If you love your pet, please read

[AG]

If you love your dogs or cats, please do yourself and them a favor and get them pet health insurance, they will eventually need to use it.

In case anything come up, you will be able to save them at all cost.

I have two cats, 8 years old and 7 years old, house cat, I treat them like my own child, I never let them out, because I am afraid to lose them.

They have always been healthy, and extremely active, until last week, my 8 years old "Meowth" had trouble breathing, so I took her to animal critical care immediately, and she has cardiomyopathy, it cause congestive heart failure, her lungs was filled with fluid.

There were absolutely no prior sign, a day before she was fine, next day, her life is completely changed.

Keep a long story short, it was extremly painful for me and my girlfriend to see Meowth hurt, she finally came home this week, she have to take 5 different medications, and we have to feed her using feeding tube.

So far the cost is near $5000 for only 5 days stay and treatment at critical care, the trements they have done are 6 pages long, and it will likely to continue to add up, we will try our best to save her at all cost.

Last but not least, if your animal is really sick, take them to a state of the art advanced critical care, not your neighborhood animal clinic, waste of money and valuable time

 

[Soichiro]

>>state of the art advanced critical care

How do we find one of these?

 

[nsxtasy]

I've had pet insurance for several years, and have received almost as much in claims as I've paid in premiums - and that is without any kind of catastrophic illness.

The biggest one is http://www.petinsurance.com

Just be aware that you may need to pay a higher premium for higher coverages and/or specific types of illnesses.

 

[ncdogdoc]

>>state of the art advanced critical care

How do we find one of these?

Your closest Veterinary School, and now many cities have excellent referral hospitals staffed with specialists in all disciplines with the latest equipment to do whatever is necessary.

Many people do not realize that our companion pets get most of the same diseases (both metabolic and infectious) as we do (not contagious, just their own versions). We can and do treat them in many of the same ways as you or I go through when we get sick.

Artificial joints have been around for a while, and even kidney transplants in cats are being performed in over a dozen centers across the country.

My local (~10 miles away) referral practice even has in house CAT scan (no pun) and 24 hours intensive care with cardiac telemetry.

VPI (Ken's link above) is by far the most extensive, and AFAIK the only provider licensed in all states to sell pet insurance. It is still in its infancy, but can be a real life saver (literally and figuratively) as noted above.

As far as bypassing your local veterinarian, I would not go that far. All of us that are worth our salt will quickly transfer a pet to a facility if the care is beyond our means.

AG, I wish you the best in this case. If there was not a thrombus (blood clot), your pet stands a good chance with medication.

 

[RSO 34]

I've had pet insurance for several years, and have received almost as much in claims as I've paid in premiums - and that is without any kind of catastrophic illness.

Ken,

Does that insurance cover conditions that are more prevalent in certain breeds? For example, I have a Maltese and they are known to have problems with their knees. I have never gotten insurance for her but she is now 8 years old and I am beginning to wonder if it is about time to pick up a policy.

 

[nsxtasy]

Does that insurance cover conditions that are more prevalent in certain breeds? For example, I have a Maltese and they are known to have problems with their knees. I have never gotten insurance for her but she is now 8 years old and I am beginning to wonder if it is about time to pick up a policy.

VPI covers problems equally for all breeds; in other words, if they cover knee problems for any breed, they will do so for breeds for which those problems are prevalent.

However, their rates may vary based on the age and breed of the pet, as well as its location, etc. So if an older Maltese, for example, tends to require more treatment than a similar aged dog of another breed, I wouldn't be surprised if they charge more in premiums for covering a Maltese. This is conjecture on my part.

VPI's website notes that pre-existing conditions are not covered (not surprisingly), nor are the following items covered:

- Congenital or hereditary defects or diseases
- Elective and cosmetic procedures
- Expression or removal of anal glands or anal sacculitis
- Breeding or conditions related to breeding
- Diagnostic tests and treatments for conditions excluded or limited by the policy
- Special diets, pet foods, vitamins, mineral supplements, boarding or transporting expenses, grooming costs
- Diseases that are preventable by vaccines
- Behavioral problems
- Orthodontics, endodontics and removal of deciduous teeth.

