Pet owners tend to confuse a wellness plan with health insurance, and with good reason. They both help dog owners better afford medical care by allowing them to pay monthly or annually for coverage. However, they provide very different forms of coverage.

Insurance usually covers high-cost medical care that can set you back thousands for one condition. Most policies cover accidents, illnesses, chronic conditions, surgeries, and emergency room care, for example. Basically, unexpected health problems that arise with your pet.

With wellness plans, you’ll pay a small monthly payment. Unlike insurance, you’ll pay the cost of care when it happens and then file a claim with the insurance company. Your company will then reimburse you a set amount based on your reimbursement rate after meeting your yearly deductible on the services.

A wellness plan for your pet, however, provides coverage that your insurance policy doesn’t. Consider it a blanket of extra coverage. So, a wellness plan can help you budget the costs by providing coverage for things like:

• Pest prevention (fleas, ticks, and heartworm)
• Vaccinations
• Dental exams and cleaning
• Spaying or neutering
• Diagnostic tests (fecal exams, urinalysis, and bloodwork)
• Annual vet exams