Hello, I'm Dr. Doug Kenney, a retired veterinarian after 42 years in small animal medicine and surgery. I also have been writing and podcasting about the pet insurance industry for about 15 years.
The blog and podcast is dedicated to helping pet owners and veterinarians understand how pet insurance works and the strategic role it can play in helping pay for a pet’s healthcare expenses.
You’ll find unbiased coverage of pet insurance from a veterinarian’s perspective with a focus on companies that offer policies that cover pets in the United States. In fact, you'll find information that you won’t find anywhere else.
One thing I've learned from my clients in practice as well as many who have corresponded with me online is that choosing a pet insurance company is overwhelming when you consider that there are well over 20 companies now in the United States and no two policies are exactly the same.
Veterinarians see things every day that their clients don't see. They know what procedures are necessary to diagnose and treat a seriously ill pet and how much it can cost to have the best possible outcome. They also see pets with chronic conditions like diabetes or allergies that require years of monitoring and treatment to provide them with a good quality of life. It is my experience, and most veterinarian's I've talked to agree, that most people simply don’t realize that treating a seriously ill pet with an acute condition or the cumulative cost of treating chronic conditions can easily cost many thousands of dollars.
This is why a veterinarian’s perspective is so important when considering the purchase of pet insurance. We diagnose and treat the conditions for which you’ll be filing claims. Therefore, we can offer advice on the most important things that should be covered when choosing a policy to insure your pet.
Listen as Dr. Jason Nicholas (The Preventive Vet), a colleague and friend of mine I interviewed in Episodes 12 and 41 of the the podcast describes his experience when working in an emergency hospital setting.
The video below tells the story of a couple with two dogs, one that required years of treatment for chronic conditions and one that required emergency surgery for an acute illness. Fortunately, they had pet insurance to help pay for the expenses. I interviewed the wife in episodes 74 and 75 of the podcast (this video is provided for informational purposes only and not meant to be an endorsement of the company that produced the video):
You can view the most recent blog articles here or choose a topic category to browse articles in the sidebar.
Be sure and check out the Pet Insurance Guide Podcast.
You can subscribe to the blog by using the subscribe button at the top of the sidebar. When subscribing, you'll receive the first chapter of my book entitled, "Is Pet Insurance For You?"
I have designed a Pet Insurance Toolkit to help you sort through the process of choosing a pet insurance company and policy to insure your pet.