The UK has a wide variety of pet insurance plans available. When making a comparison it can be tempting to go for the cheapest policy, but cheap pet insurance doesn’t always offer the extensive cover included in more comprehensive pet insurance plans. It is well worth investigating policies in depth before your pet becomes ill; an illness such as urinary tract problems should be dealt with as quickly as possible as if it develops it can be life threatening -and you would not want your insurance plan to delay your pet’s treatment.

Triggers:
The most common trigger for conditions such as FLUTD is stress. Cats are sensitive animals and changes within their immediate environment can leave them feeling anxious. Social change can also have an impact on your cat; the loss of a family member or a new addition to the household can shift the social dynamic. Cats can find readjusting to these social changes just as challenging as adapting to physical disruptions.

Symptoms:
If your cat has a urinary tract problem, they may go to the toilet more frequently, and could even have blood in their urine. They may have difficulty urinating, only passing small amounts of liquid at any given time.

Cystitis can be very painful and your cat may come to associate this pain with the litter tray itself and look for other places to relieve themselves. Thick rugs and piles of clothes or laundry are often popular spots.

Blockages:
If FLUTD is left untreated, it can become extremely serious; the backup of toxins can lead to kidney failure and death within 72 hours.[1] Therefore, if you notice that your cat is displaying the symptoms mentioned above, it is important to act quickly.

Treatment:
Most vets will put your cat on a course of antibiotics; some of these have anti-inflammatory or pain relieving effects.

There is also a wide range of complementary therapies available and as FLUTD is often stress related, some people believe treatments that attempt to address the underlying causes can be extremely effective. Reputable pet insurance plans will often pay for complementary therapies as well as clinical treatments.

Whichever course of treatment you go for, clinical, complementary or a combination of the two, if diagnosed quickly your cat should make a full and speedy recovery.

[1] – merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp?cfile=htm/bc/130615.htm

The post Prevent Your Pet Become Ill From Feline Urinary Tract Problems first appeared on Puppy Blog.

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.