Do you have one or more dogs? You may be interested to learn that there are roughly 46.3 million households in the United States that also have a dog. Furthermore, this amounts to about 37% to 47% of all American households. While most pets are acquired from family members and acquaintances, 28% of dogs are purchased from breeders. Both dogs and cars are adopted from shelters or are rescues, which accounts for 29% of these family pets.
Since most Americans consider their pets to be part of the family, they are prepared to spend a considerable amount of money to care for them properly. It may not be surprising to discover just how much people in the United States spend on their four-legged loved ones every year:
- Pet food: $20 to $46 billion
- Pet supplies and over-the-counter medicine: $12.56 billion
- Veterinary care: $13.59 billion
A growing number of Americans are also realizing the benefits of having pet insurance plans for dogs. Given the high cost of veterinary care, this is not surprising. When exploring pet insurance plans for dogs, it’s important to consider the benefits associated with having pet insurance. These policies cover any illness or accidents that may occur during a pet’s lifetime. While pet insurance policies don’t cover wellness visits, vaccinations, or pre-existing conditions, they do offer addition policies that will cover veterinary wellness visits and vaccinations.
If your family has just adopted a puppy, for example, then it would be a good idea to obtain pet insurance for them. Whether or not your puppy has already received their vaccinations, it would still be a good idea to purchase an optional policy to cover any present or future vaccinations and wellness visits.
When you’ve recently adopted or rescued an older dog, you’ll also want to take them to the vet as soon as possible. Your vet will be able to determine whether or not your dog has any current health issues and recommend treatment, vaccinations, or other types of medical interventions. You can still purchase pet insurance when you have an older dog, as this will provide coverage in case they develop an illness or sustain an injury at some point in the future.
Since you obviously love your dog, consider the benefits of having pet insurance. Since this can reduce the overall costs associated with veterinary care, you’ll have more money to spend on their food, toys, and various accessories. Once you contact a pet insurance company to learn more about pet insurance plans for dogs, you will also be able to obtain more detailed information.