Wellness plans are designed to benefit pets of all ages and can be customized with basic preventive care services or upgraded to include all recommended services for any given life stage. Although you can purchase a plan no matter your pet’s age, our Neighborhood Veterinary Centers plan options are most beneficial when you invest in one when your pet is young rather than later in their life. To help ensure your pet benefits the most from a wellness plan, read our guide.

Wellness plans for puppies and kittens

The best time to purchase a wellness plan for puppies and kittens is the moment you bring them home when they are around 6 to 8 weeks of age. Until they are at least 4 months of age, a young pet must visit their veterinarian every few weeks for vaccinations, deworming, fecal checks, and developmental assessments, which are each included in our plans. We also offer optional spay or neuter add-on services, microchipping, and parasite preventives. A puppy’s or kitten’s first year can be pricey, but wellness plans help spread out these costs. 

If you have a pet who has already received many of their core vaccinations, needs fewer overall visits, or has already been spayed or neutered, a puppy or kitten plan may not provide the most value. If your puppy or kitten has received their initial health services, you may choose to pay for additional preventive care services as needed, purchasing an adult wellness plan for the following year. 

Wellness plans for adult pets

We customize our adult wellness plans based on your four-legged friend’s age and lifestyle. Our Neighborhood Veterinary Centers adult pet wellness plans include all basic services, such as exams, vaccine boosters, heartworm and fecal checks, and wellness screening diagnostic tests. Our plans also offer additional options to expand coverage to parasite prevention, dental care, and more. You can purchase an adult pet wellness plan at any time because they have ongoing annual needs for which you can more easily budget. 

Purchasing a plan for your adult pet early in their life will help to set them up for a healthy future. Pets age more quickly than people, making biannual examinations and routine screening tests crucial to monitor trends over time. Including dental care is critical, because poor oral health can cause your pet to feel pain and experience internal organ damage, and you end up paying more expensive bills down the line. Proactive care can reduce overall veterinary costs by helping keep your pet healthy.

Wellness plans for senior pets

Like adult pets, senior pets can benefit from a wellness plan at any time, but the earlier you get started, the better. Because senior pets are more likely to develop health issues with age, our Neighborhood Veterinary Centers wellness plans offer expanded screening options to detect common diseases. The earlier in the disease process we begin treating your pet, the more likely that treatment will be successful and potentially less expensive, rather than waiting until your pet becomes critically ill. A senior pet has an increased likelihood of falling ill, and budgeting for their wellness plan is especially beneficial, because you spread their preventive care costs throughout the year by paying a fixed monthly installment. This makes setting aside funds for unexpected expenses, emergencies, or chronic disease care easier. 

Wellness plans versus pet insurance

Understanding the differences between wellness plans and pet health insurance can help you decide when to purchase one or both, depending on your goals for your pet’s health care and your financial situation. Pet insurance plans cover accidents, injuries, and illnesses, but most plans, unless you purchase an add-on, do not cover preventive care services. Similar to a health insurance plan for people, with pet health insurance, you pay a monthly premium, annual deductible, and per-visit copay, and you receive reimbursement for costs based on your plan’s terms. Older pets and certain breeds are more expensive to insure than younger, healthier breeds, and pre-existing conditions are always excluded from coverage.

Wellness plans cover the preventive care services that insurance excludes and operate differently overall. An annual pet wellness plan bundles services for which you pay in monthly installments rather than paying a more costly fee at each of your pet’s individual veterinary visits. Pet wellness plans reduce costs through discounts, increase access to preventive care, and spread payments out for affordability.

Your pet’s preventive and wellness care is a lifelong commitment. You can reduce your budgeting and planning stress and ensure your furry pal receives all their essential health care services by enrolling them in a wellness plan. Unlike pet insurance, our plans cover all pets regardless of their age or medical history. Contact your nearest Neighborhood Veterinary Centers location to learn more about your pet’s wellness plan options, or to sign up.