Human pet parents would do anything to spare their pets the suffering of an accident or illness and see their furry children healthy and happy again. However, there are times when the treatment for an illness is just too expensive. Sadly, there are cases when economic euthanasia is taken into consideration by pet owners. To avoid such a scenario, pet parents have different options at hand to make sure they can afford the high expenses of treatment for their pets.
Pet insurance comes in handy for recovering the expenses of a high vet bill. However, keep in mind that the pet owner will generally have to be the one who pays the hefty vet bill up front. Usually, only after the invoice is paid, will the pet insurance provider reimburse the pet’s human parent.
This means for example, if you rack up a $3,000 vet bill for your dog’s cruciate ligament treatment, you will have to pay the vet the entire amount. Only after that will the provider will send you its share of the payment (the reimbursement). Therefore, whether you have pet insurance or not, you’re going to have to pay a huge amount of money to the vet office.
What can be done if paying this large amount of money is not an option for the pet owner? If you know that your financial situation doesn’t allow for such payments, the solution lies in finding a pet insurance company that directly pays the vet.
One such company is Trupanion, which offers an optional Direct Vet Pay service. Mind you, even though this company does not impose any age, annual, or lifetime limits, it does have deductibles which have to be paid to the vet no matter what. These deductibles with Trupanion are lifetime, per-illness ones.
For instance, if you have agreed upon a per-illness deductible of $500 for your dog and he develops cruciate ligaments after the waiting period has passed, the amount you will still have to pay with this provider is $500 for that specific condition alone. Obviously, that’s besides the co-insurance amount and the monthly premium you’ll have to pay.
Then, the company will send the vet office 90% of the rest of the entire bill, if you have opted for Direct Vet Pay. That leaves you to pay for the remaining 10% of the vet bill which represents the co-insurance amount, in this case – $250. That comes to a total of $750 that you’ll have to pay the vet, in this instance.
Known for its unique insurance plan and pricing structure, Trupanion has some owners that swear by it, while others are a bit doubtful of its effectiveness. When it comes down to it, however, Trupanion has been around for the better part of twenty years and has been used to insure about half a million pets to date. While its policies might be unconventional, they work well in most cases and its level of service and excellent customer care earned it an A+ rating from Better Business Bureau. Submitting claims is made easy and since the company can pay the vet directly, customers do not have to deal with any out of pocket expenses besides the 10% coinsurance. Other than providing affordable insurance, the company also supports the pet community by donating to various charities and shelters, which serves as a testament to their dedication and care.
Another company that offers the option of direct payment to the vet is Pets Best. This option is called Vet Direct Pay and it can be activated if you send the insurance provider a signed copy of its veterinarian reimbursement release form along with a filled in claim.
This means that with Pets Best, if you have an unexpected, huge vet bill, all you will have to pay is the deductible, the co-insurance amount, and any items that are not covered by this insurance provider.
In the $3,000 cruciate ligament example, with Pets Best you would have to pay the deductible, say $250, plus your share of the coverage (co-insurance amount), say 20% of the remaining vet bill, in this case – $550. That makes for a total of $800 that you’ll have to pay the vet out of your own pocket.
There’s a genuine sense of compassion behind after the sad tale of its co-founder, Dr. Jack Stephens, who was required to euthanize Buffy, a dog whose family were unable to pay the medical treatments. Pets Best has been providing a trustworthy service since 2005, with a focus on providing insurance policies that help countless pet parents who otherwise couldn’t afford often life-saving treatment. The company’s policies are highly customizable, more so than most insurance providers, especially since there are many plans to choose from including multiple wellness plans, which makes Pets Best’s services very budget friendly. The company is also dedicated to helping the pet community, too, not only donating to charities and shelters but providing owners that adopt from shelters and shelter staff with a discount on the monthly premium.
In case you don’t have pet insurance for your pet or your provider does not offer direct vet payment, there are still a range of options available, such as:
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