The biggest pet care mistake you can make can totally be avoided – if you just don’t do what I did. Read more to find out what happened!
I hate to say that I am someone who lives with regrets. Yes, no one wants to admit these things, but I’d like to think I have created a safe space here where I can be completely honest.
A few years ago, before becoming the major pet insurance enthusiast that you all know today, I made one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Why? Because I underestimated the power of pet insurance … but more on that later.
When you think you’re saving money – you probably aren’t
Okay, so this might sound like the greatest oxymoron, but it is the truth, and I am a living testament to it. So here is what happened: My family welcomed our very first pet into our family and we couldn’t have been more excited. If you are reading this blog, you are either about to welcome a new fur baby into your home or already have, so you know what this feels like. It is the most euphoric feeling!
During this time, you are splurging on collars and toys, beds and treats and all of these luxuries to help make your pet feel as comfortable as possible. This is all very cute but then all of a sudden, you’re trying to cut costs. Food seems a little more expensive, they’ve already chewed through all the toys you were overcharged for… And so, the panic begins. How do you save money with a pet? My thinking was to skip out on pet insurance altogether.
A costly mistake
See, in hindsight, not having an additional debit order sounded like absolute bliss. It seemed like I was actually saving money. But then tragedy struck. My dog fell ill, and we had no idea what was happening. Naturally, I am no vet, so panic quickly set in. Why was my pet losing his appetite? Looking lethargic? Throwing up? Panic!
So, we did what every responsible pet owner would do: we went to the vet! And this stage, I sheepishly acknowledged that I didn’t have pet insurance, but I figured that vet bills couldn’t be that expensive – surely not for animals, they’re so tiny!
Oh, how I was wrong. Yes, my pet may have been tiny but that vet bill at the end definitely wasn’t!
A tough call
If there is one part of this blog that I would want you to seriously focus on, it would be this particular part because this is where my regret stemmed from. I had absolutely no idea that vet bills were so expensive until I was standing at the reception desk with the most expensive bill I had ever encountered.
The entire time I had assumed that by not spending a couple of hundreds on pet insurance every month I was actually saving money but now I was being given a bill I couldn’t afford.
So what now?
Did I risk taking on serious medical debt or do I consider economic euthanasia? Both of these should never have to be the only options for a pet parent.
The best way to save yourself and your pet
The truth is that the answer at that moment was so simple: you should have taken our pet insurance! It would have been my absolute saving grace at this moment. I would have easily been able to have had these costs covered for me – all in a matter of minutes.
Better yet, had I actually taken out a pet policy earlier on, because of the preventative care elements, it would have been more likely that the vet would have noticed that something wasn’t right with my pet from the onset. That would have saved us valuable time and money!
What would have happened with Oneplan
I now currently have pet insurance, especially after that completely avoidable trip to the vet. I was able to cover the bills but let me tell you: It took me months to try and retrieve that money again! The frustration that I had felt after being too stubborn to take out a pet policy was indescribable.
Had I joined the Oneplan family earlier (they are my current insurer) I would have been able to rest easy. Everything would have been sorted. I would have also been able to use my exclusive access to the Onepet store to buy the toys and much more my fur baby deserves at my special price!
I would have been able to take my pet in for regular checkups where any issues could have been detected earlier, by using my Onecard where funds can be loaded upfront before the visit. I also would have been able to go to any vet of my choosing that was more affordable as they do not have a set network of vets.
See how Oneplan could have supported me through everything?
The reality is that no one will be able to come to your rescue like Oneplan. I have seen my life with and without them and I refuse to experience the latter ever again.
Insure your pet and your finances today by signing up for pet insurance. You will not regret it!
Until next time,
The petinsurance.co.za team