Q: We give our pets very good medical care, but this care has become more expensive over time. We have heard about pet insurance -- should we enroll in a plan? Which one should we choose?

A:The companies offering insurance have grown tremendously in the past 10 years. Policies can cover anything from basic routine visits to emergencies to involved medical or surgical cases. There are even some policies that consider breed exclusions (hip dyplasia in German Shepherds, bleeding disorders in Dobermans).

With so many policies available from so many companies it is difficult to decide what to buy from whom. Your best bet is to research each company you come across in a way that you can try to compare them side by side as much as possible. This makes it easier to determine whether a policy is primarily for emergency, routine care, elderly care or all-inclusive. This also helps you compare the cost of the policy.

The veterinary pet insurance industry is relatively young. Companies and hospitals are still figuring out how the paperwork will be handled, how claims will be decided, actuary tables, and so on. There is no one place or site that can rate all of the companies side by side, so it is up to the consumer to compare policies and read the fine print.

Veterinary pet insurance is a very good idea for some pet owners -- just do your research.