VPI offers two types of coverage: Vaccination & Routine Care Coverage (scheduled preventive maintenance for your pet, just like for your NSX) and their Superior Plan (for protection from accidental injuries, emergencies and illnesses). There is also an optional cancer rider which doubles the coverage for cancer.

You should also be aware that there are limits on the amounts that they will reimburse for coverage. So even though you may encounter a condition whose treatment costs $5K or $10K (unfortunately, it happens), you won't necessarily be reimbursed anything close to the full amount of the treatment. On the other hand, it's better than nothing - and it may make the difference to enable you to afford the treatment that will save or extend your pet's life.

I am not affiliated with VPI and I do not know anything about other companies that might offer such policies. As usual when considering a purchase of any goods or services, do your research and decide what best meets your needs. VPI's website provides the ability to give you a quick quote, as well as a schedule of benefits.

Here is a photo of Cosmo and Layla (who is having minor surgery on her paw today):

 

[TyraNSX]

The alternate plan is build up a separate savings account solely for major medical on your pet(s). $1500-$2000 would be a good starter and you could credit card any shortage to make payments on it. I believe VPI has you pay first and then submit a claim to get reimbursed so you will need the money upfront insurance or not. The huge loophole in the above post is "congenital or hereditary". A LOT of common problems fall into this category & would be excluded. Assuming you take good care of your animals and they get to be old, they will probably get some serious disease and need major care so it's better to plan ahead.

 

[AaronR]

I hope your kitty recovers 100%

we just lost Kyra (our baby persian), there is nothing sadder. I would have rather my NSX stolen...
Aaron

 

[jlindy]

My parents dog has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure as well at 8 years old. So sorry to hear that as I am the same with my dogs, but keep your head up. She has lived with this for the last year and a half (some problems on the way though), but she could still have 2 more years left too according to the vet after the latest tests. I am basically trying to say that this doesn't necessarily have to be a fast process and you will hopefully have a lot of time.

 

[ekin95]

I hope your kitty recovers 100%

we just lost Kyra (our baby persian), there is nothing sadder. I would have rather my NSX stolen...
Aaron

I am sorry to hear about you kitten and anyone else who has lost a pet. I had 2 Siamese, 1 for 11 yrs and 1 for 15 yrs that just died within the past yr. I can honestly say they were the 2 worst days of my life as those 2 cats were my entire life. But life goes on and now we have 3 Siamese kittens that are now a year and half old and they are so much fun. We call them the terrorists b/c they terrorize the house (like they are doing right now) but we love it. 2 chocolate points and 1 seal point pure breed Siamese. All sisters from the same litter. We have though about pet insurance but really have never looked into it. My Dad spent a ton of $$$ keeping the our last 2 cats alive for a long time and will do the same thing for these guys but we always know when the time is right to say goodbye. Even though we do not want to, @ least we as humans can do the humane thing for our pets and end their misery/pain and know they will be in a better place and not hurt anymore.

Here are a few pics of my kittens. (Zowie, Misty, and Kassie)

 

[ncdogdoc]

Ken,

Does that insurance cover conditions that are more prevalent in certain breeds? For example, I have a Maltese and they are known to have problems with their knees. I have never gotten insurance for her but she is now 8 years old and I am beginning to wonder if it is about time to pick up a policy.

Robert,

Since this is still a new area (compared to humans) the actuarial data is not as complete, so there are items that are not covered. I have not had a claim for one of the congenital or hereditary conditions (which luxating patellas in Maltese would fall under) come up with my insured patients, so I do not know how they handle the nuances. I do think this will improve as they gather more data on repairs and longevity with certain breed specific problems.

TyraNSX,

VPI has options for both second and third party payment. Since most credit cards give 25 days, or longer if the charge happens early in the cycle, the payment would probably take place within the "grace" period. Your suggestion of a "rainy day fund" is excellent in any respect for pets, people, and even the NSX!!

