At UW clinic, horses and dogs are the most likely to have insurance policies; cats, cows ? not so much

Faced with the increasing price of medical care, more pet owners are pulling out insurance cards when visiting the veterinary?s office. Pet health insurance has been available in the United States for almost 30 years, but expanded veterinary treatments and changing attitudes toward the family pet have bolstered the number of policies over the past decade, even during the economic downturn. Available to Wisconsin pets for several years, insurance probably covers about 1 percent of the animals seen at the UW-Madison Veterinary Hospital, estimated Steve Wall, assistant hospital director. The hospital logged 21,406 ?patient visits? in 2010.