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Unfortunately, we’ve witnessed a few dog fights in campgrounds since we started RVing. One time, we watched the frazzled dog owners pack up and take their fur baby to the vet. We felt so bad and really hoped they had pet insurance to help with the bill. The last thing you want to worry about is money when you’re trying to make sure your pet is okay. To prevent this if your traveling with a dog, we firmly believe all RVers need pet insurance on the road.
Why You Need Pet Insurance
We never even knew pet insurance was an option until we started looking into protecting our dog, Carmen after we got her. Neither one of our families had pet insurance growing up so it wasn’t something we even thought about.
That was until we found ourselves with a puppy that literally ate everything. The day after we rescued her off the streets we took her to our local vet and they actually pulled a Snickers wrapper, corn husks, and plastic out of her stool! She learned to eat trash to survive which made us fearful that some type of surgery might be necessary for the future.
Pet insurance is a personal choice. It depends on your financial situation and the personality/breed of your pet. We look at pet insurance as a savings plan. You make small monthly payments now just in case you run into a big expense later down the road. These are our 5 powerful reasons why RVers need pet insurance immediately:
1. You’re Exposing Your Pet to More Animals
We love taking Carmen to dog parks and letting her meet new furry friends. However, not every dog is friendly, and your chances of meeting a mean dog increase the more you travel.
Even if you travel with cats, you are still increasing their chances of running into other animals in the campgrounds.
2. You’re Exposing Your Pet to More Diseases
Different parts of the country have different diseases. We had never heard of dogs getting the flu in California yet when we were passing through New York there was a huge dog flu outbreak. Every region has new diseases your pet will face.
3. You’re Exposing Your Pet to New Insects and Parasites
Just like diseases, every region has different insects and parasites. There are many different types of ticks across the United States and it’s important to know how they can impact your dog’s health.
Ticks are just the beginning; different areas have bigger outbreaks of certain parasites than others. For example, we found out Louisiana has a large problem with dogs and heartworm. When we passed through that area Carmen wasn’t on heartworm medication… you can bet she is now!
4. You’re Exposing Your Pet to New Environments
Not all pets do well in every environment. Taking them from warm to cold climates can shock their system, or at the very least impact their skin and allergies. Such changes could make your pet get sick and cause an emergency vet visit wherever you are.
5. You’re Exposing Your Pet to Irresponsible Owners
While we all like to think we are responsible pet owners we know there are plenty of bad owners out there. The most common we see is owners who let their dog off-leash.
Whether your dog is trained or not, it’s simply irresponsible to have them off-leash in a campground. They could take off and injure another animal. Or if your off-leash dog could be attacked by another animal and you have no way of pulling them back. A long leash is almost just as bad as no leash.
We’ve seen dogs on 30-yard leashes that can reach the road. And we’ve seen a ton of non-sturdy pet fences set up outside. Your 10-pound Yorkie might not be able to get out, but what’s stopping a large dog from barreling through that thing? A big reason RVers need pet insurance is that other owners are irresponsible.
Our Favorite Pet Insurance
Almost every animal we’ve had has ended up with an emergency treatment one way or another. We are big advocates for pet insurance for this reason alone. Carmen has already had an emergency trip to the vet, and thank goodness we had Healthy Paws Pet Insurance.
What would have been over a $2,000 bill was only $400. That’s a much more manageable price to pay and we didn’t have to put the unexpected cost on a credit card or dip from our savings. RVers need pet insurance because we already face unexpected expenses on the road, vet bills don’t need to be one of those.
What we love about pet insurance is that you can play around with different plans to customize them to fit your budget. Because of Carmen’s bad habit to eat anything and everything, we chose one of the best plans out there. It still only costs us $35 a month! Our plan covers 80% of treatment for new illnesses, injuries, or accidents and the annual deductible is $250.
It also covers hereditary and congenital conditions and has no annual or incident limits. The only treatments it doesn’t cover are flea/heartworm medication, dental hygiene, training, and grooming.
Read the Fine Print
If you are now a believer that RVers need pet insurance (and you should be) we recommend starting with Healthy Paws Pet Insurance first. We found them to be very reasonably priced and cover more than other insurance companies. It also helps they have great reviews online. No matter what plan you go with, make sure to read the fine print.
Some pre-existing conditions may not be covered as well as breed-specific conditions (for example, hip dysplasia in Great Danes). Additionally, be sure to look at the payment options required by the company if you do need to file a claim. Some companies pay your vet directly while others will have you pay the bill and reimburse you at a later date.
We believe a good pet insurance plan is the right choice for you and your pet while RVing and throughout their life in general. If you don’t think RVers need pet insurance and still opt-out, we would at the very least recommend a pet savings plan that you put into every month.
This will at least help you with any large vet bills that may arise so you’re not strapped. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed while RVing, it’s that everyone loves their pet and treats them like family. Pet insurance makes sure you are protecting your furry family on the road.
P.S. Don’t miss our Top 10 Must Have Items when RVing with Dogs!
Thank you for this great advice. I really appreciate hearing about your experience and the details of your pet insurance company. It’s very helpful for me, as one who is new to this kind of insurance. It was great to meet Carmen too! 😊