Pet insurance in Michigan

Pets have a great life in the Wolverine State but there are many reasons why you should get pet insurance in Michigan

It may be home to America’s motor industry but Michigan is a fantastic state for things on for legs as well as four wheels. With shores on four of the five of the Great Lakes, mountains, thick forest, and bustling cities, it’s got something for everyone.

Great lakes

If you’re an outdoors-loving pet parent in Michigan – and have an outdoors loving pet – you’re going to have a fine time. You can’t talk about the state without mentioning the Great Lakes. Michigan touches four of them: Erie, Huran, Superior and, of course, Michigan. This means that there are beaches galore and plenty of them are dog-friendly, particularly on Lake Michigan.

Dogs are welcome in the crystal clear waters of Lake Michigan Beach near Glen Haven, Bayfront Park near Petoskey, Hagar Beach near Coloma, and many more. Most require your dog to be on a leash but that shouldn’t stop them enjoying the water. Speaking of enjoying water, make sure they drink plenty when you’re out at the beach, or anywhere else. Dehydration and heat stroke are dangerous for dogs, who can’t self-regulate their body temperature. They’re also expensive, landing a vet bill up to $6,000 in fact – which can be financially crippling without pet insurance.

Forest fun

Michigan is also famous for its dense forest, particularly on the Upper Peninsula. Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, which runs along 40 delectably beautiful miles of Lake Superior, is a great spot for you to take your Doberman or Chihuahua. They’re welcome on trails and in the water, as long as they remain leashed. For a gentler day out, Al Sabo nature preserve has over 8 miles of trails through fields, forests, and wetlands. Be warned, though: ticks love this kind of terrain and cause Lyme disease, which will cost around $1,000 in diagnostic and treatment costs.

The isle of dogs

You can also take your pet on plenty of fun tours. Lots of places that will let you take your pet out onto the water. Great Turtle Kayak Tours, which is based on Mackinac Island on Lake Huron, are happy for your pooch to join you for a paddle, as long as you bring a dog lifejacket. If you feel like a subterranean adventure, the people at the Delaware Copper Mines in Mohawk love having dogs come for a tour.

Mackinac Island is a great place to visit in general, especially if you have a dog. There are no cars on the island, but plenty of trails and beaches to enjoy – and leashed dogs are welcome just about everywhere. Be careful when taking your faithful hound to anywhere with tourists, though. People love a picnic or brown bag lunch, which inevitable leads to scraps on the ground that are irresistible to a food-focused animal. Eat the wrong thing and they could end up being poisoned or with a bout of gastroenteritis – and you could end up with a vet bill in four figures.

Pets and the city

If you want to spend a more bacchanalian afternoon or evening with your pet, you won’t struggle for choice. Round Barn Winery in Baroda is very dog-friendly – and it also has a distillery and brewery. The Tri-City Brewing Company in Bay City will happily serve you some craft beer and a bowl of water to your dog.

Cities in Michigan have excellent dog parks, from Ann Arbor to Kalamazoo. These places are fabulous for letting your dog run free and many have ponds for water-loving mutts. But remember that play can get a bit rough – and sometimes turn into a fight – and injuries can happen, even by accident. An open wound can cost hundreds of dollars to treat, especially if a general anaesthetic is required or it gets infected.

Why get pet insurance at all?

At Petted, we sincerely believe that pet insurance is a must for all pet parents, whether you live in New York, North Carolina or Nebraska. It doesn’t matter if you’re a city- or country-dweller, if you have a Bull Mastiff or a Burmese, your beloved pet is at risk from injury, illness and inherited conditions – and these things can cost a lot of money to fix.

If you don’t have a very large savings account then you run the risk of either getting into a ton of debt (we’re talking tens of thousands of dollars in some cases) or – and we hate to think about this – not being able to pay for your pet’s treatment and having to either give them up or, tragically, have them euthanized.

So, for the sake of a few dollars a month, please buy yourself some peace of mind and your pet a healthier, more secure future. To find the best pet insurance policy for where you live, click here. We'll fetch you the perfect quotes in less than a minute.