OkcPets Magazine November 2022

November / December 2022 • OKC Pets 17 is a bit of a waiting period. Payments are typically made monthly. Karissa Bradshaw, pet lover and insurance agent for Farmers Insurance, said it is im- portant to consider the breed of the animal you are insuring when choosing coverage. “For example, if you know your Dachshund is prone to back issues, you would want to have a more inclusive policy,” she said. A Closer Look: Safeco Pet Insurance Safeco Pet Insurance offers an accident and illness policy and an accident, illness, and wellness policy. The accident and illness option covers accidental injuries, including injuries to permanent teeth; illnesses, including cancer, influenza, and kennel cough; alternative medicine; behavioral therapy; hereditary and congenital conditions; in- gestion of a foreign object, as many as two treatments per policy year; euthanasia or anesthesia; cremation and burial expenses; and accidental death. The accident, illness, and wellness policy includes all the options of the above-men- tioned policy and adds wellness benefits for routine dental cleaning, routine physi- cal exams, fecal examination, intestinal deworming, and heartworm testing. The policy also includes preventive-care bene- fits for flea and tick prevention, heartworm prevention, prescribed vitamin supple- ments, and boosters and vaccinations. Safeco policies are available for cats or dogs who are eight weeks old or older. Dogs older than 13 years and cats older than 15 years are not eligible for new in- surance policies. Any policy issued before the covered pet has reached age 13 for dogs or age 15 for cats can be renewed during the lifetime of that pet at Safeco’s discre- tion, as long as coverage remains continu- ously in force. Preexisting conditions, cosmetic procedures, and/or costs associated with breeding or pregnancy are not covered. The Safeco product guide includes a com- plete listing of exclusions. There is a 14-day waiting period for all coverages. A Closer Look: Pets Best Health Insurance Pets Best Health Insurance offers accident and illness coverage with supplemental benefit options available for office visits and examination fees; take-home pre- scription medications; and rehabilitation, acupuncture, and chiropractic care. Pets Best preventive benefit coverage in- cludes spaying and neutering, teeth clean- ing, rabies vaccines, flea and tick preven- tion, heartworm prevention, vaccinations and titers, wellness exams, blood/fecal/ parasite exams, microchipping, urinalysis, and deworming. If a veterinary office or emergency room doesn’t process Pets Best Insurance direct- ly, you can submit claims for reimburse- ment, said Karissa. Insurance can be taken out only if the pet is a full-blood breed and does not have any preexisting conditions. That is “why it’s best to establish a policy when the pet is a puppy,” she said. Her prior experience without pet insur- ance prompted her to pursue a policy for her current dog. “I had a full-blood Siamese that lived until he was 17,” she said. “As he aged, he had several health issues come up that made me wish I had put a policy in place on him.” When Karissa was given her French Bulldog puppy, Belle, in July 2021, she purchased a pet insurance policy right away. “I went ahead and got the best plan. It’s roughly $500 a year and covers everything from heartworm prevention and vaccines to more serious things like back surgery, minus my $1,000 deductible,” she said. “We all know full-blood animals tend to have various genetic issues, and in the event my French Bulldog had back issues, I didn’t want to be out of pocket a large amount unexpectedly.” Worth the Investment Adam regrets not having insurance for his dog and now hopes to encourage other people to consider pet insurance. When it comes to owning pets, “You never know,” he said. “It’s all about the unexpected, basically.” Karissa concurs. “Pet insurance is important because you never know what could come up healthwise for an animal, depending on the breed,” she said. The hope is to raise awareness about pet insurance as a product that pet owners can use to save money and hassle, Chad said. “I feel like most people don’t realize there’s a policy out there. They may have heard a commercial or seen something online, but most of the time when I tell people we offer pet insurance, they’re like, ‘Really? What is that?’ ” How To Learn More Pet owners who are interested in pet insurance can start by asking their current insurance providers if they provide pet cov- erage. Advice from veterinarians, word of mouth from friends and fellow pet owners, social media, and searching the Internet can also be helpful. At Cobble Insurance Agency, the mis- sion for all insurance products offered is clear: “This is an industry where you want to help people, help educate them,” Chad said. “At some point in your lifetime, may- be in the near future, you’re going to use your insurance — and you hope it’s going to be good.”