CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: This morning in 'Dollars & Deals,' you've probably got insurance for your home and your car and your own health, but what about your pet? Here is consumer guru Clark Howard to tell us if it's a doggone good deal.</s>CLARK HOWARD, CONSUMER ADVOCATE: This morning's question is from Beth in Norwalk, Connecticut. You tell me you have got a couple of pet dogs, and you want to know are you actually going to save money if you buy veterinarian insurance on your dogs? Well the question about buying vet insurance is how much are you going to do to save your pet's life or to improve the quality of your pet's life if your pet needs major surgery? The big change that's happened with pets is the attitude we have about them as being a member of the family is so different today than it was one generation ago. When a pet had a chronic problem, we didn't have major surgery. But now pets have every kind of procedure pretty much that a human does. Those procedures are very, very expensive. Pet insurance is something that as I read, even in "Consumer Reports," there seems to be some mixed feelings about whether or not pet insurance is a good buy. But I would say the real question for you is if your pet needed major surgery, would you want to have that surgery for your pet? If the answer is yes, ask your veterinarian which pet insurance they have found who has been the best for you to use. Which one is best about paying claims, which one is the most generous in the claims they do pay, and then go ahead and try a pet insurance policy.</s>COSTELLO: Clark will be back next Friday with more 'Dollars & Deals.' You can e-mail us your consumer questions. Just visit our Web site, CNN.com/DAYBREAK. In the meantime, you can get Clark's money-saving tips on the Web. The address there ClarkHoward.com. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Dollars & Deals: Pet Insurance