This whole ordeal got me thinking about pet insurance and how, in this instance, it would have been a big help. This would not be the first time I’ve thought about pet insurance. I’ve looked into it in the past, but I’ve not pursued it because I felt like it would be a waste of money. There are so many things you should consider when you’re evaluating the different pet insurances, it can be overwhelming. This video offers a few things you should pay attention to while you review the different providers.
Here’s another video that provides a very basic comparison of four different pet insurance plans.
When I was doing my research I did find one company (Pet Plan Pet Insurance) that would continue to cover conditions diagnosed while on the plan. They would do that as long as you continued to renew your policy and did not lapse in your payments. Sounds great right? It is until you read some of their fine print. The deductible you have with this provider is PER CONDITION per year. That means if your pet is diagnosed with diabetes and then later on in the year is also diagnosed with arthritis, you are paying two deductibles, not one. I also had to laugh when I read their policy on covering prescriptions:
“Coverage for prescriptions is included in all Petplan policies, provided that they have been prescribed by the treating veterinarian as treatment for an illness or accident and the illness or accident is not a pre-existing condition. All prescriptions must be FDA approved for pets, subject to policy provisions. Nutritional supplements and vitamins are not covered by the policy.”
They might as well have said that they don’t cover prescriptions. Notice the “pre-existing condition”, “must be FDA approved for pets” and “nutritional supplements and vitamins are not covered” statements. Many prescription drugs used in the veterinary world are FDA approved for human use, not pet use. For example, of the eight different things my pets are on, only one is FDA approved for pet use (Derramax), 3 are not FDA approved (Tramadol, Lactulose, Piroxicam) and the remaining four are supplements (Azodyl, Epakitin, Vetri-Liver and Dasuquin).
There is one other thing to be aware of if you’re thinking about pet insurance – You’re still responsible to pay the vet bill. Your vet will want their money upfront. That means you still have to cover the full amount of the bill at the time of the service. You will be the one responsible to submit all of the paperwork to the insurance company, not your vet. The insurance provider will reimburse you based on the terms of your agreement.
If you’re interested in doing further research, I’ve compiled a listing below of some of the different pet insurance providers I’ve found. I doubt this is a comprehensive list. I’m sure there are others out there. I don’t endorse any of the companies, nor have I researched each one. I just thought I’d provide you with a one-stop shopping list for those of you interested in researching further.
So do you think pet insurance is worth it? Are any of you already using pet insurance? I would love to hear your opinions on the topic.
Pet Insurance Providers:
Charm & Daisy Sleeping
The economy is tight and we’re all feeling the pinch. If you’re like me, you’re going along thinking that just maybe you’re finally getting ahead of the game, and then something happens that sets you two steps backwards. Well I took two steps backwards last night. Charm and Daisy have landed themselves in the emergency clinic. I came home from an adoption event last night to find an empty bottle of Deramaxx on the floor. Deramaxx is an anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat arthritic dogs. The medicine was for Duke and it was a recently refilled bottle, so it had 15 tablets in there.
I keep the bottle on the kitchen counter along with all of the other medicines the dogs take. They’ve never bothered them before, so I’ve never given two thoughts about it. Charm is the only one agile enough to prop himself on the counter to reach them. Everything in me said he was the one that consumed them all. He was even acting guilty. Even though my gut told me he consumed them all, I couldn’t rule out Daisy as I found the empty pill bottle in the dining room. She very easily could have joined in on the “fun”. The cats wouldn’t have gotten into it, because they were locked in another area of the house, and Duke wasn’t a likely suspect either.
I called the emergency clinic to see if I even need to be concerned. They told me to call the ASPCA Poison Control Center for advice. This is a 24 hour hotline that is operated by the ASPCA and staffed with vets. If you should ever need to call on them, be prepared to have your credit card handy. They charge a $65 consultation fee.
The Poison Control Center said that there is a reason to be concerned given the potential dosage that either one of them could have consumed. It can impact the kidneys and possibly cause ulcers. They did not recommend inducing vomiting because of the time frame that the pills could have been consumed. Deramaxx is a chewable tablet that dissolves into the system pretty quickly and chances are there was nothing left in the stomach to even throw up. They recommended I take both dogs to the emergency clinic and gave me a case number for the emergency clinic to reference for further treatment instructions.
