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Pet insurance is dominating the pet industry, and for a good reason. One of the most complicated things about owning a pet is paying outright for vet care.
Sometimes emergencies happen, and funds are low, meaning potential life or death for your dog or cat. Thankfully, certain existing insurance companies, as well as new ones emerging, are offering policies these days—and some might cover preexisting conditions—but this varies greatly by company and policy. If your pet insurance includes medical cover, not just accident & emergency, it is highly likely that diabetes will be covered by your policy. However, if your cat already has diabetes when you’re purchasing your pet insurance plan, most companies won’t cover diabetes treatment, but will cover emergencies or checkups for other reasons.
Insurance Companies on Diabetes
If you’re shopping around for pet insurance, you might want to know what sort of conditions are, and aren’t, covered. This can vary between insurance companies, and even between levels of cover, so it’s important to read all the fine print when choosing your policy. Most pet insurance companies will include diabetes in the list of medical conditions they will cover, provided the policy was taken out before your pet showed any signs of the disease. Once diagnosed, diabetes is a lifelong condition, so it’s important to ensure your pet insurance covers conditions for life, not just for a limited time period.
However, if your pet starts to show signs of diabetes, such as increased thirst, urination, and weight loss, before you take out an insurance policy, it, and any costs relating to that condition, will not be covered. Most pet insurance companies will exclude all pre-existing conditions outright, or impose time restrictions on whether or not future related illnesses will be covered.
Although most policies don’t cover pre-existing conditions, its still worth comparing their plans to see what they do cover.
Top Rated Pet Insurance Companies:
So, while you shop around, keep in mind that rates might be competitive. But don’t let the price deter you. Sometimes certain benefits outweigh the cost.
Pet Insurance Companies
Here is a short list of pet insurance companies for your convenience—all of which do not cover diabetes as a preexisting condition—except one (upon approval.)
- Nationwide—covers curable preexisting conditions
- Embrace—not covered
- Pumpkin—not covered
- Pet first—not covered
- ASPCA—covers curable preexisting conditions
- MetLife—varies by policy
- AKC—covers preexisting conditions
- Healthy Paws—not covered
- Figo—not covered
- USAA—not covered
- Petplan—covers certain preexisting conditions
- Lemonade—varies by policy, but usually not covered
There are plenty of pet insurance companies rising to the surface. There are lots of comprehensive plans that cover a variety of illnesses, curable preexisting conditions, and accidental or emergency cases.
Some of these companies cover diabetes as a post-condition but not preexisting ones, meaning that companies will cover it if your pet develops diabetes while under their plan.
The AKC is the first pet insurance company to cover preexisting conditions. According to the AKC website, the only stipulation is that you have to have continual 365 day-coverage; your pet is thereby eligible.
Can You Obtain Coverage for Cats with Diabetes?
The good news is that you can absolutely obtain coverage for your pet who has diabetes. However, diabetes treatments won’t be covered. Other aspects of care, like emergencies, general checkups, and other visits, can still qualify.
What Is Diabetes In Pets?
Similarly to humans, pets can develop diabetes mellitus. This is a common endocrinopathy (hormonal disease) that causes abnormally high blood sugar levels because the body can’t produce or respond appropriately to the hormone insulin. Most cats suffer from a type of diabetes similar to type 2 diabetes in humans. When this occurs, the cells in the body do not respond appropriately to insulin. On the other hand, most dogs suffer from type 1 diabetes due to the immune mediated destruction of insulin -producing beta cells in the pancreas.
- Type 1: reduced insulin production in the pancreas
- Type 2: abnormal response to insulin
Signs:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Normal or increased appetite
- Weight loss
- Lethargy
How Type 1 Diabetes Works
Type 1 diabetes is an immune-mediated disorder causing the body to attack and destroy insulin. The exact cause is unknown, but it’s believed to involve a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
How Type 2 Diabetes Works
Type 2 diabetes develops when the body’s cells become resistant to insulin and the pancreas can no longer produce enough to compensate. It is associated with lifestyle factors like lack of exercise, poor diet, and obesity, though genetics can also play a significant role.
Vet Care for Diabetes
Your vet will have to carry out some tests to determine if your dog or cat is suffering from diabetes, and how to start the treatment plan. If your dog or cat has diabetes, care will differ depending on the severity at the time of diagnosis. Your vet will likely prescribe insulin, show you how to administer at home, and how often to monitor your dog’s sugar levels.
Care can get pretty expensive depending on the amount and type of insulin your pet requires, how blood sugar levels will be monitored, and whether your pet is suffering from other illnesses that need addressing. Dietary changes are very often also needed. Regardless, it is something that involves vet attention so they can receive the appropriate care.
Diabetes can be a very time-consuming issue to care for. You might have to take your dog or cat in for frequent check ups and administer insulin shots at home. But with the help of pet insurance, it might curb some of the anxieties that come along with it.
Statistics About Diabetes in Pets
So just how likely is your dog or cat to get diabetes? That depends on several factors, including genetics and lifestyle. Overweight animals are far more likely to develop diabetes than those with healthy exercise habits and body weight.
According to Riverside Animal Hospital, one out of every 300 adult dogs and one out of every 230 cats in the U.S. will have diabetes. Scary enough, those statistics keep rising.
Insurance Alternatives
Insurance isn’t the only option when trying to find affordable vet care. Diabetes is also something that can be covered with other pain management. Having a little honey fund or credit option for these treatments might be a terrific idea for your pet.
Wells Fargo Health Advantage
Wells Fargo Health Advantage is a credit card that covers many aspects of health, including that of your pets. You can apply, qualify, and use the perks toward your pet’s vet bills.
Pet Assure
Pet Assure is an example of discounted perks. You get a certain percentage off of vet care if you select certain in-house procedures, including diabetes care.
Conclusion
Diabetes is one of the most common hormonal conditions in dogs and cats. Treatment can be expensive, and coverage is essential. You will have much more luck if your pet develops diabetes while already on an insurance plan than finding one that covers preexisting conditions.
But as pet insurance grows in popularity, more options will be available to policyholders. Don’t be afraid to ask your vet for further options or professional recommendations.
Featured Image Credit: Rawpixel.com, Shutterstock
