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:
It’s the time of year that snow starts flying, the temperature plummets and holiday chaos ensues. Check out this video for some helpful tips on what to watch for and how to protect your pets from the elements and holiday dangers.
Today is a day that the world takes pause to remember the events of September, 11 2001. While this day will always be remembered by the world, it’s the events on this day one year later that I now take pause to remember. This time though, it is to remember one of the happiest days of my life. It’s the day that Duke became a member of my family.
I wanted a Collie all of my life. Lassie is my hero, and Collies are the most beautiful dogs I’ve ever seen. It was never meant to be as I was growing up, as we just didn’t have the space a big dog like that needed. So, after getting my own home, the first thing on the agenda was to add a Collie to the household.
I scoured the internet and found a Collie rescue group (Tri-State Collie Rescue) a few hours away from me. I fell in love with several dogs on their website. I filled out their application, was approved to adopt, and was on my way to visit with a few of those dogs.
When I got there, the first dog I spotted was one that was sleeping in a crate near the entrance. When he realized I was there, he stood up and gave me a goofy looking grin and had a sparkle in his eyes. They called him Connor and he wasn’t on their website yet. He had just been neutered and was recovering from the surgery. At first glance he looked like a smooth coated Collie as his hair was really short. The short hair only added to his goofiness. We left the building to go outside and visit with the dogs I was there to see… Connor wasn’t one of them.
I visited with at least three dogs, and they were all great dogs. I could have been perfectly happy with any of them, but I just couldn’t shake that goofy looking dog out of my head. I asked about Connor’s story. They told me that he was around 2 years old, and was dumped off of a truck along the side of the road. A concerned citizen was able to get him into their car and took him to a local shelter.
Tri-State in turn rescued him from the shelter to give him a chance at a new life. He had short hair for a reason, and it wasn’t because he was a smooth coated Collie. It turns out that he had been severely matted. They had to shave all of that beautiful fur off in order to make him comfortable. I asked if I could visit with him.
They brought him out into the yard, and it turns out his goofy grin matched his goofy personality. He loved being in the yard, and acted like such a clown. We had a blast. There was an instant connection. I knew he was the one that was going home with me. So it is on this day, nine years ago, that Duke, formerly Connor, entered my life.
He’s now eleven years old, and he’s slowing down. He has a heart murmur, an enlarged liver and his back legs aren’t working so well anymore. I had to take him to an emergency room about a week ago, as he had fallen and I couldn’t get him to stand back up. He’s doing better now, but is still pretty wobbly on his feet. I’ve got him rigged with harnesses that help me get him up and moving around.
He has been a blessing in my life and I’ve cherished every moment so far. I hope there are many more cherished moments to come, but I fear he may not make it to his next birthday. So today, September 11, 2011, I celebrate his life, and I count my blessings. Not just for him, but for all of the family, friends and fur critters in my life. Happy Birthday Dukie, my big goofer man!
