As our pets cannot take care of themselves, it is our responsibility to give them the best care possible. The best and most affordable way to do this is by insuring them. You never know when an accident or illness could occur. If you’re not expecting it, vet bills could be impossible to pay.
Save yourself the stress and get pet insurance. All you’ll need to do is pay a monthly premium to ensure your cats and dogs and other animals are as protected as can be. Regular monthly payments are much easier to budget for.
We’ve picked out our top two favourite insurance providers for Ottawa. Read all about them in this article. Also, we point out at pet insurance in other towns and provinces, such as Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and also Quebec, and Alberta.
Pet Insurance Ottawa Reviews
Petplan
The best pet insurance company in Canada is Petplan. Here are some pros and cons about their policy.
Pros
- Petplan offers a discount if you don’t make any claims. You receive a 15% discount if you don’t make any claims in a year, up to a maximum of 30%.
- You can also get a welcome discount if you purchase the insurance plan online.
- The standard insurance is comprehensive. It covers any chronic condition, hereditary diseases, and congenital diseases.
- Their plan also covers behavioural and alternative therapy.
- Many pet insurance plans offer optional add-ons for owner insurance. This includes things such as advertising for lost pets and if you had to cancel a vacation due to pet illness. Petplan, however, includes this in their standard insurance plan.
- The exam fees for sick visits are also covered.
- It is easy to make claims as Petplan has an app.
- Similarly, claims are usually repaid within five to seven days.
- Covers up to 90% of vet medical costs. This includes treatment after an accident, injury, or illness.
- You can start to use your policy soon after getting it. Accident and injury benefits are available 24 hours after purchase. Illness benefits are available after two weeks.
Cons
- Once you notice symptoms of an illness or injury, you must take your pet to the vet within 48 hours. Otherwise, you will not be covered.
- As Petplan reimburses your claims, they can often be delayed. Petplan also requires a lot of documentation to make claims, further delaying the process.
- Your cat or dog must receive health and dental check-ups yearly. If they don’t, they won’t be covered.
- Monthly payments are quite high compared to other insurance for pets, Canada.
- If you pay with a credit card, you will be charged a processing fee.
Summary
Petplan has been a pet insurance company for quite a while now. The company started operating in 2006 out of Philadelphia. While their customer service and pet insurance plans are good, they are becoming a little outdated. Petplan charges a higher monthly premium than other pet insurance providers in Canada. Despite there being so many competing companies, Petplan does not offer competitive pricing.
Due to their reputation, however, they are still the best pet insurance provider to go with.
Trupanion
Are you a pet owner looking for comprehensive pet insurance in Canada? Trupanion offers one of the best interest rates on pet insurance in Canada. Perhaps, the best pet insurance overall. Here’s a look at some of the pros and cons to help you understand what Trupanion has to offer.
Pros
- Trupanion offers one comprehensive plan. This means you don’t need to worry about adding any additional coverage for clinical services.
- The insurance coverage is for any new injuries or illnesses. This includes hereditary conditions, unidentified issues, and congenital conditions.
- This insurance pet company offers 90% coverage with no insurance payout limits.
- You have to pay a deductible, but only if your pet develops a new condition. Many pet insurance companies charge a yearly deductible.
- Optional add-ons are available for additional, non-clinical services. Services include rehabilitative therapy, acupuncture, hydrotherapy, chiropractic care, behavioural modification therapy, homeopathy, naturopathy.
- You can also add on pet owners’ assistance. This includes liability coverage for any third party property damage. If your pets get lost, this coverage includes advertisement and reward cost as well as boarding fees if you are in the hospital and cremation/ burial fees.
Cons
- Pre-existing conditions are not covered with this pet health insurance.
- Preventative care for your pet, such as vaccinations, de-worming, and flea control, is also not covered.
- Exam fees are not covered either.
- There is a five day waiting period for injuries. But, there is a thirty-day waiting period for illnesses. This means you won’t be covered right away for a pet emergency. This is typical of Canadian pet insurance.
- As coverage is comprehensive, monthly premiums are a bit higher compared to other Canada pet insurance providers.
- Charging a deductible for each new condition may also be seen as a negative. If your pet develops more than a single condition a year, you could end up paying more.
Summary
Trupanion is one of the best pet insurance providers in Canada and for a good reason. They offer great, comprehensive coverage and are upfront about what they will and won’t cover. This insurance company also tries to make you and your pets’ life as easy as possible. Their customer care team is available 24/7, and they can pay your claim to the vet directly. This allows you to simply focus on your pet instead.
Trupanion also offers extremely adaptable insurance coverage. If you want additional add-ons, you can get them! If you want to pay a lower deductible, no problem! Head over to their site for a free quote today.
How Does Pet Insurance Work?
If you, your house, or your car are insured, you likely understand how pet insurance works. The basics of all of them are the same. You pay a premium, either monthly or yearly, to a provider. Then, that provider will cover you, or in this case, your pet, if they are sick or injured.
Standard policies typically cover your animals in a number of ways. They cover accidents if your pet has to be hospitalized. They also cover illnesses, chronic conditions and emergency care and prescriptions. Many companies also offer optional add-ons to be totally covered.
Depending on your insurer, you will pay the vet bills. Or, they will pay them directly for you. Insurers typically pay a portion of the bills, not the whole thing. This is dependant on your deductible. Deductibles can range from $0 to $1000. But, the higher your deductible is, the lower your monthly payment will be.
If you are wondering how much pet insurance could cost, it depends on your pet. You will likely have a higher premium for bigger or older animals. This is because bigger and/or older animals may need to see a vet more often. The insurer will charge you a higher premium to counteract that cost.
Make sure you know what your insurance plan entails before paying for it, as every provider has different rules and rates.
The Bottom Line
Though insuring your animals may seem expensive and unnecessary, it is an invaluable service. Your animals could fall sick or be in an accident at any time. If you can’t pay the vet bill, what will happen to them?
You can avoid even having to think of this horror by getting them insured by either Trupanion or Petplan today! Get a free quote from both companies to see what policy better suits your little (or not so little) buddy and budget.
