Several pet owners confuse the terms Petplan and Pet Insurance with each other and consider them as two names of one product. However, Petplan and Pet Insurance are two completely different products that provide various budgeting options for very different types of veterinary care.
Every pet owner wants to get maximum health care for their furry companion in the best way possible. Both Petplan and Pet Insurance share the same purpose.
They provide your pet with maximum healthcare and help you pay expensive veterinary bills. Although their main goal is the same, they work entirely differently.
| Features | Petplan | Pet Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Full vaccination course | Yes | No |
| Annual Booster vaccinations | Yes | No |
| Nose-To-Tail Health Check Every Six Months | Yes | No |
| Microchipping | Yes | No |
| Accident or injury Vet Bills | No | Yes |
| Illness Vet Bills | No | Yes |
| Discounts on Vet Costs and Medications | Yes | It Depends |
So, we will explore the major differences between Petplan and Pet Insurance Policies and how they can ensure comprehensive coverage for your pet. So, let’s get started!
What are the major differences between a Petplan and Pet Insurance?
To understand the significant difference between a Petplan and Pet Insurance, let’s explore the different features. We will look at seven of the following features;
- Full vaccination course
- Annual Booster vaccinations
- Nose-To-Tail Health Check Every Six Months
- Microchipping
- Accident or injury Vet Bills
- Illness Vet Bills
- Discounts on Vet Costs and Medications
1. Full Vaccination Course:
A full vaccination course is a legally required vaccine your pet must take to protect them against certain diseases as well as protect others around them. A Petplan covers the Full Course Vaccination of your pet while Pet Insurance does not.
There are core and non-core vaccines. Core vaccines are mandatory vaccines for your pet. In contrast, non-core vaccines are administered depending on factors like exposure to risks and your pet’s lifestyle.
The section below shows core and non-core vaccines of dogs and cats and horses.
Core Vaccinations:
Dogs: canine parvovirus, distemper, canine hepatitis, and rabies.
Cats: panleukopenia (feline distemper), feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus type I (rhinotracheitis) and rabies.
Horses: eastern/western equine encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE), rabies, tetanus, and West Nile virus (WNV).
Non-Core Vaccinations:
Dogs: Vaccines against; Bordetella bronchiseptica, Borrelia burgdorferi, and Leptospira bacteria.
Cats: Vaccines against; Feline leukemia virus, Bordetella, Chlamydophila felis, and feline immunodeficiency virus.
Horses: Vaccines against; anthrax, botulism, equine herpesvirus, equine viral arteritis, equine influenza, Potomac horse fever, rotaviral diarrhea, snakebite, and strangles.
2. Annual Booster Vaccinations:
With time, the vaccines your pet has received become less effective. That is why booster shots are recommended to help strengthen the previous vaccines.
Under Petplan, your pet gets an annual booster shot to extend the protection they already have. Pet insurance does not cover annual booster vaccines out of the box.
3. Nose-To-Tail Health Check Every Six Months:
A nose-to-tail health check is a complete examination of your pet to identify any abnormalities. The veterinarian will check your pet’s temperature, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, internal organs, skin, teeth, joints, and more. These routine checks are very useful because they help identify the early conditions of your pet.
With Petplan, this complete examination is carried out every six months. But Pet Insurance does not cover the nose-to-tail health check unless you add it as an extra.
4. Microchipping:
Microchipping is the injecting of a radio-frequency identification transponder under your pet’s loose skin. The microchips used are like the size of a grain of rice. They carry a unique identification number that transmits your pet’s data to a known recovery database.
When your pet gets missing, the microchip under their skin is scanned to identify you as the owner. So microchips increase the chances of finding your pet if they ever get missing.
Petplan offers these microchipping services while Pet Insurance doesn’t.
5. Accident or injury Vet Bills:
Vet bills can be very expensive especially dealing with your pet’s injuries from an accident. Pet Insurance will cover the Vet bills for treating your pet’s injuries, while Petplan doesn’t have this feature.
6. Illness Vet Bills:
Like accident or injury vet bills, Pet Insurance also covers the cost of treating your pet for illnesses. The insurance company will cover expenses like hospitalization, prescription medication, surgeries, and other health and life-threatening procedures.
Petplan, on the other hand, does not cover Illness Vet Bills.
7. Discounts on Vet Costs and Medications:
Depending on the type of Pet Insurance you have, some Vet Bills on medications are not covered under certain policies. This means you will have to pay from your pocket to take care of such bills. Getting a significant discount will be a huge financial burden relief, right?
Petplan offers a great deal of discounts on medications while Pet Insurance does not.
See More On what pet insurance cover and what they don’t cover.
Bottom-Line
You have understood the significant differences between a Petplan and Pet Insurance from the above discussion. Now it’s time to choose between them.
Choosing a Petplan and Pet Insurance is completely dependant on your preferences and needs. Always keep in mind that a Petplan helps to “prevent’ and pet insurance helps to “cure.”
So, if you want to keep your beloved pet safe and healthy by preventing infectious diseases, fleas and worms, a Petplan can be a good option for you.
However, suppose your pet is suffering from illness and injuries, and you want to get financial help for the treatment. In that case, you can rely on Pet Insurance.
