Top 9 Pet Insurance Plans For Shelties (2022)

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The Shetland Sheepdog is a loyal and loving friend with a face so darling you’ll melt every time you look into their shining eyes. The little cousin of the Rough and Border Collies, the Sheltie has a long and lustrous coat and the ability to round up a wily flock of sheep or kids! So, the Sheltie may look like high canine glamour, but these little pups are also ready to dig in and do some work. When you’ve got a Sheltie in the family, you have a best friend by your side that’s down for snuggle time or playtime. That’s canine perfection!

And to preserve that perfection, you’ll do anything and everything for your Sheltie. And part of that ‘anything and everything’ is annual checkups with the vet to keep your pup fit and healthy. But no matter how diligent of a dog parent you are, illness and injury can still happen. Shelties are prone to joint problems, autoimmune conditions, hypothyroidism, and Von Willebrand’s Disease, and treating any of these conditions can get expensive. With pet insurance, though, you can be financially prepared to fend off whatever comes. To help you find peace of mind and the best pet insurance plan for your Sheltie, we’ve created a free and easy-to-use comparison tool to simplify the insurance quest.

Compare The Top 9 Pet Insurance Plans for Your Sheltie Using our Free No-Obligation Quote Tool below

The simplest way to compare pet insurance prices is to use our tool below. The comparison tool will show you quotes from the top 9 pet insurance carriers, including Trupanion, Pets Best, Lemonade, ManyPets, FIGO, HealthyPaws, Prudent Pet, Spot, and Embrace pet insurance.

How Much Does Pet Insurance for a Sheltie Cost?

Below are some sample pet insurance plans for a 1-year-old male Sheltie using the zip code 75001 (Texas) as an example.

• Pets Best – $39.59 per month
• Embrace – $41.60 per month
• Healthy Paws – $30.72 per month
• ManyPets – $36.20 per month

Ultimately, your plan’s premium will depend on several factors, including your dog’s age, size, and breed, as well as where you live. You also want to know what type of coverage your plan has and if it will help with Sheltie-specific health problems. Let’s get more into those medical conditions and how much you can expect to pay to treat them.

Common Health Problems Associated With Shelties

Joint Problems

Like many dog breeds, Shelties can suffer from joint problems brought on by conditions like hip dysplasia and patellar luxation. Hip Dysplasia occurs when the ball-and-socket joint in a dog’s hip doesn’t form correctly, leaving the joint to dislocate or the femur head to sit wrong in the socket. Patellar luxation is more commonly known as a dislocated kneecap, and cases can be mild to severe. Both issues can potentially lead to pain and mobility problems.

Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune condition in which a dog’s immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissues, leading to organ damage. Common symptoms include lethargy, fever, skin rashes, appetite loss, swollen lymph nodes, and arthritis. The cause behind Lupus is unknown, but genetics are suspected to play a role.

Sheltie Skin Disease

Also known as Dermatomyositis (DMS), Sheltie Skin Syndrome is an autoimmune condition that involves the skin and muscles, causing skin lesions with crusting and hair loss. Diagnosed primarily in Shelties and Collies, the lesions appear where the muscle layer is thin between bone and skin. Common places are the face, ear and tail tips, legs, and feet. Symptoms can range from mild to painfully severe.

Von Willebrand’s Disease (vWD)

Von Willebrand’s Disease, or vWD, is a hereditary bleeding disorder that occurs when the blood lacks a vital protein that helps with clotting at the site of blood vessel injuries. Dogs with this disease are at risk of losing significant amounts of blood as healing clots don’t form as they should. Excessive blood loss in dogs can quickly become an emergency.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is another common health problem in Shelties and occurs when the thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones to regulate metabolism. This condition often presents with fatigue, weight gain, coat problems, and flaky skin. Left untreated, your dog’s entire quality of life will decline.

