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:
Check out Lacey! She’s a sweet one and a half year old Collie/Shepherd mix. She arrived at Canine Lifeline from an area shelter with a noticable limp in her back legs. She was taken to the vets where it was determined she had hip dysplasia. She underwent femoral head ostectomy (FHO) surgery on the one hip in August. She’s doing very well and has no exercise restrictions. The even better news is that the vet doesn’t feel it’s necessary for her to undergo the surgery on her other hip.
She can be a bit shy in new situations but warms up to you quickly. She’s laid back, good with other dogs and seems housebroken. Be sure to check out her video below. If you would like more information on Lacey please contact Canine Lifeline directly at info@caninelifeline.org.
Meet Jamie & Penny! Both dogs are Collie/Shepherd mixes and are about one year old. They have been with Canine Lifeline for a while now. They were picked up as a stray in Kentucky and it’s possible they are littermates. Both dogs are very shy, and the Kentucky shelter knew they would be better off out of the shelter environment, so a transport was arranged to get them to Canine Lifeline. They are both doing better, but will need someone with a lot of love and patience as they will both need continued work in socializing them with other people. It would be great if they could go to a home together, but that’s not required. Canine Lifeline would prefer to see them go into a home with another dog, however. |
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Hey all! Guess what? I’ve been adopted! After 11 months of living with my foster Mom, she decided to adopt me. She said it was an easy decision. As you know I’ve had a lot of medical problems. I strain a lot when I try to poop, and sometimes it gets stuck or it hurts to get it out (sorry to be so graphic).
While in the care of Canine Lifeline I went through a series of tests and was diagnosed with nerve damage likely caused by a trauma. My bladder and instestines are displaced (not sitting where they should be). They told us that this couldn’t be fixed, and would need to manage it with food and medicine.
About a month ago Mom took me back to the vets to have my “plumbing irrigated”. Not Fun! During that vet visit they told Mom that I also have a perineal hernia. The hernia can be fixed with surgery and we were referred to a specailist.
The specialist reviewed my entire medical history and told Mom that there was a procedure they could do to correct the displaced bladder and intestines, as well as a surgery for the hernia. However, both surgeries could not be done at the same time. Mom was ecstatic that I had a chance to be healthy again and agreed to the surgery to correct my bladder and intestines.
The surgery was two weeks ago and I’m recuperating nicely, but I will still need the hernia surgery. The medical bills for the surgeries cost approximately $4,500. Yikes! I’m so thankful this holiday season that I found the best Mom ever! She’s going to help me get better so I can be the best dog ever!
Check out a couple of videos of me below. This video was taken when I was at the shelter.
This one was taken shortly after my surgery. Frankie, the new cat (more about him in a future post), is attempting his healing powers on me.
