As with any insurance plan, VPI has a lot of fine print, but can be quite effective at taking care of the accidents, illnesses and injuries that only the luckiest pet on earth can avoid. You can also add the optional Care Guard to help cover the expense of annual check ups and regular medications. VPI seems to have the largest amount of options in comparison to other pet insurers.

When choosing a pet insurance plan from VPI, you really need to take a look at your individual needs as a pet owner and the specific needs of your pet. Because they have so much to choose from the coverage that you get must be looked at carefully. If you are looking for 100% coverage on all of your pets medical expenses, you may very well be disappointed with a policy from VPI, or any pet insurer for that matter.

You need to be realistic about what the plans will actually cover and why VPI has rules for certain conditions in regards to filing and approving claims. As with nearly all pet insurance companies, pre-existing conditions are not covered. Even certain forms of cancer are not covered with the best plan that VPI offers.

For each type of pet, VPI offers a Superior plan, a Standard plan and Care Guard, and they seem to be very open to mixing and matching additional coverage as needed. This allows for a very customizable plan that is really tooled to the individual needs of your pet. You will also be allowed to pay for your coverage monthly or annually. Having the ability to pay annually takes the guess work out of whether or not your payment cleared and whether or not there may have been one day when your pet was not insured. It would be a terrible shame if your policy became inactive on the one day that your dog got really sick and needed x-rays and emergency exploratory surgery.

One of the most interesting things about VPI is that they do cover birds and exotic pets and most other pet insurance companies don't. For those of you pet lovers who like to walk on the wild side, you have to know that birds, snakes, reptiles, amphibians, rabbits and even hamsters may need medical treatment. In some instances, the cost of purchasing and housing an exotic bet can far exceed the cost of your typical cat or dog.