Dr. Andrew Ward wishes more people would buy pet insurance for their pets, The Observer website reports.

According to the source, the vet feels that insuring pets allows their owners to provide tip top treatment.

“It is a great idea that gives financial backing to us as vets that an animal’s treatment isn’t limited,” Ward told the Observer.

“Quite often people can’t afford things such as tests or surgery.”

Ward told the news provider that he makes it a point to discuss the benefits of a pet care insurance plan with each of his clients—because too often, the only other option is euthanasia.

“Sometimes we have no choice but to euthanize an animal for financial reasons because their owners can’t afford treatment which wouldn’t happen if they had pet insurance,” Ward told the source.

Ward told the provider that when his clients opt to buy insurance for dogs and cats, there are more methods of treatment available.

“I really do hope it is a trend that will catch on.”

Sharon Kovesdy knows first-hand that it only takes a single experience to change a pet owner’s perspective forever.

After the New Yorker lost her beloved cat, “Tiny” to multiple brain tumors and drained her bank account to pay for his medical bills, Kovesdy knew she never wanted to be in a similar situation with her other pets.

“When we lost Tiny last year, I said ‘God forbid if something happened to Squeeky,’” Sharon said of her other cat.

“How do you say to [a pet], ‘I can’t help you; I don’t have the money?’” Kovesdy lamented. “I never wanted to be put in that position again.”

Less than six months after purchasing a pet insurance policy for Squeeky with Pets Best Insurance, Kovesdy said her 10-year-old Siamese became very sick.

Sharon said Squeeky developed a series of major pet health problems including inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, helicobacter and chronic cholangitis— which are all treatable with medication that Squeeky will have to take for the rest of his life.

“To be faced with thousands of dollars trying to treat something you love, versus not doing it, is a decision you don’t want to have to make,” she said.

With financial help from Pets Best Insurance, Kovesdy is able to afford the treatment her beloved Squeeky needs.

“Terrible catastrophes can happen,” Kovesdy said. But with pet insurance, “the stress of having to find cash put away somewhere is eliminated.”

Kovesdy calls Pets Best Insurance “the angels on my shoulder.”

“My feelings are very strong that way,” she said adding that she now can’t fathom the idea of not having a pet care insurance plan.

I can’t believe that people wouldn’t consider health insurance for cats or dogs,” she said.

“Your company has just been outstanding. The kindness that your people have shown to us… so compassionate, so understanding,” Kovesdy said.

“Your staff has been incredible, really and truly.”

For more information on pet insurance, visit www.petsbest.com

Joy Lee, of Los Angeles, CA, said she couldn’t imagine the kind of stress she would have endured if she hadn’t had pet health insurance after finding out her beloved kitty, Knitting G, had a serious heart condition.

“It would have been a lot of financial distress,” Lee said of the costly medication and regular check-ups Knitting G (who’s named after a Korean rice dish) now requires.

“Other people in similar situations have had to put their pets down,” Lee said, acknowledging the cost of treatment is often just too high for some people to pay.

Lee, who has had coverage with Pets Best Insurance for the past three years, said she initially purchased cat health care policies for each of her three kitties: Knitting G, Papillon and Sharif, after moving to a new home.

“When we bought our house there was no way to keep them fully inside so I was worried about other animals they might encounter in our backyard,” she said. “I just wanted to make sure that if anything came up I wouldn’t have to stress out about it.”

Lee calls the coverage through Pets Best Insurance “awesome.”

“First of all, when I researched all the [pet insurance providers] there were several that wouldn’t take Knitting G because of her age,” Lee said. “It seemed like Pets Best was much more comprehensive.”

About six months into her pet health coverage, Lee said her veterinarian, Dr. Krista Schanbel of VCA Arden Animal Hospital, discovered arrhythmia in Knitting G and referred Lee and her feline friend to a cat health specialist.

Lee said the “kitty cardiologist,” Dr. Cathy “Cat” Williams of Animal Surgery and Emergency Center, (ASEC) confirmed the heart condition.

“Now she gets specially compounded medication,” Lee said. “She has to go to the cardiologist every six months.”

Lee said the veterinarian bill would be between $600 or $700 for the office visit alone if she didn’t have pet care insurance with Pets Best. But because of the company’s 80% flat rate reimbursement amount, her out-of-pocket expenses aren’t so daunting.

“Her medication alone is $70 a month, plus taking her to a really great vet hospital with a specialist could really add up,” Lee said. “But since I’ve had Pets Best Insurance it’s allowed me to treat her and make sure everything is covered.”

Lee said she calculated that she’s saved thousands of dollars in pet bills for Knitting G alone.

“With her cardiology [expenses] her insurance has paid for itself,” Lee said of her pet insurance coverage.

“You care about them, you know, you don’t want to see them suffer,” she said. “Knitting G has been a really important part of my life.”

“I may be her human, but she is my angel.”

Susan Mikels takes extra care to ensure her 12-year-old pooch is in prime dog health.

“He’s a big dog, and he’s also my best friend,” Mikels told the Pocono Record of her dog who suffers from severe joint problems and painful arthritis.

“Every once in awhile he’ll have a little burst of energy lasting only for a minute or so, reminding me of his younger puppy days,” she told the news provider.

The Pocono Record reported that Mikels’ pooch has other dog health issues too, including vision problems and trouble walking.

“I see him struggling to get out of his bed, but then again, so do I,” she told the news source.

According to the news provider there are numerous things pet owners can do to keep their pets in optimum dog or cat health, such as maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regime and ensuring elderly pets sustain their body weight.

“Studies show that being overweight puts more stress on the heart and increases organ inflammation,” Dr. Jeremy Wentz of Barton Heights Veterinary Hospital told the news source.

Dr. Martha Franklin of Mountain View Animal Hospital in Scotrun told the news provider that owners ought to feed their older pets healthy pet food and try to limit the amount of table scraps.

“Each species has specific dietary needs that are provided within pet food,” she told the news source.

Franklin told the Poconoo Record that pet health insurance may also be a good idea and help with finances when a pet eventually needs medical attention.

“When shopping for (pet) insurance, ask a lot of questions,” Franklin told the news provider. “Insurance can also help with the expense of having important diagnostics done that might be skipped if paid out of pocket.

Wentz told the news provider that he agrees that pet care insurance is a good idea.

“Vet care is more expensive now because we are catching up to human medicine with diagnostic tools that we use,” he told the news source.

Franklin told the news provider aside from a healthy diet and getting insurance for pets, it is also important to exercise your pet.

“Swimming and frequent walks are ideal to maintain weight and healthy muscle tone,” Franklin told Poconorecord.com.

For more information on health insurance for dogs and cats, visit www.petsbest.com.