Pet insurance is a service that you buy in order to be covered against the financial problems that might occur due to any types of illness or accident. Thus, at relatively cheap monthly or annual rates, it offers you peace of mind in case you have to take your pet to the veterinary.

According to the type of the animal there are different types of policies. Whether you have a cat, a dog, a bird, or other exotic pets, it is essential to find out what kind of policy exactly suits your needs. Nowadays it is quite easy to find the right policy, since the Internet offers you a wide variety of possible insurance offers. Online companies display comprehensive websites and insurance packages, all you have to do is to read the downloadable policies thoroughly and compare prices, services and discounts. It is essential to check out the insurance companies' background, to make sure they are reliable and they work with good veterinarians and animal hospitals. Obviously, there are standard packages, and there are extra services for which you have to pay more.

Standard coverage usually includes the following:

- medication prescriptions
- surgery
- hospitalization
- X rays
- diagnostic tests
- emergency treatments
- vaccines
- MRIs
- CAT scans
- costs of rescue
- 24 hours medical emergency line

Additional policies based on your requirements, can be purchased at an extra price, and can include:

- costs of specific recovery
- accidental death benefits
- costs of euthanasia
- boarding kennel taxes
- food prescription
- third party liability

What policies for what kind of animals?

A good pet insurance should provide in its standard coverage regular medical check ups and also special procedures, for example laboratory and diagnostic tests, surgery and physical examinations. The premiums greatly vary according to the type of your animal, its size, age and also lifestyle. By lifestyle companies mean the usual daily activities of the animal, for example in the case of dogs they will look at the function of that dog: sentinel, rescue or just a simple "house" dog. Animals that live predominantly indoors are more vulnerable to accidents and illnesses. This is especially true in the case of cats, that are curious by their nature. Thus, in their case, accident coverage is a primary need. This includes medical treatment for injuries resulting from accidentally falling from trees, higher floors etc. You also have to know that cats have a frequent tendency to develop cancer. Therefore, a standard policy must include regular check ups for malignant tumors as well as chemotherapy is necessary.

The younger and helthier your pet is, the cheaper you can buy the insurance. However, some companies offer so called senior packages for elder animals, but premiums are higher accordingly.

Pure bred animals do tend to encounter more medical problems than mixed breed animals, including hereditary/genetical defects. Therefore, if you have a pure breed animal you should choose a comprehensive insurance policy.

How to save money with your pet insurance?

There are a lot of possibilities to get discounts and to keep your premiums as low as possible. Pets that already have diseases are not good applicants so buy insurance together with the pet, that is buy it when your pet is still a puppy/kitten. A healthy, active, athletic animal is always a good applicant for pet insurance and can benefit from a lot of discounts. Also consider the insurance company's recommendations regardig the safety of your animal: microchips are not too expensive and are very helpful in case your pet disappears and/or must be rescued. If you have more animals, it is also a good idea to buy multi pet insurance, because it always brings you great discounts.

All in all, purchasing pet insurance proves your unconditional love and loyalty in return, thus you can provide your animal the best veterinary care available.