Many people have insurance for their pets just in case of an emergency. It can be a good thing to have and it saves people money. While you do have to pay a monthly cost, it can be cheaper than paying hundreds or thousands of dollars in an emergency.However, how does it work when you have an older dog? Most insurance plans cover health conditions and accidents that cause injury or veterinary care for your dog and there are certain varieties which can help you choose the best one for your pet.Some insurance plans will even cover a death of a pet, if you choose to bury or cremate your dog. As older dogs have a tendency to be more vulnerable to health risks as well as develop some health conditions throughout time, it’s a good idea to think of insuring your older dogs.While accidents can happen to dogs of any age, some chronic or hereditary illnesses manifest much later in life. It’s best to be prepared for such an eventuality to help you save up on medical costs in the long run.

How Old Are Senior Dogs?

The answer to this question depends on a couple different factors. For one thing, it depends on the size and breed of your dog. Since every breed has a different life expectancy, this will help determine the age that your dog would be considered a senior dog.Most dog breeds are considered to be a senior dog by the time they are eight years old. Larger breeds of dogs are considered to be a senior after the age of five. On the other hand, medium dogs are seniors after the age of six.Small dogs are seniors after the age of seven, while tiny breeds of dogs are considered seniors after the age of eight. As you may have noticed, a dog’s seniority depends largely on your dog’s breed size.Apart from these averages, you should also do some intensive research on the typical lifespan of your dog’s specific breed. After all, some dog breeds are more susceptible to life-threatening diseases, which can make their life expectancy much shorter.Breed also affects how easily you are able to acquire insurance, as the health risks associated with the breed are not covered by their insurance policies. Dogs age at a different rate than humans do, this is why they have a shorter life span than we do.Some dog breeds can live up to twenty years. If your dog lives to be twenty, they can be considered a senior dog for more than half their life.If you aren’t sure about the life expectancy of your dog or the age that it becomes a senior, talk to a vet or an insurance agency for more information. You will need to know the breed of dog you have, its birthdate and other information as well.

The Importance of Insurance for Older Dogs

One of the most important reasons why you need to insure your older dog is because as they age, dogs are more likely to become sick or have an accident. It can cause a lot of financial stress if your dog becomes ill and it costs money that you don’t have to cover it.Some vet bills can cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars. Most pet owners treat their pets like family, which makes sense as to why you should have insurance on your pets.The good thing about the latest developments on pet health and veterinary care is that they are improving so as that to make older pets live as comfortably as they can and to prolong a healthy life for them.An insurance for your older dog is certainly no lost money and can even delay the time until you’ll have to feel the emotional impact of losing a dear pet. It’s very important to insure your dog as soon as you can. Some insurance companies won’t cover any existing conditions your dog may have. If you insure them before they become ill, this can help you make sure they are covered. When looking into different insurances for your dog, you will want to research if they cover any pre-existing conditions or not. If your dog does have a pre-existing condition, don’t lose hope, you may be able to find an insurance that will cover it.However, you may have higher premiums to pay. Getting insurance for your older dog is particularly important if it was adopted at an older age than average.Because you are getting to know your dog at a later stage in its life, you may not be certain of pre-existing or chronic health conditions that it may have. Not to mention any unpredictable accidents that can drastically affect its well-being.An insurance will help cover your expenses if the need does arise, no matter how sooner or later this is in your older dog’s life.

Different Types of Insurance

Lifetime Insurance

A lifetime insurance will cover your pet for the rest of its lifetime, under the condition that you continue to pay the premiums and not forget to renew the insurance policy each year.If these conditions are met, then the insurance will cover your dog at any age, even past the maximum age of what insurances typically cover for pets. Typically, this will cost the most out of all the available pet insurances for older dogs.However, as it covers an extensive amount of health conditions, it is your best bet for your senior dog too.

Maximum Benefit Policy

This insurance type is less pricey than a lifetime insurance will be, but it’s not recommended for senior or older dogs with chronic or ongoing illness.Since older dogs are far more vulnerable to such health conditions, this mid-zone between a lifetime insurance and limited policy should be a compromise that you’re willing to take.

Time-Limited Insurance

Best fitted for younger dogs, a time-limited insurance can come in handy when an accident happens to your dog. However, it is not enough to cover the expenses that will come as a result of the health conditions that can typically affect a dog as it grows older.

Accident-Only Pet Insurance

As you may surmise from its name alone, this kind of insurance only covers accidents. Although it is the cheapest kind of insurance available for pets, you must take into careful consideration that a serious health problem may be far more likely to affect your senior dog than a sudden accident.Although not disregarding the risk, this insurance will cover far less than what you will need in case a chronic disease affects your older dog.

Is It More Expensive?

