Veterinary Care Services

How Pet Health Services Can Save You Money

Pet wellness plans allow for proactive veterinary care that promotes long-term health and happiness. Plans can include routine checkups, vaccinations, parasite prevention, and nutrition guidance. Contact Vets Near Lapeer for professional help.

Pet Health Services

Routine exams help diagnose illnesses before they show any signs or symptoms. They also give your veterinarian the opportunity to administer fecal tests to scan for intestinal parasites, which are easier to eliminate the earlier they are detected.

There’s an old adage that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” This holds especially true when it comes to pet health. Annual wellness exams and routine vaccinations help catch illness in its early stages, when it is easier and less expensive to treat. Preventative care also helps keep pets healthy and happy by keeping them free of parasites, fleas, and ticks.

Pets can be pretty sneaky about when they’re sick, so they don’t always let their owners know that something is wrong. This makes regular visits to the veterinarian extremely important. During these appointments, the veterinarian will complete a head-to-toe examination of your pet. This will include a weight and body condition score, dental health, eyes, ears, heart and lungs, abdomen, joints and mobility, and skin. The veterinarian will look for any abnormalities and make notes of them in your pet’s medical records.

Routine wellness exams can identify hidden illnesses that may not show obvious symptoms, such as a slight change in appetite or sleep patterns. They can also identify and prevent conditions, such as obesity, that lead to health problems like hypertension or bladder stones. In addition to identifying underlying issues, routine wellness exams can provide your pet with the best nutrition possible. The veterinarian will recommend a diet that is appropriate for your pet’s age and activity level, and they can provide you with food samples and nutritional guides to help you keep your pet on track.

While many preventative services are one-off procedures, such as spaying and neutering or microchipping, others, such as bloodwork, fecal tests, and parasite screenings are ongoing and should be part of your dog’s health regimen. Adding preventative care coverage to your pet insurance plan can help you pay for the expected, routine medical care that your dog will need yearly throughout their life, including heartworm tests, fecal testing, and annual wellness checkups.

In addition to helping you save on preventative care, pet insurance can help cover the cost of unexpected accidents and illnesses. However, most base plans do not include preventative care coverage, so be sure to talk with your vet about add-on coverage if you’re interested in this option.

Routine checkups

It may seem counterintuitive to schedule a routine checkup for your pet when they seem healthy. However, routine wellness exams can help to detect early signs of disease in your pet when they are still relatively inexpensive to treat. This can save you the expense of having to pay for more invasive treatments down the road. Early detection also allows the veterinarian to prescribe preventative care medications such as vaccines, flea and tick medications, and heartworm medication that will significantly improve your pet’s chances of living a long and happy life.

During a routine exam, the vet will review your pet’s medical history to get an idea of any health issues they may be facing or have faced in the past. The vet will also inquire about your pet’s diet, exercise routine, thirst levels, bowel movements, urination and other aspects of their lifestyle and behavior. In some cases, the vet may request that you collect a fresh sample of your pet’s feces for a fecal exam. These diagnostic tests can help to identify problematic intestinal parasites that would otherwise be difficult to detect.

The vet will then perform a full physical exam on your pet from head to tail, looking for any early signs of disease or illness. The physical exam will include checking the eyes with an ophthalmoscope, ears with an otoscope, feeling lymph nodes and organs in the abdomen, performing a rectal exam, testing blood pressure and heart rate, and more. Depending on your pet’s age and risk, the vet may recommend additional tests to be run such as a complete blood count, thyroid hormone test, urinalysis, electrocardiogram (ECG), or other testing. Annual vaccinations will also be administered during a routine exam, based upon your pet’s appropriate schedule.

The best thing you can do to help your pet live a long, happy and healthy life is to take them to the vet regularly. Make sure you keep up with their annual vaccinations and preventative medication schedule, as well as making time for routine wellness exams. It is a small price to pay for your pet’s overall wellbeing.

Illness coverage

Illness coverage reimburses you for veterinary bills associated with your pet’s treatment for disease or illness. It may include diagnostic tests and medications. Some policies also include routine care such as annual wellness exams, dental cleanings and flea and heartworm prevention. Some wellness coverage plans are included in a plan or available for an additional charge, such as the ASPCA’s Complete CoverageSM plan and BestWellness add-on.

Illness plans typically exclude hereditary or congenital conditions like hip dysplasia. However, if the condition is curable, many insurers will cover it after a waiting period. This is a good reason to research different pet insurance options.

Most pet insurance policies have a maximum amount of money they will reimburse over a 12-month period, known as the policy limit. This limit resets on the start of a new policy period. The premium is the amount you pay each month to transfer some of the risk of your pet’s medical costs to the insurance company. Most insurance companies require you to pay a deductible, which is the amount you are responsible for paying before the insurance will start reimbursing you for expenses. Most deductibles are annual, but some are per-incident.

Herbal, alternative or experimental therapies are generally not covered by pet insurance unless they’re prescribed by a veterinarian and used to treat a covered accident or illness. Some examples of these treatments are acupuncture, hydrotherapy and physiotherapy.

Vaccination and preventive medication are often covered by both illness and accident coverage. However, spaying and neutering, dental procedures and parasite testing and treatment are usually not. This is a good reason to get a pet insurance policy with a preventive care add-on.

When choosing a pet insurance plan, make sure you read the fine print to understand what is and isn’t covered. Be careful not to commit fraud or misrepresentation when applying for a pet insurance policy, as this could impact the coverage you receive. Fraud includes giving inaccurate information, lying on an application or changing the facts on a claim. This type of behavior can result in the termination of a policy or suspension of your pet’s coverage.

Accident coverage

A pet’s health can be unpredictable, and if you’re a responsible owner, you want to protect your pets against expensive medical conditions that could arise. One way to do this is by purchasing a pet insurance plan. These plans are typically a bit more expensive than routine vet services, but they can save you money in the long run by paying for the cost of emergency treatments like dental procedures or limb surgeries.

You can find a range of options when choosing a pet insurance plan, and some providers offer add-ons for wellness care or other features. Typically, you can choose between an accident-only or illness-and-accident coverage. The plan you choose will depend on your pet’s needs, your budget, and the annual deductible and coverage limit. Some insurers even have a feature that allows you to make multiple claims per year, which can help you save more on each visit.

Accident-only pet insurance plans typically cover a wider range of injuries than illness-and-accident coverage. However, they don’t always cover illnesses, which can be just as costly. Illness coverage may also have a higher deductible or cap, and some illnesses such as cancer are excluded.

A good pet insurance provider will clearly explain the terms of their policy, including annual deductibles, caps, reimbursement percentages, and exclusions. They should also tell you about their process for submitting a claim. For example, with Fetch, you can simply snap a picture of your vet invoice and receipt to submit it.

You should also be aware of any potential fraud and misrepresentation that can affect your coverage. Examples of this include hiding a pre-existing condition, intentionally providing inaccurate information on an application, applying for pet insurance after your pet has been injured or diagnosed with a disease, and changing the facts on a claim.

White-labeled pet insurance is a great opportunity for your business to expand its products and grow recurring revenue. You can even sell it in conjunction with your existing services or as an add-on to your existing insurance policies. By offering it as part of your overall pet care services, you can ensure your clients are getting the coverage they need for their pets’ health and wellbeing.

Hi, I’m Eliot Chandler