GREENSBORO, N.C. — What do you do when your pet needs emergency medical care and how do you pay for it? Depending on the emergency, care can cost anywhere between $250 to $10,000 according to Care Credit.
Dr. Kelley Gebhardt is a veterinarian at Happy Tails Veterinary Emergency Clinic in Greensboro. She's joining us from 5:30 pm to 6 pm to talk about this topic and to take your text questions. You can text your question to 336-379-5775.
Helpful tips on how to cover the cost of pet emergencies
The cost for a pet emergency can be financially significant and figuring out how to pay for it in that moment can be overwhelming. The following options may help provide financial flexibility when your pet is in need of unexpected medical care.
- Pet insurance – excellent option to provide financial flexibility when your pet has a medical emergency. Some insurance plans also have direct pay for payment directly to the veterinary clinic at check out.
- Care Credit – medical credit card that allows for flexible payment plans.
- Scratch Pay – one time loan, no credit card, no hidden fees, payment plans.
- Emergency credit card specifically for pet medical emergencies.
- Pet health savings account.
More info on pet health insurance:
- To help cover the cost for treatment of injury or illness.
- Some plans also have wellness plans included.
- However, often times insurance plans that cover wellness as well as illness/injury cost more, have higher premiums, limited coverage, or lower percent reimbursement on claims.
- Remember: it is not possible to sign up for pet insurance at the time of an emergency. It must be in place prior to the event.
- Wellness plans through a pet insurance plans are different than wellness plans offered through a primary veterinarian.
- Helpful resource: https://www.pet-insurance-university.com/
- This website is written by a veterinarian to help pet owners navigate through all the pet insurance options and choose a plan that is right for them and their pets.
Pet Insurance examples:
We use Trupanion personally for our pets and at accept it at Happy Tails.
- 90% reimbursement after deductible.
- No limit for reimbursement.
- Trupanion direct pay – bills for approved claims are paid instantly and directly to the vet clinic at check out. Rather than paying out of pocket and waiting to get reimbursed.
- No wellness plans.
- Trupanion example: patient suffered from a toxicity. Treatment cost $75,000!!! Trupanion reimbursed 90% of this cost after the deductible! That is $67,500!
- Personal example: In less than two years, two of our dogs both ruptured their cruciate ligaments. One dog ruptured both of her cruciate ligaments. This meant 3 orthopedic surgeries in less than two years.
- Each surgery cost approximately $4500.
- $4500 x 3 = $13,500
- However, after our deductible and 90% reimbursement, each surgery only cost around $500-600 x 3 = $1,500. Total savings of $12,000!!!! This paid for the total cost of all of the years of monthly premiums paid for these two dogs