Is pet insurance worth it for an Azawakh Hound?
The Azawakh Hound has a small head with large ears that fold over at the tips. The long legs are solid and muscular. The tail is carried low or curled up over the back. Azawakh hounds are affectionate with their families but reserved with strangers. They need exercise to prevent boredom and anxiety. They can live indoors if given enough exercise but prefer outdoor life with shelter when needed.
Medical treatment for your Azawakh Hound can become very expensive, especially if they encounter a more serious issue that requires invasive treatment. Medical bills for treating a sick Azawakh Hound can quickly add up, costing up to a few thousand dollars. In these situations, you don’t want to be in the middle of a crisis and have to choose between your beloved dog and the affordability of their medical treatment.
To prepare for these unexpected circumstances, consider investing in pet insurance. It can help you afford your dog’s medical treatments and procedures while focusing on your dog’s recovery.
Pet insurance can also provide peace of mind that your dog can be covered for the necessary treatments when it has an accident, injury, or illness. This includes (but is not limited to) broken bones, cancer treatment, harm caused by another animal, and prescriptions for chronic conditions. Therefore, pet insurance can be important and beneficial for your pet.
Common health conditions for an Azawakh Hound
Typically, an Azawakh Hound has a longer lifespan than the average dog. You can expect your dog to live somewhere between 10 to12 years. However, like all dog breeds, there are certain medical conditions that your dog could develop, such as:
- Allergies: Allergies can make your dog’s life very uncomfortable, and there are many different causes of dog allergies, like pollen, fleas, dust, and food. Dogs can be allergic to more than one thing at a time, so it might take some detective work to figure out what’s causing the allergy.
- Eye defects: several diseases can affect the eyes of dogs and puppies, some of which can lead to blindness. These include Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), cataracts, and Glaucoma. The first signs are often night blindness, followed by blindness during the daytime.
- Hip dysplasia: This condition is common in many breeds. It occurs when the hip joints do not develop properly and become a problem later. The symptoms include difficulty standing up, climbing stairs, and jumping on or off furniture. There is no cure for this condition, but treatments available can improve your pet’s quality of life.
- Degenerative myelopathy: This is a progressive spinal cord disease that can cause hind limb weakness and paralysis. Later symptoms include loss of bladder control, hind limb reflexes, and muscle atrophy in the legs. This disease is not curable, but you should be aware of the symptoms so that you may seek veterinary attention early on, as there is treatment available to slow the progression of this disease.
- Heart disease: It’s common in older dogs and hounds, specifically as they age. It’s caused by a build-up of plaque on the walls of blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscle. If left untreated, it can cause heart failure, stroke, and sudden death. The most common signs include lethargy, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
What does pet insurance cover for an Azawakh Hound?
Pet insurance covers a range of diagnostics, treatments, and procedures for your dog. Depending on the pet insurance plan you get, you may be covered for injury-only, illness-only, or combination. Based on your plan, you are eligible for the following coverage:
- Diagnostic and blood tests: When your pet is sick, your veterinarian might order various diagnostic tests to figure out what’s wrong. This can include X-rays and blood work to look for infection or organ damage signs.
- X-rays and surgeries: Major surgeries can cost thousands of dollars if you have an older dog or cat with health complications like cancer or diabetes. Pet insurance plans often cover procedures to remove tumors or correct broken bones.
- Hereditary and genetic conditions: These typically aren’t covered by plans because they’re considered pre-existing conditions, but some companies offer coverage for these issues if you purchase insurance early enough before the condition is diagnosed. When choosing a plan, you must consider this.
- Medication and hospital stays: If your pet needs to stay in the hospital for care or monitoring or needs medication to get better, this insurance can help you pay for those costs. Your policy might also help with the cost of medication, whether it’s prescribed by a vet or bought over the counter. Hospital stays are sometimes covered; this is when your pet stays in the vet overnight for observation or treatment.
Pet insurance covers a range of treatments, but it does not cover preventative or wellness care. Regular check-ups with the veterinarian will not be covered under most pet insurance plans. You will need to take advantage of an individual wellness plan for this type of coverage or see if the provider has any add-ons for wellness visits. Most providers usually do have it as an add-on.
Moreover, most insurance providers will not cover pre-existing conditions established before you registered your pet for coverage. Review everything your potential pet insurance plan covers and what types of pre-existing conditions they exclude to ensure your pet will be eligible for coverage.
How much does pet insurance cost for an Azawakh Hound?
Pet insurance is a type of insurance policy covering veterinary care for your pet. The average cost for an Azawakh Hound is $45 per month or $540 per year.
How are pet insurance premiums determined for an Azawakh Hound?
Many factors will determine the monthly premium rate for your Azawakh Hound (included but not limited to):
- Age: Premiums increase as your dog ages and gets closer to the end of their life expectancy. Puppies are healthier than adult dogs because adult dogs are more prone to various diseases.
- Location: Premiums will be higher if you live in an area where veterinary costs tend to be higher than in places where veterinary costs are lower.
- Gender: Male dogs are more expensive than female dogs. Male dogs are more playful and involve themselves in fights more than female dogs.
- Medical history: If your dog has a pre-existing condition, it will affect the premium you pay, especially if you want to insure against that condition in future years.
- Deductible: The deductible is the amount of money you must cover before your pet insurance kicks in and pays for treatment or surgery. The lower the deductible, the higher the premium; a high deductible can significantly lower your monthly premium.
- Reimbursement rate: Pet insurance reimburses you for veterinary care up to a certain dollar amount per incident, which varies from 10% to 90%, depending on the plan and insurer. Higher reimbursement rates come with higher premiums.
- Coverage amount: This is the maximum amount that the pet insurance company will pay per incident and year. Higher coverage means more expensive monthly payments, but they also mean that a single illness won’t wipe out your lifetime coverage for your dog and leave you with nothing for the future.
How to choose the best pet insurance plan for an Azawakh Hound
Many pet insurance options are available for an Azawakh Hound, so how do you choose the best one? Here are some key factors to keep in mind as you are deciding on the right plan:
- Budget: You can find plans with lower premiums but higher deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses. That means you’ll have to pay a lot of money up front before your pet gets covered. You can also find plans that offer discounts based on your lifestyle, such as discounts for having children or dogs in the household or being healthy enough to take regular physical exams.
- Customer feedback: Customer feedback on a given company’s products and services. It’s not always possible to get unbiased information when dealing with an insurance company because they’re trying to sell their products as much as they provide information about them. You can also do your survey by asking other pet owners about your chosen insurance companies.
- Conditions covered: Not all pet insurance covers the same things, so make sure your plan will cover the types of health issues you’re most concerned about. Many policies don’t include pre-existing conditions, but some do, though they will generally exclude any treatments for those conditions from coverage.
- Reimbursement rate: The percentage of your vet bill that a policy will pay is key in determining how much value you’ll get out of a policy. Most policies pay 75% or 90%. A lower percentage might result in higher premiums, while a higher percentage might result in higher deductibles.
- Coverage amount: You’ll want to ensure that your coverage limit is high enough to cover any major health issues. This can be especially important if you have multiple pets on the same policy since their combined annual expenses might be expensive.
- Deductible: Deductible. This is the amount you pay out-of-pocket before your insurer starts to cover claims. If you can afford it, a higher deductible often means lower premiums.