September 2010 is National Pet Insurance Month and for good reason. Nowadays, more and more people have their dogs and cats insured. According to the 2009/10 American Pet Products Association National Pet Owners Survey, there are more than two million dogs and at least 900,000 cats with health insurance. Perhaps even more eye opening is how fast those numbers have grown. In 2006 the number of cats insured was too insignificant to even track and within the last 10 years the number of dogs has tripled.

So how much does pet insurance cost? The APPA survey reports that two-thirds of dog owners spend more than $250 annually on health insurance premiums for their pet, while cat owners spend around $275. Not too bad considering it’s not that uncommon for vet bills to reach well over that.

As a way to celebrate this month, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) is having a couple of contests where people can submit a story about how having pet health insurance has helped them when their pet needed medical care. NAPHIA will review all the stories and pick one lucky winner who will receive $1,000.

Pet owners can also nominate their veterinarian to receive an educational grant and a plaque of excellence by writing a story about why their vet deserves this honor.

To find out more about National Pet Insurance Month and NAPHIA contests, visit http://www.naphia.org/pet_health_month_2010.htm