 

[NeoNSX]

MYNSX should definitely get insurance for his cats...

 

[AG]

Here is a pic of Meowth I took two days ago after the follow up check, the blue shirt is not there to make her look cute, it is there to hold her feeding tube, the tube connect to inside of her stomach from the side.

We have ran out of tears, we are so afraid, she has made some improvements in the past week, but still far from what she used to be.

 

[AG]

another pic

 

[nsxtasy]

The huge loophole in the above post is "congenital or hereditary". A LOT of common problems fall into this category & would be excluded.

I have put in a LOT of claims for both major and minor problems (I am as fastidious about taking care of my canine companions as I am about my NSX) and I have never had any rejected for this reason. Based on my experience as well as Gary's - and as a veterinarian, he probably cares for several thousand animals - I am quite certain that the denial of claims due to "congenital or hereditary problems" is rare.

Again, though, the big limitation to these policies, as I see it, is not so much items that are not covered, but rather, the dollar limitations on items that are. You can review these on VPI's website. You will see that there are no diagnoses for which they will reimburse more than about a couple thousand dollars. So with cases like AG's, where a single treatment costs $5K, most of that cost would not be reimbursed. Fortunately, veterinary treatments that expensive are rare, but if you're getting pet insurance to protect against such cases, you'd better read the limitations closely before purchasing. Unfortunately, this is different from most human major medical policies, most of which do provide considerable (if not unlimited) protection for catastrophic treatments.

Assuming you take good care of your animals and they get to be old, they will probably get some serious disease and need major care so it's better to plan ahead.

I agree that this is a good idea. If an expensive procedure would strain your finances, setting aside savings to cover them will help. Heck, you could even set up a single fund for unexpected animal and vehicular emergencies. Call it your "crutch and clutch fund".

 

[comquat1]

I should maybe consider this as Duders (the one on the right) is occasionally having his kneecap pop out of joint and cause him to limp for a while. Could be surgery in a few years if it gets worse. $700 or so from what I've been told, but I could prolly pay that out of pocket if that's all there is.

 

[Brian2by2]

My 11 year old golden retriever died of that. No signs. Just one day, he fell over and didn't get back up. They drained teh fluid and he was good fo ra few minutes and then he got worse and we had to put him to sleep. He was my bestest friend

Oh and I was in Georgia and didn't know about it until I got home. My dad had to tell me and cried for a week.

 

[steveny]

Not sure what I am doing wrong here?

The lab has a six sense. She knows when I am stressed out and she will sit beside me and shake until her teeth chatter. I feel bad that I am stressing her out so in a way it is good because I try to not be as stressed so she doesn't have to be stressed either.

An animal will give you all their love and ask for nothing in return. If I were sick, and my dogs were able to, they would give their life for me. How can a price tag be put on that?

It is confirmed, I am an idiot!

I got it now how do I make it bigger?

I hope today I learned to fish.

 

[nsxtasy]

Not sure what I am doing wrong here?

Some sites show pictures as temporary files, which could explain why that URL turns up "page cannot be found". And some sites do not allow remote linking from sites in other domains.

Since it's one photo, you could save it to your hard drive and just attach it to your post...

 

[WillErickson]

I don't really have anything to contribute, but as long as we're showing off our pets........

 

[WillErickson]

His name is Captain Kirk, but he prefers "The Captain"

 

[RSO 34]

I just wanted to revive this thread to thank all those who contributed with the good advice to get pet insurance. After reading this when it was first started, I got the insurance for my maltese in late May. After being healthy for all of her 8 years, in July she was diagnosed with heart problems and underwent emergency surgery for a pacemaker in August. Fortunately, I am able to afford her medical bills but I am now receiving reimbursements from her policy and they are averaging approximately 70% of the costs so far after factoring in deductibles and co-pays. Even if I do not submit any more bills, I anticipate being reimbursed the equivalent of 3 years worth of premiums just for this event.

Thanks again!