Typical Costs Of Treating Health Issues In Shelties and How Pet Insurance Can Help

Shetland Sheepdogs are happy and healthy dogs, but like any other breed, they’re still prone to specific health problems, and emergencies can happen. Caring for ongoing conditions and emergency vet situations can create financial hardships in a hurry. But a small monthly payment for the right pet insurance plan for your Sheltie can save your bank account and give you time to care for your pup without worrying over bills.

Check out how pet insurance can help with the costs of these Sheltie health issues:

• Joint Problems Costs: The treatment plan for your Sheltie’s joint problems might consist of medications that help with pain and slow degeneration. The cost of these monthly medications can add up over years of management. Physical therapy could also help, but at $50 an appointment, those bills stack up too. If the hips or knees reach a certain point of degeneration, your dog may require an orthopedic surgery that can create bills of $2,000 – $7,000. But, the right pet insurance plan for your Sheltie can help you find relief from monthly prescription costs and the expensive surgery that will get your pup back on its paws.
• Lupus Costs: Diagnosing Lupus can be tricky and involves a lot of diagnostics, with tests consisting of X-rays, ultrasounds, bloodwork, and biopsies. The vet may also collect fluid from inflamed joints to help make a final diagnosis. Costs could run $250 – $1,000. Once diagnosed with Lupus, dogs will most likely need a cocktail of medicines, including steroids and immunosuppressant drugs, which could create drug bills of $250-$1,000. And some of these meds require monitoring via bloodwork which could create another set of bills that can range from just a hundred bucks a year to about a thousand. Between the initial costs of diagnosis and years of medication, you’re looking at the potential for an expensive disease. But if you have a pet insurance plan for your Sheltie before Lupus attacks, your costs for expensive tests and prescriptions could see significant reductions.
• Sheltie Skin Syndrome Costs: If your vet suspects Sheltie Skin Syndrome, biopsies can confirm the diagnosis, with the final price of the procedure varying from $500 to $1,000. Managing Sheltie Skin Syndrome involves drugs that quiet pain and inflammation and others that modify the immune system and boost circulation. These medications are expensive at a minimum of $100 to $200 every month. Getting a pet insurance plan for your Sheltie before a problem like this occurs will bring savings on bills for tests, vet visits, and medications.
• Von Willebrand’s Disease: If your Sheltie suffers a bleeding emergency, costs could get high in a hurry. For each unit of blood, you can expect prices that range from $25-$300. The amount of blood lost will depend on how many units your dog will need. If the case is severe, other emergency procedures and hospitalization may be necessary. Between transfusions, stays, and emergency care, this unexpected vet bill could quickly reach prices of $800 to $1,500. But having the right pet insurance plan for your Sheltie before emergency strikes leaves you to concentrate on recovery, not bills.
• Hypothyroidism Costs: Hypothyroidism is typically treated with medication and monitoring. Depending on the severity of the issue, you’re looking at $20 – $50 a month to fill your Sheltie’s script. That might not sound like much to start, but month after month, year after year, prescriptions for hypothyroidism can add up over time. An insurance plan that offers drug coverage or discounts can help offset costs.

What Is Pet Health Insurance, And Why Do I Need It For My Sheltie?

Pet health insurance works very similarly to human health insurance. Your policy quote will range in monthly price, depending on your dog’s breed, age, and where you live. Typically, you’ll spend around $15-$77 per month as a pet parent.

Pet insurance is mainly about peace of mind, knowing you won’t be totally overwhelmed in case of an emergency. Enrolling even when your dog is young and healthy will ensure you have plenty of coverage when they need expensive medical care later. If you choose a plan more suited to your dog’s particular breed, you’ll be more prepared when something happens later on in their life.

Some plans cover accidents and illnesses, while others only cover accidents. Certain plans do cover breed-specific illnesses, and others do not. It all depends on what type of coverage you choose. With our free pet insurance comparison tool, you can get quotes from multiple insurance companies with no obligation to commit.

Whatever plan you choose, you’ll feel better knowing you can take care of your dog when they need you most. Plus, you won’t have to suddenly shell out thousands of dollars. Learn more about how pet insurance works here.

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