Adopting a pet comes with great responsibility and commitment. Like humans, pets also need proper care and a generous amount of love, attention, a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, and a lifetime of care. Some pet parents invest in a pet insurance or pet wellness plan to offer the utmost attention to their furry friends through routine care ranging from pampering at the groomers and keeping up with good dental practice, to routine vet visits including bloodwork and being prepared for accidents and illness.
Both pet insurance and wellness plans add to the well-being and longevity of your pets. These plans encourage pet parents to take their pets to regular veterinarian visits and health checkups and provide medical assistance.
Most pet parents often get confused when choosing between pet insurance vs. wellness plans. These plans differ from each other as they provide coverage for diverse pet health problems. They provide valuable benefits to both pet parents and pets.
If you wonder which pet plan is best and how they both make a difference in your and your pet’s life? Read below.
Pet Insurance vs. Wellness Plan
Before we get into the details of pet insurance vs. wellness plans, let’s look at some of the typical differences between both plans:
What is a Pet Insurance Plan?
Pet parents should not associate fatal diseases (like cancer and rabies) or chronic health problems with aging as it may occur in young pets as well. Lymphoma and osteosarcoma are two common types of cancer that can affect dogs as young as 2 years or less of age. Other diseases like Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FPL) and Rabies also affect young pets severely. So, it is best to invest in a pet insurance plan as you bring your young pet home.
You cannot predict what condition or health issue your pet might have to deal with. Therefore, you need a pet insurance plan to financially support you during emergency pet care, medical treatment, and veterinarian visits.
With valuable benefits, a pet insurance plan also comes with some limitations. Most of these plans and policies do not provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. Or, you have to pay for services that your pet will never use.
Pros
1) Provide emergency care at affordable prices
2) Bears the cost of veterinary support, prescribed medication, and treatment
3) You get experienced veterinarian support and top-notch pet services
4) May get options to customize the insurance plan
Cons
1) Doesn’t include pre-existing medical conditions
2) Doesn’t include regular veterinary screenings and preventive care
3) As it works on a reimbursement model, you have to pay the bill up front and wait 24 hours for reimbursement
What is Pet Wellness Plan?
A pet wellness plan supports you in taking care of your pet’s routine healthcare needs. This plan covers the cost of services and treatment necessary for your pet, irrespective of age. It helps pet parents disseminate the cost of pet care, including routine check-ups, hygiene, and improvement.
The major advantage of a pet wellness plan is that it helps in detecting the early signs of an acute or chronic disease. As vaccination is covered under a pet wellness plan, your pet gets shots that boost its immunity to fight against those harmful viruses and bacterial infections.
Like a pet insurance plan, this also has certain limitations attached to it. A wellness plan will not cover the cost of the treatment and medication of a disease that may get diagnosed during a routine checkup. A pet wellness plan also doesn’t include the cost of emergency care, which means if your pet meets an accident or gets an injury you have to pay upfront for any treatment or medication they need.
Pros
1) Disseminate the cost of pet care into monthly or yearly services
2) Helps diagnose early signs of fatal diseases, allergies, and health conditions
3) Maintain proper hygiene and health of pets
4) Affordable and customized services
Cons
1) Doesn’t support during emergency visits, accidents, or injuries
2) Not the best option for pet parents who won’t have the time and flexibility to take their pets to routine appointments and veterinary screenings
When it comes to pet insurance vs wellness plan, you have to choose the plan that best suits your needs and lifestyle. Go through your budget, requirements, and pet’s needs, and then, choose an option that fulfills you and your pet's needs.
A common Wagmo Wellness membership includes all the essentials to keep your furball healthy from day one and to stay consistent with routine care. However, if you want to be foresighted and prepare for the future, or if you live a very active lifestyle with your pet, then opting for a pet insurance plan or adding it to your wellness plan is the best option.
Feel free to visit Wagmo reviews online to see what other pet parents have chosen, and check out our affordable pet insurance and wellness plans.
Take a quiz today to help you find out which plan best suits your needs!