What to know about insuring an adopted pet
There are a lot of myths and misconceptions about animals from shelters. These can create stigmas against rescued pets.
- Shelter animals suffer from health issues: This might not be true, as well managed shelters provide veterinary care to ensure the health of the animals.
- Shelter animals are not socialized: Most shelters ensure that animals receive good training and socialization, increasing their chances of being adopted and helping them transition into a new family home easier.
- There are no young animals in shelters: Animals end up in shelters for different reasons, shelters have animals of all ages from puppies to mature animals.
- Shelter animals have behavioral issues: There’s a variety of reasons why animals are in shelters, the owner could be moving homes, getting divorced or have allergies. It’s not necessarily due to their behavior.
- There are no pedigree animals in shelters: Animals are relinquished for many reasons, possibly due to changes in the owners’ circumstances. So even pedigree animals end up in shelters.
People often think that you can’t insure a rescued pet, whereas the opposite is actually true. It’s rather easy to insure a rescued animal. You’re probably wondering how adoption affects your Pet insurance cover because of the misconception that getting an adopted pet means you don’t have any information about the breed or age of your pet as well as its health history. Reputable shelters often have registered vets who check their animals’ health, including vaccinations, sterilization and deworming. They can also do tests to find out their breed and estimated age, giving you some information that will be required to complete your pet insurance cover.
Why Pet Insurance is important.
A pet can be a wonderful addition to your family. It can be an amazing yet daunting experience as anything can happen, anytime. Pet insurance can give you peace of mind if something unexpected happens. Veterinary care can be quite expensive, so having pet insurance helps you afford care for your pet when needed.
Choosing the right Pet Insurance plan
Each animal has their own little unique quirks. When you adopt a pet, you need to accept them as they are and that they will require care that’s specific to them.
Whether you’re just looking for basic cover or something that covers all the bells, balls and whistles, OUTsurance Pet has a range of options available:
- Accidental plan - covers your pet for accidents.
- Core plan – covers accidents and illnesses.
- Standard plan – includes visits to the vet as well as accidents and illnesses.
- Executive plan – comprehensive cover with increased limits as well as additional benefits like Pet-Act-OUT.
Looking to give a pet a loving home?
Any animal would be happy to be part of a warm and loving home and with so many animals needing a home, adoption is surely a perfect idea.
Through Staff Helping SA OUT (SHSAO), an OUTsurance Corporate Social Investment (CSI) project that allows our staff to give back to the community through various initiatives, we have worked with amazing animal shelters such , who provide shelter, meals and health services to destitute animals. They can’t do their work without the help of kind individuals who volunteer their time and effort in caring for the animals and of course those who decide to adopt.
These organisations are committed to caring for animals in need to help them find the homes they deserve. Visit https://www.kittypuppyhaven.org.za/ and https://wollies.org/ and check out the most lovable pets that will just melt your heart.