A pet is never just a pet; it is part of the family. With all the advances in veterinary medicine, pets are leading longer, healthier lives.

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Sherry Demeterco: Max is a healthy, energetic Portuguese Water Dog who likes nothing more than playing at the local park. And his owner lastly says that so far so good he is in great health. Speaker: I was lucky because neighbor of mine has the same breed, but they ended up with hip dysplasia in their dog. Speaker: They are trying to think Max' health will always be good, it is like I get blinders over my eyes. Healthy dog, he is healthy. Sherry Demeterco: Statistics Canada finds that just over half of Canadian households have pets, and according to The Ontario Veterinary Medical Association, dog owners are paying about $1600 a year for veterinary care and other services, like grooming and training. Cat owners pay about $1200 a year, but if your cat or dog suddenly becomes sick, injured or if you are looking to take advantage of new veterinary advances, your expenses could be high. Randy Valpy is a Pet Insurance specialist who is Canada's largest underwriters of Pet Health Insurance. Randy Valpy: With the advances of veterinary medicine today, anything that can be done in human health-care for humans can now be done for your pets. Treatments such as hip replacements, dental implants, cancer therapies, even MRIs for your pet, but of course with all these treatments, there is an associated cost and some of them can be quite expensive. So with pet insurance you don't worry about that, you just take your pet into your veterinarian, allow them to give the procedure what's best interested your pet and the pet insurance will help greatly with the cost. Some of these treatments can be life-saving or provide for a far greater healthier life for your pet. Sherry Demeterco: Larry McDaniel is with the PurinaCare Insurance Program. Larry McDaniel: Purina has been in the pet business for 85 years, and we feel that PurinaCare is an extension of that understanding in expertise about pets and the relationship that pets have with owners. We are fortunate here in Canada that they have secured again a business that is already in the Pet Health Insurance business as our underwriter. And they help us provide the nuts and bolts of the PurinaCare policy, which is a simple, transparent and comprehensive pet health insurance plan. For more information about pet insurance, check out the website purinacare.ca, Sherry Demeterco reporting.