Pet Insurance Is an Absolute Must in This Situation

When my family adopted our dog, Champ, in 2020, we went through a rescue that has a great reputation. But even when you adopt through a rescue, you may not get the full story about your pet's health history. Many rescues take in strays or animals whose past is unknown. And while they'll commonly do their best to get a health assessment before adopting out an animal, sometimes, there are gaps.

When we adopted our dog, for example, we were given two sets of medical records that had conflicting info about our dog's age. And the gap was significant, as one document showed that our dog was three years older than the other. Based on an exam by our vet and our dog's behavior, we were able to determine which record was likely the accurate one and which was the mistake.

But at least our dog had health records, albeit jumbled ones. Some animals don't have any sort of health history you can go by at all.

And so if you're adopting a stray or an animal under similar conditions, it's really important that you get pet insurance right away. You never know what health problems might be lurking with your new pet. And without insurance, you could easily end up having to raid your savings account or rack up debt to cover your costs.

Protection you can't afford to wait on

Many people who adopt pets like to first focus on getting them acclimated to their new surroundings. And that makes sense. But waiting even a few weeks to put a pet insurance policy in place could result in a situation where your pet needs treatment and you're forced to cover the cost in full.

Meanwhile, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn how affordable pet insurance might be. Forbes says that the average cost of pet insurance for dogs is $44 per month. For cats, it's $30 per month. This doesn't mean these are the costs you'll face. But this should give you an idea of what you might end up paying.

Now, let's say that following your adoption, you put off pet insurance for a month so you and your new cat can bond. If a health issue gets triggered, you might end up on the hook for a $700 bill -- a bill a $30 outlay might have prevented.

It pays to shop around for pet insurance

It's a good idea to get pet insurance even if you're positive you're bringing home a healthy animal. But if you're adopting a pet whose health history is unknown, then it's especially important to put coverage in place as soon as you can.

That said, you should take a little time to shop around with different pet insurance companies to compare their rates and what you get in exchange for the coverage you're paying for. Be mindful of details like annual caps and deductibles, too, so you know exactly what coverage you're signing up for.

Putting pet insurance in place is a good way to protect your finances as you go about caring for your pet and giving them the best life possible. And the sooner you're able to do that, the better.