Just like humans, dogs can of course become ill or suffer an injury. In this case, a visit to the vet is often essential. The costs of treatment are usually borne by the owner. However, many dog owners decide to take out dog health insurance.
What exactly health insurance for dogs is all about, whether it makes sense and which costs are usually covered, is explained below.
As a responsible owner, you of course know that regular visits to the vet are often unavoidable. While the costs for simple preventive examinations are still relatively manageable, the treatment of serious dog diseases can quickly lead to considerable financial burdens.
Operations, in particular, are often expensive and do not infrequently result in four-digit invoice amounts, which is certain to cause considerable problems for many an average earner.
By taking out dog health insurance, you can avoid having to miss out on urgently needed treatments for financial reasons. This is because the insurance covers the majority of the veterinary bill within the framework of the chosen tariff so that treatment measures do not have to be made dependent on the expected costs.
Those who decide to take out a dog health insurance policy have to choose between a so-called OP insurance policy and a comprehensive health insurance policy. Both variants differ from each other in terms of the benefits they contain.
With dog surgery insurance, the insurance cover is mainly limited to the assumption of costs arising from medically necessary operations, including preliminary examinations and follow-up treatment. Dog owners, on the other hand, have to pay for other treatment measures themselves.
In contrast to a pure OP insurance, comprehensive health insurance for dogs also covers the costs for other treatments and examinations in addition to the contents of the OP insurance. The exact scope of benefits varies depending on the chosen tariff and provider.
It is not possible to make a general statement about which dog health insurance is the best. If you only want to protect yourself from high surgery costs, a simple dog surgery insurance policy will suffice.
If, on the other hand, you attach importance to the fact that other treatments and examinations, such as medication prescribed by the vet or diagnostic imaging procedures, are also covered, you should opt for comprehensive health insurance.
The costs associated with taking out dog health insurance are influenced by various factors. For example, pure dog surgery insurance is generally cheaper than comprehensive health insurance.
Anyone planning to take out dog health insurance can choose from numerous providers. It, therefore, makes sense not only to compare insurance premiums but also to take a closer look at the benefits included in the different tariffs.
As a rule, dog health insurance policies have a waiting period. This means that the benefits of the insurance cannot be claimed for a certain period after the conclusion of the contract and illnesses that have occurred during the waiting period are excluded from the insurance cover. A waiting period of 30 days is usual. For certain treatments, such as operations on dogs with hip dysplasia and other joint diseases, longer waiting periods sometimes apply.
Despite all the advantages, dog health insurance is of course associated with regular costs. Depending on the dog and the chosen tariff, the insurance premium can quickly exceed 50 euros per month.
Of course, you have to decide for yourself whether the insurance cover is worth it. As long as you can pay even higher veterinary bills in an emergency without any problems, you can certainly do without dog health insurance.
If this is not the case, however, health insurance for dogs is probably a good idea, keeping you and your beloved four-legged friend on the safe side. Therefore, at least think about taking out dog surgery insurance. This way you can be sure that at least expensive operations will not fail due to too high costs.
In our range, you will find a large selection of natural food supplements for dogs, with which you can support the kidneys, promote digestion or counteract problems with the skin and coat, for example.
If your dog is insured in the Top or Premium dog health insurance from Barmenia Insurance, you can have the costs for the purchase of Bellfor nutritional supplements reimbursed as part of the contractually agreed preventive care benefit.
Of course, you hope that your four-legged friend will remain healthy throughout his or her life and be spared serious illnesses and accidents.
Unfortunately, there is no guarantee. At the worst, if your dog needs an operation, it can quickly become very expensive.
So that important treatments do not have to be omitted for cost reasons, dog health insurance often makes sense. We, therefore, recommend that you at least seriously consider taking out this insurance.