How To Select The Best Pet Insurance In India?

Having your furry friend is a blessing for many. It has been proven that pets are a pack of energy and joy for most people, and most individuals enjoy a better life quality with their four-legged companion. Also, research studies from 2024 suggest a strong relationship between having pets and lower levels of anxiety. Pets also lower the risk of cardiovascular diseases in us, and uplift our mood whenever we are losing out on a bad day. Yet, our lovable four-legged buddies can fall prey to diseases and disorders. This is the reason why you should have insurance for your pets, as insurance provides comprehensive coverage for all medical expenses.

Currently, the pet care market in India is soaring. It is anticipated to reach almost ₹6500 crore by the end of 2025, which speaks at length about the rising number of Indians having pets. Many cooperative societies and workspaces have already turned into extremely pet-friendly spaces. Insuring your pet thus covers necessary expenses such as monthly checkups and medical attention.

What Is Pet Insurance?

In India, pet insurance assists in covering the expenses resulting from monthly or weekly medical checkups and all medical expenses of your pet. You can think of pet health insurance as a specific health coverage for animals that maximizes their well-being and also covers you from higher expenses for their health treatment. But what does pet insurance India cover?

• Expenses for medical treatment of your pet
• Expenses for surgery
• Cases of death of your pet
• Injury or accident expenses of a pet

The later phase of this blog will provide all the details on the inclusions. These plans usually cover a range of services, including hospitalization, surgery, vaccinations, and sometimes even routine check-ups.

Advantages of Having Pet Insurance

By having pet health insurance, you can be relieved of the financial burden as well as the stress of always looking after your pet’s well-being. When you buy insurance, the insurance provider becomes liable to provide you complete coverage for all the healthcare expenses of your beloved pet. Let’s get to understand all the main benefits of having pet insurance.

Financial Protection

Dogs or cats may often suffer critical health illnesses, such as canine distemper or kennel cough. These illnesses are highly fatal to your pets, and can even endanger the life of your pets. In such situations, only dog insurance can cover all the major expenses of your pet. Think about a surgery that your cat has to undergo. If it runs into an unreasonable cost overrun, you may be facing a hard time treating it without insurance. Dog and cat insurance provides a financial backup to mitigate such high expenses.

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Access to Better Care

With insurance for pets, you can do both cost-effective as well as quality treatments. Insurance allows you the choice of getting the best veterinary treatment for your pet, such as accessing veterinary specialists. For example, if your cat gets afflicted with a tumor or needs surgery for lacerations, you will need to consult a specialized surgeon. Insurance covers such cases where an expert surgery is required.

Peace of Mind

With time your pet becomes your daily companion, and your closest ally. Their poor health can be quite a harrowing experience for you. Feeling them get quiet and disease often causes anxiety for pet owners. When you purchase a suitable insurance plan for your pets, you can easily relieve yourself from the stress and the building anxiety. You can continue with your daily life with ease as most of the expenses are taken care of by your insurance provider.

Coverage for Different Needs

Pet health insurance provides coverage for a broad spectrum of medical costs, such as accidents, illnesses, surgery, hospital stays, vaccinations, and even preventive care in some cases. Pets can experience many disorders which cannot be treated with a single treatment. Pet insurance for dogs for them offers a complete package for covering all the diseases that have affected your pet. Without insurance, you may have to reimburse for the expenses individually, which can be financially disadvantageous.

Steps To Choose The Right Pet Insurance

Choosing the right insurance for your pet is complex because there are numerous insurance providers, as well as various insurance policies. Each one of them offers a different coverage. The following will give you a general outline of the steps that you may follow to choose the right insurance.

• Determine Your Budget
• Compare different plans
• Know coverage details
• Understand policy exclusions
• Check the claim settlement process
• Know the add-ons
• Find the breeds covered

Determine Your Budget

Your budget is the first decision you make while selecting the best pet insurance. You can use an online calculator to directly get the estimate of the monthly or yearly premium you will be comfortable with. This will limit your choices and allow you to select a plan that you can afford.

Compare Different Plans

Once you compare all the plans from various brokers, you will get a concise estimate of the right plan that is suitable for your pet. Many insurance providers such as HDFC Ergo General Insurance provide affordable insurance plans, you can get in touch with the team to browse through such plans. While selecting the right plan, always take care of these details such as:

• Understand the overall coverage provided
• Note the premium charged because it varies
• Few pet insurance also have a waitlist, check on it All of these details are included in the pet insurance India, so always check in with your insurer while choosing the beneficial plan.

