Benefits of Pet Wellness Plans for Pet Owners

Many pet insurance companies and veterinary organizations have wellness plans you can purchase for your pet to safeguard their health and promote preventive care. There are many different types of pet wellness programs you can choose from depending on what age your pet is.

Pet wellness plans are worth the price tag because they help make the cost of preventive care and regular visits to the vet affordable. 

Wellness plans are designed to spread out the cost of routine services into monthly payments over a 12 month period rather than having to pay a large bill. Having wellness plans encourages the pet owner to take their pet for routine services. Seeing the vet makes it easier to build a good relationship with them, establish a normal baseline for your pet’s health, and catch any issues early that your pet may be experiencing.

Check out the information below and find out the benefits of pet wellness plans for pet owners.

What is a Pet Wellness Plan?

Pet wellness plans help pet owners budget and pay for regular examinations and other preventative treatments. This helps decrease the possibility of preventative health problems in pets to help maintain your pet’s health.

Wellness plans breakup the cost into low, affordable monthly payments to make it easy to budget for your pets routine services. Some of the types of preventive care that a pet wellness plan may cover include the following:

• Teeth cleaning
• Heartworm testing
• Flea, Tick, and Heartworm Prevention
• Vaccinations
• Spay, neuter, and microchipping
• Fecal Screening
• Annual Bloodwork
• Nail Trims
• Technician Appointments
• Routine physical exams

A pet wellness plan may also help pets avoid more serious procedures later down the road as it includes preventive care for pets. A pet wellness plan is excellent for those struggling to manage their pet’s expenses.

Pet wellness plans do not cover serious accidents, emergency, or illnesses. If you couple a wellness plan with a pet insurance plan that covers emergencies, these unexpected events can be covered as well.  In this case, you would pay the total cost of the vet visit and submit a claim for reimbursement. The insurance company will provide funds back to you for any covered services.

There are many services available for your pet, and you should weigh the pros and cons of each before deciding which plan is right for your fur baby.

How Does a Pet Wellness Plan Work?

Pet wellness plans typically are provided by your veterinary hospital directly and are structured into low monthly payments that cover the cost of the routine care services your pet needs over the course of a year.

It is a relatively straightforward process in which you do not pay for the services included in the plan on the day the service is performed. It is important to note that pet wellness plans are not insurance plans. You agree upfront to pay for any service not included in the wellness plan.

Again, if there is an emergency and you have chosen to pair your pet wellness plan with pet insurance, you will still need to pay  the full vet bills and submit a claim for reimbursement from the insurance company. Keep in mind that your pet is part of your family, and they are worth every penny. The best decision you can make to plan for the cost associated with owning a pet is to enroll your pet  in an accident or injury insurance plan in conjunction with a wellness plan.

Pet wellness plans will usually cover cost with specific routine care services and break that cost up into a low monthly payment. Since puppies and kittens need different care than adult and senior pets, included plan services are usually based on the age of your pet.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Wellness Plan for Pets?

Pet wellness plans includes wellness exams, vaccines, and routine testing such as heartworm tests, fecal screening, and bloodwork. These wellness plans helps you budget your pet’s care, which should consist of a visit to the vet at least twice a year.

Pet Wellness Plans Help You Save and Budget Better

A pet wellness plan is ideal when you want to spread out the cost of vet visits. Also, you will have coverage for procedures such as spaying and neutering. The most important benefit of having a wellness plan for pets is that your pet will always have access to regular veterinary care.

Regular vet visits may cost more money without the plan. As discounts and other free services can be built into the plan

Pet Wellness Plans Encourage Preventative Care

Certain wellness plans are also great because they provide preventive care like teeth cleaning, which pet owners often overlook or cannot afford. However, it is an essential part of preventative care. This cleaning is essential because veterinarians can detect gingivitis and periodontal disease early on.

Preventative treatments are imperative to keep your pet healthy. Preventive care will help find any illnesses quickly enough to be treated appropriately.

There are also different types of pet wellness plans. The pricier plans cover more testing and procedures, while the least expensive ones typically only cover the basics.

If you are a pet parent, you should consider getting a wellness plan for your fur baby. It is smart to have coverage that allows you to budget for preventative care and expected visits.

What Does Pet Insurance Cover?

Pet insurance is different from pet wellness plans. Pet insurance encompasses the more urgent situations when your pet could benefit from immediate care. It is important to get your pet signed up for pet insurance as soon as they join your family. The younger you get your pet signed up, the less likely there will be exclusions that the insurance plan will not cover.  The following are examples of what pet insurance covers:

• Illness
• Unexpected emergencies
• Hereditary conditions
• Congenital conditions
• Orthopedic conditions
• Chronic Diseases
• Cancer
• Prescription medications

Pet insurance is a policy that helps cut down on the high costs of veterinary bills by reimbursing you for any cost covered by the policy. It also pays for emergencies. The pet owner’s expectations for their pet’s life have increased due to the advancements in veterinary medicine. Thus, pet insurance has become more prevalent for pet owners in recent years. Pet insurance policies mainly cover dogs, cats, and horses. However, sometimes there is also coverage for more exotic pets such as birds, gerbils, and ferrets.

What is the Difference Between Pet Wellness Plans and Pet Insurance?

Pet insurance helps cover unexpected injuries and illnesses, while pet wellness plans break up the cost of routine visits like regular check-ups and vaccines.

Wellness plans will spread out the costs of routine care over the year instead of paying all at once for their annual or bi-annual wellness visits. The cost of a wellness plan over the year often equates to the amount you would pay for individual vet appointments but can be structure to include discounts as an incentive to sign up for the plan.

Conclusion

A pet wellness plan for your pet helps make routine veterinary care more affordable. The low monthly payments make it easy to budget and plan for your pets care needs.

If you want to safeguard your pet from injuries or illness, you should also get pet insurance along with your wellness plan. By doing this, you help ensure your pet has a chance to live a long, healthy and happy life.

For pets in the Raleigh, NC region, Bowman Animal Hospital offers pet wellness exams. Reach out to us today at 919-847-6216 or book an appointment!