Merle F. Marks, DVM

Timberland Animal Clinic
 
 
 

PET INSURANCE REVISITED

Last year I wrote a series of articles on the increasing costs of pet care and the various
programs out there to combat the high cost of veterinary care. It is a very simple formula.
Advances in technology + higher client expectations + inflation = higher costs. It can't be
changed. It can't be stopped. How are you going to address it? I have an idea where
veterinary medicine is going and those pet owners who are not open to change will be hit with
some hefty bills or difficult decisions.

Is your income increasing 1% per month? If not, look out because that's how fast veterinary
costs are going up. Practically every supply invoice I receive on a monthly basis requires me to
sit down at the computer and reenter its cost--which in turn recalculates its price to the pet
owner.

We are all trying to make ends meet. There is something I learned however as a business
owner, and please know that veterinary school didn't spend one minute teaching me about being a
business owner--you learn as you go. That something is that you must budget for the
unknown, the unexpected. If you know that you are going to be a pet owner and you know
you are not going to set up a savings account specifically to take care of Fluffy's medical bills,
then you must budget or not be afraid to pull out the credit card. I am not talking about just in
case of an emergency. I am talking about monthly pet bills. Everyone says the same thing--"I
spend more on my pet than I do on myself!" No, you just budget better for yourself. You are completely
carrying the health care bill for your pet if you don't have pet insurance.

Dr. Becky and I have learned with our 2 children. Thank God we haven't had any
emergencies.

But they've had their trips to the doctor for colds, ear infections and vaccinations--no
emergencies. Insurance not only helps you pay those non-emergency doctor bills, but gives
you the freedom to not hesitate when deciding if a problem needs to be checked out. Without a
financial helper, one must decide what the problem is and how bad is it going to get before we
seek medical help. Can any of us really afford to do that?

That's where pet insurance comes in. Pet insurance is the only way I can see people being able
to give their pets superior medical attention in the next 5-10 years. It can be used at any
veterinarian's office, requires no specific standards to qualify and can be adapted to fit many
peoples' budgets. I personally never wanted things to reach this point where people had to
have insurance for their pets health but that time is upon us and maybe it's time for you to look
into pet insurance for your pets. At Timberland, we currently recommend Veterinary Pet
Insurance. We carry free brochures at the clinic which anyone can stop in and pickup at any
time. We receive no kickbacks from the company, and the policy can be used nationwide at
all clinics.