The ability to share one's home with a Dog or a cat is one of the great joys in life. They offer us love, loyalty, companionship and protection.

It is not surprising therefore that they quickly win their way into our hearts as our four-legged family members. Unfortunately our pets are as likely to become ill or to have an accident as any of our other loved ones, and in some cases more so. From falling down the stairs, to allergies, car accidents, to cancer, our pets frequently need the expertise of a veterinarian and at those times the last thing we want to think about is money. That's why many pet insurance Programs offers you the chance to manage the risk associated with your pet's medical issues through the provision of a selection of flexible and affordable pet insurance programs.

Pet insurance, like medical insurance for humans, can help reduce that risk of caring for a pet and lessen the frequency of "financial euthanasia," the decision to put a pet to sleep rather than incur a large debt attempting to heal.

Pet insurance is common in many European countries. However, it remains rare in the U.S. There are about 130 million pet cats and dogs in the United States, but only a handful of pet owners (fewer than 300,000) take advantage of these policies.

There are a few different pet insurance companies, each of which offers many types of policies and varying degrees of coverage.

Some policies pay for all types of veterinary care, including annual checkups and immunizations.

Others only cover accidents and illnesses.

Some have pre-set annual or incident limits and some have deductibles.

Each plan has its pros and cons, and each must be carefully examined (especially the fine print) so that you can select a plan that's best for your pet. A carefully chosen plan can give you peace of mind that your pet will be able to get the best medical care regardless of cost

Who should consider pet insurance?

Pet owners should ask themselves, "Do I want ‘a’ pet, or do I want ‘this’ pet?" A bad candidate for pet insurance is a pet owner who wants "a dog" but put him to sleep instead of spending large amounts of money to save him if that dog gets sick or injured.

If you are the type of dog owner who would devote an unlimited amount of time and money into healing your dog, then you are a good candidate for pet insurance, because it will probably save you money in a bad situation. Unfortunately, many pet owners put a dollar value on their pets' lives. When the bills start to add up, many pet owners consider euthanasia at around $250. Pet insurance is still very rare.

To be competitive and give you more choices, each pet insurance company offers slightly different plans. And that's the single biggest reason that you need to carefully compare the options to make an educated decision. Below is the list of Pet Insurance Companies.