal with it when and if we need to”. I don’t mind telling you that I made a huge mistake and have since learned my lesson. Fang’s injury taught me that the small cost monthly would have been worth the upwards of 80% coverage. His surgery was costly. Needless to say, while Fang was at the Vet’s we enrolled both him and Luna for insurance (it obviously wouldn’t help us this time but would in the future).

With most insurance plans, existing conditions are not covered. If your pet were to develop cancer or diabetes and you didn’t have coverage, it would be hard to find a company to cover you. However, if you already had coverage upon discovering an illness, you would have that insurance plan to help you when you need it most.

Where to Buy Pet Insurance in Toronto?

With so many options for pet insurance available, where should you get your plan from? This is a really good question and one that only you can answer. Research is key when selecting a policy provider. Things you should consider when looking would be what animals they cover (perhaps they offer discounts and you could cover both your dog and cat with the same company). Another thing to look at is coverage details, each company has its own plan. Many of them are similar so do research and ask questions. When we were looking, I read through each website thoroughly and I then googled them to read their online reviews. Luckily I was able to find a company that worked for what I was looking for.

Companies:

I did so much research when selecting a plan that I decided to share my top 5 companies with you. Just to note I am not affiliated with any of these companies, just sharing to help you in your search.

Petsecure:

I liked this company because it offered a tiered approach, which meant flexibility in premiums. They only rated 3.7 on google reviews which is why I choose not to go with them. Their website was quite detailed and informative. I also liked that they offered breeders and shelter insurance. https://www.petsecure.com/en-ca

Toronto Humane Society Pet Health Insurance:

 I’m a huge supporter of the Toronto Humane Society (Luna and Fang were both adopted from them). What I like about this is that your insurance purchase helps support them. Really a win-win. They do cover both dogs and cats. Unfortunately, their website does not have a lot of information available. I also was not able to find reviews on what they offer. I do believe this is a new addition to what the Humane Society offers. https://www.thspetinsurance.ca/

Trupanion: 

Trupanion’s website is full of information on choosing the right plan. They offer some add ons so depending on what you are looking for you could customize your plan. Their cost of insurance also varies due to age, sex and breed.  with google reviews at 4.2 stars, it’s worth checking them out. https://trupanion.com/canada/pet-insurance/cat-insurance

Pets Plus Us:

What I like here is that they offer a wellness package. They have a standard “get a quote online” link with information on all they offer. They have a “Blue Ribbon” package that connects you with several resources for a small monthly amount. Given the variety they offer, they appear to be a good option. https://www.petsplusus.com/

In the End:

Ultimately the choice of pet insurance or not falls on you the owner. Based on what we just went through I would advise having some sort of insurance is better than none. Unfortunately, we can’t always predict when things will happen, perhaps we should follow the boy scout’s motto “Always be prepared”.