Charm and Daisy will be at the clinic for at least 48 hours. They’re being given IV fluids to help flush out the kidneys, charcoal to help absorb the toxins and antacids to help with any potential stomach upsets. I called to check in on them this morning and the vet said they’re both doing fine. The one thing the doctor told me that concerns me a little is that Charm hasn’t wanted to eat anything. I’ve never known Charm to refuse food…ever.
Their blood work will be rechecked Tuesday night. If everything checks out okay they can go home that night. They’ll need to get their blood work rechecked 24 hours after that by their normal vet. I can’t wait for them to come home. The house feels empty without them. The wallet unfortunately feels empty too. But I guess that is a small price to pay in comparison to the permanent loss I could be feeling right now.
Here are some of the hard lessons learned from this experience:
Richie went from the shelter to a rescue and was then adopted!
Many people ask me how it is I can volunteer at a shelter that euthanizes. They think that since I go there I must condone the action. I can tell you that I absolutely do not! There is NO GOOD REASON to euthanize an adoptable pet. These same folks are also of the mindset that they will never adopt from or support an organization that does this. In their minds they think by not supporting it, then that means the shelter will get the message and stop doing such an activity. Right?
While these folks have their hearts in the right place, their logic is out of whack. There is a never ending stream of pets coming into the shelters, and these shelters won’t turn them away. When someone decides not to adopt or support a shelter that euthanizes, what they are in effect doing is contributing to the euthanasia. After all, they are one less person going through those doors to adopt, they are one less person volunteering their time to help these pets get into rescue and they are one less person advocating adoption of these animals to their family and friends. It’s not the pet’s fault that it landed in a shelter that euthanizes, so why would you turn your back on them just because of the shelter they’re in?
That’s my opinion and the reason why I volunteer. I can’t turn my back on them. There’s no question that volunteering at a shelter that euthanizes can be difficult emotionally. One minute you’re elated because your favorite just got adopted and the next minute you’re crying because your other favorite is leaving in a body bag. It can knock you on your ass. But I keep going for the ones that are still there. They still have a chance at getting out and living a happy life. But they need help in order to get out. There are only so many hours in the day, and the shelters are generally understaffed and the staff is overworked. Volunteers play such an important role in the lives of these pets. Here are some ways volunteers can help:
Bear was treated for heartworm and entropion thanks to fundraising efforts. He was adopted!
Becoming a no-kill nation won’t happen over-night, but if we can each resolve to do our part, just imagine what we can accomplish. It just takes one person to make a difference in the life of a shelter pet. Are you that one person? I am.
I’m not alone…being followed. Someone always watching what we do…
From the song “Being Followed” by Duran Duran
In this day and age with all of the social media platforms out there it’s easy to feel like you’re being followed. I feel tremendous gratitude toward all of you that decided to follow The Shelter Shack on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ page. I know the incentive for many of you to follow was to try and win the Social Media for Social Good raffle. I appreciate the follow and hope you’ll stick around now that the raffle is over. Congratulations goes out to the winner of the raffle, Kristi W. and her charity of choice which is the Leon County Humane Society in Tallahassee, Florida.
So what does the quote from the Duran Duran song above have to do with all of this you might ask? Well, outside of a shameless plug for my favorite band, it serves as a lead in to talk about how those in animal rescue are not alone, and being followed on social media sites can only help to get those homeless pets adopted!
If you’re involved with a shelter or an animal rescue group and you don’t have a presence on a social media site…get one! They’re easy to set-up and they’re free to use! It’s one of the quickest ways to send out information to the masses about your adoptable pets. It’s also a great way to build community support.
It gives you the opportunity to connect with your supporters in a way unlike any other before. Outside of showcasing adoptable pets, you can announce upcoming events, share content from others about animal care tips or current animal related news, post happy tails of previous adoptions and post requests for donations.
A word of caution on the donation requests, keep those postings to a smaller percentage from everything else. People know you need donations and a gentle nudge every now and then will suffice, but requesting on a daily basis could cause you to come off as too needy and you will lose followers.
As a general rule of thumb, keep your postings fun and informative and you’ll keep your followers engaged. An even bigger rule of thumb is to respond to your followers comments. Even if all you’re doing is “Liking” their comment, that can be enough. It shows that you are paying attention to what they are saying. So animal rescuers…go forth and be followed!
Since I started this post with a shameless plug for my favorite band, I might as well end the same way. Here’s the music video for the song quoted above. It is from the album All You Need Is Now. Enjoy!
