By Josette Keelor — Daily Staff Writer

When it comes to the well-being of their animals, people would do just about anything to help. Because of the expense that pets can incur on the people who love them, many area residents have chosen to invest in pet health insurance as a way of offsetting the cost of medical care.

"We do have some [clients] who have had pet insurance for years," says Reba Barley, manager of Linden Heights Animal Hospital in Winchester. She says that the animal hospital recommends two pet insurance policies to its clients: one is a national program through the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and another through Veterinary Pet Insurance, which Barley says was the first in its field.

She advises pet owners to look into buying insurance for their pets. Many of the companies work on a reimbursement system, paying back their policy holders after medical treatment.

"I've not had anybody who's been opposed to [pet insurance]," says Barley.

The Shenandoah County Animal Shelter in Edinburg offers PetFirst health care to anyone who adopts a pet from the shelter, says manager Peggy Lahn. The health care card provides free health service to the pets during the first 30 days following the adoption.

That time frame is when problems usually occur, Lahn says, explaining that pets sometimes develop anxiety from moving to a new home.

After the 30 days, pet owners can decide if they want to continue with the service, which Lahn says offers 100 percent reimbursement after a $50 deductible.

"It's really awesome," she says. "It's like having insurance for your family." PetFirst covers more than 1 million pets nationwide, according to Lahn. She says the shelter cooperated with PetFirst for many years, and recently reconnected with the company in December.

Another option for helping to pay off veterinary bills is to have a credit card specific to your pets' medical costs.

Seven Bends Veterinary Hospital in Woodstock accepts CareCredit, which assistant hospital manager Susan Ehart says is basically a credit card for medical purposes. It can be used at other medical places as well, she says.

"It's supposed to have a better acceptance rate," she says, which is why people might be interested in applying for the card.

CareCredit's Web site, www.carecredit.com, explains that because the card is designed for health care expenses, both for people and animals, the card offers convenient monthly payment options, no up-front costs, no prepayment penalties and no annual fees.

It is different from MasterCard or Visa, because it is exclusively for health care services and offers many promotional deals that allow the user several months before having to begin paying against the balance.

"We've been using it here for two years," Ehart says. A few of her clients also have insurance for their animals because of the risk of high bills if the animals should require extensive care.

Ehart says that this is especially true if pet owners have a breed that has known potential problems down the road, or if the pet is a baby and the owner wants to insure it for life. Otherwise, most people just do not sign up, she says. One reason is that they do not know pet insurance is available.

She does find, though, that if they do have insurance, people are more likely to bring their animals to the vet or make appointments for expensive surgeries.

"They would be more likely to [go for a procedure]," she says.

Various vet insurance companies offer different plans, such as a wellness plan that Ehart says allows the buyer to notice a benefit.

PetCare's Web site, www.petcareinsurance.com, explains that the company offers unlimited lifetime accident coverage, coverage for hereditary conditions and premiums that do not increase due to the pet aging.

It also claims to be the only pet insurance provider that can offer real-time claims processing at participating veterinary clinics through a program called EVE, which stands for Electronic Veterinary Experience. This allows pet owners to find out at the clinic how much PetCare will cover, so that they can pay only the uncovered portion of the claim.

PetCare will commit to a five business day turnaround rate, following receipt of all required paperwork, for clients who choose veterinary clinics that do not use EVE.

"It seems to pay pretty well," Roberta Johnson, receptionist at New Market Veterinary Clinic, says about pet health insurance in general. Clients who come to the clinic and pay for treatment for their pets will be reimbursed by the pet insurance company, she says.

Another option for pet owners is injury insurance. Progressive Auto Insurance offers Pet Injury coverage for pets who ride in cars and might be injured in a car accident. The company's Web site explains that it will pay up to $500 to help its clients with their veterinary bills and medicine, following a car accident.

Progressive also offers its customers a 5 percent discount on a pet insurance policy from Embrace Pet Insurance and Pets Best Insurance companies.

* Contact Josette Keelor at jkeelor@nvdaily.com