Know Coverage Details

While some insurance providers offer dedicated coverage for surgeries and doctor treatment, others may not. Before purchasing pet insurance, try to note down the elements that are covered. Few insurance coverage do not have coverage for all diseases as well as surgeries, so you need to check on these factors beforehand. In addition to that, you also have to take care of the age of your pet, as insurers provide coverage for a certain age only.

Understand Policy Exclusions

Many insurance providers have exclusions such as no coverage for theft or third-party damage. Not checking these details can land you in a strong insurance dilemma and may also cause you to select a package that has multiple exclusions. For example, some pet insurance for dogs does not cover cosmetic surgeries. Having a detailed knowledge of these prevents you from making a well-informed decision.

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Check the Claim Settlement Process

Browse for insurance providers that have a high claim settlement ratio and also have a clear and transparent claim policy. Firms that have a positive after-sales service are the best ones to go with, as you can connect with their customer support immediately after processing the claims or for any blockages in claim settlement. Also, check customer testimonials and reviews to understand their experience with the claim process.

Inquire About The Add-ons

Add-ons provide an extended benefit such as longer claim coverage for your pets. Moreover, some add-ons provide additional coverage for surgeries as well, so always hover on these cases. Before you select the right insurance policy, look for the add-ons as they charge higher premiums. For example, some pet coverage supports the cost of whelping and offers a co-pay during hospitalization, and hence their premium involves high expense.

Find The Breeds Covered

Your insurance provider may provide coverage for a few selected breeds. For example, most dog insurance providers offer insurance for cross-reeds and dogs of indigenous origin. Check if your insurer has a specific guideline on the breeds covered, and which beads are excluded. Depending on the breeds covered, you will be paying the premium.

Pet Insurance Inclusions

Most pet health insurers provide specific coverages:

• Coverage for surgeries (surgeries related to accidental injury, chronic disease, or even breeding-related problems)
• Coverage for OPD
• Theft or stolen pet after you cannot retrieve your lost pet
• Death of a pet due to illness or accidents
• Hospitalization coverage
• Coverage for any fracture or bone damage
• Mortality coverage such as putting your pet to sleep due to their inhumane suffering
• Coverage for third-party damage

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Pet Insurance Exclusions

Many veterinary insurance providers do not cover these cases:

• Surgeries that are not caused by accident or illness
• Cosmetic or any form of elective surgery
• No coverage for pre-existing diseases
• Surgeries for treating deformities by birth or accident
• Surgeries because of congenital defects
• Hospitalization that does not involve 24-hour pet treatment
• No coverage for the death of a pet due to no vaccination due to negligence
• Treatment for glaucoma
• Grooming or breeding-related hospital expenses
• Expenses related to prosthetics or artificial body part
• Dental surgery or canine surgery that is not related to any accident after the insurance plan is purchased However, note that not every insurance provider will have the same exclusions. Some insurers have different coverage and may cover some of these exclusions too.

Types of Pet Insurance

There are various plans for buying pet insurance India. While these plans majorly depend on the insurer, you still need to be aware about the two major types of insurance for your pet.

Insurance For Dog

This is the most common type of insurance that you can think of. Dogs are the most loyal and brave companions ever, yet the cost of maintenance is quite high. You may have to undergo monthly veterinary checkups as well as vaccinate your dog at specified times. Moreover, any cost related to accidents or sudden injury can be a sudden expense, which is covered by insurance for dogs.

Insurance For Cats

Cats are a bunch of adorable creatures on this planet. As many individuals prefer having cats as their pets, the cost of treating and maintaining them can be quite high. Insurance provides a strong provision for maintaining the expenses without paying from one’s wallet. Various diagnoses, surgery as well as medications for your cat may take up a toll on your budget, insurance provides direct coverage for it.

Conclusion

Pets are part of our family and a blessing for any pet owner. Taking care of them turns into a responsibility for all of us, hence you should select the right pet insurance policy for your pet. As you insure your pet with the most cost-effective policy, you ensure that they are completely shielded against accidental injuries and hospitalization. Pet health insurance is a cost-effective policy that grants the desired financial protection and mental satisfaction.