I first heard about pet insurance almost six years ago when I saw a magazine ad which directed me to a website for a quote.

I can’t remember which company it was for, but I remember the pet insurance rates listed were about $20 per month, per pet. Being a broke graduate student at the time, I didn’t make the purchase.

It surprises me today how many pet owners have faced daunting vet bills, yet how few have heard of pet health insurance. And now that I work for Pets Best Insurance, people always ask “How much would it be for my 8 year-old Great Dane?” or “Would your plans cover my cat’s urinary tract problems?”

There are a few things to consider when shopping for a pet health insurance company. While excellent customer service, fast payment and easy online account maintenance is a plus (Pets Best Insurance offers all of these), for many of us, it comes down to monthly pet insurance rates. When I adopted my dog Jayda last spring, I was pleased to discover I would’ve chosen Pets Best Insurance even if I didn’t work here. One company offers 45 days of free coverage and a discount the first month after that, but after I did a little research, switching to Pets Best Insurance was a no-brainer.

For me, it was important to have a variety of deductibles to choose from, in order to get the perfect monthly pet insurance rates. I also didn’t want to be nickled-and-dimed to death with things like extra cancer coverage. (Pets Best Insurance plans cover cancer, so long as the cancer isn’t pre-existing.)

I was surprised to see some companies require a full 30-day waiting period, so you’re paying for an entire month with no coverage—which didn’t seem very fair to me, and didn’t seem to make sense for my dog’s health care.

Other factors in my search included age limits and continuous care. Some companies won’t insure older pets. Still others start their policies fresh every year, meaning that anything previously covered can be regarded as a pre-existing condition. That defeats the entire purpose of dog health care insurance, if you ask me. And what if my dog were to get sick just before our policy renewed? We wouldn’t have much coverage at all. Thankfully with Pets Best Insurance, we don’t have to worry about any of that.

When you’re comparing pet insurance rates, make sure you consider all the above. It’s also important to determine what you can afford each month, and how much you can comfortably part with as a deductible. All Pets Best Insurance plans cover 80% of covered expenses after a deductible is subtracted. Additionally my company’s pet insurance rates are all inclusive and include some of the highest payout limits in the industry.

The post Shopping For The Best Pet Insurance Rates first appeared on Puppy Blog.

Prior to last weekend, I had no idea there was such thing as a doggy exercise wheel. A hamster running in a wheel, I get. A dog running in a wheel seems silly.

Why not just ensure Fido’s dog health by taking him for a walk?

Before last weekend I also had no idea there was such thing as a T-shirt that purports to aid pet health by reducing a dog’s level of anxiety. I contemplated buying one for my neurotic Chihuahua, but quickly determined strapping her into a tight, form-fitting doggy tee would likely make her neurosis worse.

The creative pet health items noted above were just a few of the many booths I sauntered by at the AVMA convention last week in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of the Pets Best Insurance team made the trip to participate as exhibitors.

We received a fantastic response from the veterinary community, including vets, vet technicians and others.

It’s always nice to hear that our pet insurance is preferred by veterinarians and their staff because of the way we pay out claims. It’s even nicer to hear that they refer us because we “always do what we say we will,” to quote one veterinarian.

Visitors to our booth happily filled out quick pet insurance surveys and also used this time to get a better understanding of how our three accident and illness pet insurance policies work, and what our BestWellness plan covers.

Each day of the convention introduced our product to new and returning pet health insurance advocates.

Overall, it was great to spend a few days mingling and chatting with the very people who see the benefit of our product on a daily basis—although I have to admit I was glad to get home to that excited, tail-wagging, neurotic Chihuahua.

The post Pets Best Insurance Promotes Pet Insurance at AVMA Convention first appeared on Puppy Blog.