Whether or not your pet insurance will cover prescription food depends on the insurance company you purchase the coverage from. Pet owners can get coverage for a wide range of health issues, from surgery to hospitalization. It all depends on the insurance company you bought the policy from.
While it is rare to get prescription food coverage from quite a number of insurance providers, it is still possible to find this coverage in some pet insurance policies.
The only reason why you may not be offered coverage for prescription food is if your pet has a pre-existing condition before the coverage started.
Your policy will likely not provide coverage if your pet has a previous underlying health issue that was not attended to.
However, if your pet no longer requires the prescription food but has to consume it for nutritional purposes, your pet insurance company may offer coverage. In essence, some pet insurance companies cover prescription food, while others do not provide coverage.
What Is Prescription Pet Food?
Typically, prescription food for pets is any food or supplement that requires a prescription from a veterinarian before it can be purchased.
Most prescription pet food contains nutrients that aid in mitigating certain health problems and diseases affecting pets.
Pet owners can purchase prescription pet food from large pet food retailers. Nevertheless, it is important to note that, whatever food you’re giving to your pet has to be recommended by your vet.
Most prescription pet food has a specific nutritional need it is expected to meet, hence the reason it has to be with the guidance of your veterinarian.
How Does Coverage For Prescription Food Work?
Pet insurance is offered by most insurance companies as an accident and illness plan. Policyholders are offered a wide range of options when selecting the type of coverage they want to include in their policy.
At the initial stage of buying pet insurance, you have to choose the coverage amount and deductible, as well as the reimbursement rate you want.
Your premiums will then be set based on the age of your pet, the coverage amount, and other factors that could potentially affect your pet insurance premiums.
In the event that your pet has an illness that necessitates prescription food, it will be covered by your pet insurance policy. Please note that most pet insurance companies have a waiting period before the coverage kicks in.
Why Is Prescription Food Needed?
Most definitely, anyone would agree with me that the benefits of prescription food make it worthwhile for pet owners. Prescription pet food is needed for a variety of reasons, specifically to help prevent the rate at which pets contract diseases.
While it is possible that a prescription diet does not automatically cure an illness, prescription food can ameliorate so many health issues posing a threat to pets. Highlighted below are some chronic health issues that may necessitate prescription food:
- Cancer
- Arthritis
- Balder stones
- Dental problems
- Diabetes
- Food allergies
- Heart disease
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Joint problems
- Weight management
- Post-surgical recovery
- Gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion, vomiting, and diarrhea.
The conditions are not just limited to the ones mentioned above. Your pet may be suffering from a serious health issue that requires urgent attention; you should speak to your veterinarian about it.
Most importantly, ensure you adhere to the recommendation provided by your vet in order not to deprive your pet of the necessary nutrients for their growth and development.
What Is The Cost Of Prescription Food For Pets?
The average cost of prescription food largely depends on the type and amount of food consumed by your pet, including your insurance provider.
Note that the price of prescription pet food varies significantly among insurance companies. The majority of prescription foods are more expensive than the regular ones, so prepare ahead for the cost.
Nevertheless, from our research, we found out that the average cost of prescription food is between $781.10 and $1,222.75 per annum.
Ways to Save on Prescription Food
Prescription for pets with some type of health issue goes a long way in ensuring that your pet recovers from the illness affecting it.
Perhaps your pet insurance policy does not offer coverage for prescription food; there are other ways you can make the diets of your pets easier and more affordable. Consider the following tips:
- Explore homemade diet options for your pet.
- Buy in bulk
- Purchase your pet food during sales.
- Join loyalty programs or subscribe to delivery discounts.
To be on the safer side, if you are exploring homemade diet options for any of your pets, you need to seek guidance from your veterinary surgeon. They are in the best position to offer the best advice on the type of food to be consumed by your pet.
FAQs
Is it possible for me to add extra pet insurance coverage for prescription food?
The possibility of this depends on whether your insurance company offers prescription food coverage as an add-on policy for pet insurance. Most insurance companies do actually, so it is possible to request additional coverage that includes prescription food.
For instance, Embrace allows policyholders to add prescription coverage to their policy. However, you will be charged an additional for this extra coverage.
What kinds of pets have prescription food?
Basically, there are two main pets that the FDA regulates prescription food for: dogs and cats. But it is entirely possible to get a special nutrition recommendation from your vet for other kinds of pets.
What is the sole purpose of prescription food?
Owing to the fact that pets are exposed to a wide range of diseases, prescription food is essentially meant to prevent them from contracting deadly disease and other health issues.
Most often than not, prescription food is mostly combined with a variety of health care treatments to help treat and mitigate certain health problems.
