Pet insurance can prevent terrible choices

The Richmond Animal Protection Society is a NO-KILL animal-serving agency. This means that, under RAPS’ care, no animal is ever euthanized due to lack of space, treatable illness, physical defect, or solvable behavioural or socialization issues.

We can do this because we have the financial support of the community we serve. You may have read about a couple of incidents where RAPS has gone above and beyond to save the lives of animals. One has a happy ending, the other does not. Both cases, though, speak to our commitment to do everything possible to keep our NO-KILL promise. These are both extreme cases, but RAPS has saved the lives of thousands of animals who, in other jurisdictions, would have been euthanized for even the most minor health or behavior issue.

Individuals and families, however, may be forced by financial realities to make tough choices. Some veterinary procedures – especially surgeries – can be very costly. Too often, families have to make the choice of whether to save an animal’s life based not on what is medically possible but what is financially possible. In one recent case, we believe a dog died possibly because his people were afraid of the financial consequences of seeking veterinary care for what turned out to be a very serious condition.

These terrible choices can be reduced or eliminated through pet insurance.

Everyone who adopts a dog or cat from the RAPS Animal Shelter receives a six-week trial of pet insurance coverage and we encourage adoptive families to strongly consider purchasing an ongoing policy. The monthly cost is affordable, particularly when contrasted with the potential sudden expenses of emergency veterinary care.

Pet insurance may seem like a frill. But the peace of mind you have by knowing that veterinary expenses will not cause a sudden hardship – and either force you to make a terrible choice or delay seeking necessary vet care until it’s too late – is a price worth paying.