CRI听力:US Pet Insurance

Veterinary care is big business in the United States, with over 11 billion US dollars spent last year, according to the American Pet Products Association. Insurance companies predict that the amount spent on pet premiums will be over 328 million US dollars by the end of 2011.

The Westlake Village Animal Hospital sees about 2,000 pets per month, many of which have insurance.

Stan Slayton, co-founder and business manager of the Hospital, says demand for their services is growing.

"We see on average 2000 pets per month, that's about 67 pets per day. We do approximately 120 to 180 surgeries on average per month, not including dental which is also an additional 110 to 140 dental procedures per month. In terms of the industry itself, the industry has grown substantially. In 1997 for all money spent on veterinary there was USD $17 billion spent. In 2004 that rose to USD $37 billion and as of 2010 that is now USD $47.7 billion dollars spent for pretty much for all types of pet care."

It's becoming increasingly popular for pet owners to take out pet insurance to cover the costs of treatment. The pet insurance companies have designed a range of plans depending on the pet's needs.

There is a bronze plan, a silver plan, a gold plan and a platinum plan, ranging from 19 dollars up to 40 dollars a month.

Veterinary Pet Insurance is the oldest pet insurance company in the US, which accounts for over 70 per cent of the market.

Company staff member, Grant Biniasz, says insurance can help owners manage the treatment of expensive, long-term injuries.

"A lot of people are unaware of the potential cost and there are multiple conditions that can be quite expensive; a broken leg, a torn ACL, which is a ligament in the pet's knees similar to humans. A lot of people and athletes tear their ACLs and so do dogs, and treatment for that surgery can be several thousands of dollars, USD $3,000, depending on the area that you're in. And you need to have a plan in place for covering that expense because the pet can make a full recovery and return to health and most people are not going to put their pet to sleep for something that can be treated."

According to Bernadine Cruz, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Laguna Hills Animal Hospital in California, although the number of US pet owners opting for insurance is growing, it's still not a common choice. Only about two per cent of all pets in the United States are covered by pet insurance, while numbers in England and Sweden are significantly higher.

Mimi Germain is a dog trainer and pet-sitter. She thinks it's important for owners to get pet insurance.

"Initially it was something that was just this flat rate that you pay and it didn't cover a bunch of things, but now it's kind of like people insurance. And what it does is it saves some dogs' lives."

For CRI, I'm Zhong Qiu.