Since senior dogs require extra medical and dental attention, purchasing an insurance policy for your aging pet may also tend to cost you an extra penny for veterinary care than those of younger ones. They are in a greater risk for physical injuries too, because most older dogs lose their sight and hearing. Some pet owners have a propensity of putting off their pet’s enrollment to an insurance, not knowing that this might cause them trouble in the near future. As mentioned, if your pet developed a disease before you are able to purchase insurance for it, that disease is absolutely pre-existent and is not covered by the policy. As a result, delaying your purchase of insurance can be more expensive than it should be.Comparing plans and prices at an early time can help you decide which insurance you may want to cover your dog’s veterinary bills. You may also expect that the prices are increasing annually, since your pet will potentially cost you more due to higher demand of health care.That being said, this is quite understandable is also expected. However, it is all up to you to decide whether you are willing to put up with the increasing prices.

Common Claims

Older dogs normally start showing symptoms of health problems due to their age. Just like us humans, your pet’s immune system gets weaker and their metabolism slows down as they get older. These two factors can cause them to gain weight and as a result, they are more likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, or in worse cases, cancer. On the grounds that senior dogs are most likely to develop diseases that may affect not only their physical strength, but also on how they feel about their environment. Choosing the right insurance policy for your pet will give relief not only to your pup, but to yourself as well.You may want to enroll your senior to an insurance that covers not only the medication for a certain disease, but also for the overall wellness of your beloved dog. A semi-annual veterinary check-up is a must to control or prevent a health problem from dominating. Diet and nutrition should also be included and incorporate weight and parasite control through vaccinations. Maintaining mobility and allowing your older dog to enjoy the same activities it used to do in its younger years, together with a friendly environment, can improve a dog’s mental health. These are the things that pet insurance companies usually cover for your pet.Together with these, there are common accidents and illnesses that older dogs usually go through that are specifically covered by insurance. Some examples of these are the following:

• Cancer
• Addison’s disease
• Tumor
• Vestibular syndrome
• Renal failure
• Cataract
• Periodontal disease
• Seizures
• Heart disease
• Blindness
• Diabetes
• Arthritis
• Dementia

In some companies, they cover not just the treatments, but also aids like wheelchairs and prosthetics for dogs that have osteo-related issues.That being said, it is best that you enroll your pet early so that their medical conditions have lesser chances of being categorized as pre-existent. Doing this can save not just your money, but also your pet’s health and wellness.

Is It Worth It?

Many insurance policies will seem expensive and unaffordable for some people. However, if you try to look at the bigger picture, purchasing a policy that costs you every month but will cover your future bills is much better than a hospital squeezing all your savings in no time.There are some situations where pet parents do not own an insurance policy and could not afford the proper treatment for their sick dog. As a result, they turn to “economic euthanasia.” As painful as you can imagine, it does happen because treatments actually cost a fortune when not insured. Luckily, there are many insurance companies that actually offer a good deal. All you have to do is research and compare plans until you decide on one that is suitable for you and your senior dog. For example, at one company, they insure your senior dog if you enroll them before their 14th birthday and that is double the age that they are considered gray.Because senior dogs need more medical attention than younger ones, having them covered for years of treatments and check-ups will lighten the burden of owning a sick pup at home.If you are good enough at paying attention to details in finding a good insurance policy, you might encounter one that does not have annual limits. As a result, you are free to take your senior dog to a veterinarian whenever it needs to all-year round.People will normally love a cute puppy, whether they saw it the first time or over again. However, having senior dogs, which have been your companion through the years, is something beyond cute and lovable.A strong connection between the pet and the parent is established as time goes by, but a downside is visible. A dog’s lifespan is much shorter than humans, so pet parents try their very best to be with the dogs as long as possibleBy having an insurance policy for your senior dog, you do not only allow yourself to be secured about the monetary terms, but also feel relieved that you and your dog are in good hands through insurance policies. In other words, it is definitely worth it.

Conclusion

Knowing how old your pet may be and understanding its current health condition will help you decide what kind of insurance you should enroll your dog to and to avoid delays and uncovered pre-existing diseases. Purchasing a policy for your older dog is a good way to secure its health and future. Just like us, they will get old and little by little, they are becoming prone to accidents and illnesses.It is best to be aware of the risks that you and your senior dog will encounter, even before signs and symptoms begin to show up. The earlier you sign up to one, the better, because you will be able to control any disease that your dog has acquired and treatments will not be expensiveGood insurance companies are almost everywhere if you are keen enough to look for one. It is best that you know exactly what treatment or aids your dog needs, according to its condition.Policies are actually pricey at one glance, but if you do the math, it is practical and convenient. Even if some of the companies increase their price annually, it is only because of the cost of treatment that a senior dog may undergo.

Save this article for later by Pinning it on Pinterest. Just hover over the image above and click the P