Pet Insurance Pro (compared to Con)

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

UPDATE ON SOPHIA BONITA - The surgeon called them this morning amazed with Sophie's progress. He fed her, she ate and kept it down and then he took her out of the cage to take her to potty...he used the towel around the middle holding up her back legs so she could walk with her front and he said she was already moving her back legs (amazing were his words), she went outside, pooped and peed and then when they went back to the crate he had to stop her from trying to jump back into her cage. He said he was very optimistic for a full recovery. Today they will transfer her to oral drugs from intravenous and bar any swelling or issues she should be able to come home tomorrow evening. Tears of Joy for our little family!

This morning I got a devastating call from DD, I recognized her state of mind from her first word. What she was calling about, her dog Sophie, our sweet girl granddog that we love so much. Apparently the evening before she was outside playing with her sister Lily while SIL was working in the yard. When it was time to go in he called to the girls and Lily came running but Sophie just laid there, he called her again and she tried to come but her back legs would not allow her to get up. Sophie is 6 years old and has arthritis in her hips. SIL then went and picked her up thinking she over did it again and she would be fine in the am. Well she wasn't so they rushed her to their Vet early am and were sent to an Emergency Vet Hospital (where you have to be referred to by your Vet).

Well after having an MRI done it was discovered that she had two slipped discs and needed surgery ASAP. The Neurological Surgeon was called and the operation took place immediately.

There was never a question whether or not they would spend the money....this girl is their baby. Of course there was discussion and of course they had to be realistic but Sophie is only 6 years old. The prognosis was good for full recovery and she should walk again. Through tears and frantic phone calls they made the decision to proceed.

The issues are these now, full recovery takes up to a month....they have another very active dog and she will have to stay with us so Sophie can remain calm and in complete rest (she will initially have to be crated and then moved to a small room). The last part is they are scheduled for their honeymoon trip in 24 days to Greece.

So what was to be a 2 week stay with Grandma and Grandpa for Lily has now turned into 6 weeks....Sophie will still be at home with her Uncle Joe as originally planned (Sophie does not like our Daisy) and the cost, well the cost is truly mind boggling for most and could be devastating for some...hold on, nearly $4000.00. No they do not have Pet Insurance. They will be using the hospitals no interest plan for 6 months. Fortunately for them they are able to handle this as they both have great careers and good income but I would much rather they had the $ in there pocket & let an insurance company handle the expense.

Please, take this story and put it in your "have to consider this file"....what would you have to do in this situation, how would this effect your life.

Do opt for insurance the benefit far outweighs the little money it is in comparison. For all you new puppy owners it is less expensive if you sign up now. I wish they had. They are signing Lily up today.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

So sorry to hear about Sophie.  Wishing her a full and complete recovery!  Ditto to everything you have said.  The small quarterly payments for my two girls are much easier to swallow than a $4000 vet bill!

[Sandy]

We just had to have a "thing" removed from Toby's paw - kind of like a human corn.  For the removal and the first visit, the bill was almost $800 (overnight stay, etc.).  We HAVE pet insurance, and the vet feels it will all be covered (after my 20% co-pay).  Until now I've felt a little like I was throwing money away every month, but I'm sure glad we have it now.  That's 2 year's worth of premiums right there.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am so glad Sophie is going to make a full recovery. How scary for everyone! I have Pet Insurance, but thank you for the reminder.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I do hope that Sophie makes a really good recovery.  Your story is exactly why Pet Insurance was on the top of my list when I got Riley.   I once heard someone quote a vet when asked by a dog owner about the high cost of pet Insurance. The vet replied that if you have to question whether you can afford the insurance then you probably won't be able to afford the vet fees should something go wrong.  I think that says it all.  The issue for many now is which Insurance company?  I downloaded the full policies before making a decision and went through them with a  fine tooth comb.  They are not all good.

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

Thanks everyone...the operation went well and Sophie is resting comfortably though not at home for a couple of days.

We too have pet insurance (Petplan Silver) for Daisy. I wanted the kids to get it but they kept putting it off. Yesterday when SIL looked into it he found that Lily, a pure bred, cost twice as much as Daisy which they consider a mixed breed (you can call her a mutt if you like guys :-). He went ahead a purchased. Not sure if Sophie can even get it now, I will look into that on my end.

Sophie is also the one that chipped her tooth last winter...$1300 tooth extraction....you would have thought that he would have taken care of it then but I guess the hard way is better than no way.

 

[Dori & Rua]

Hope Sophie has a speedy recovery.  They are lucky they can absorb the expense in their budget...many people would not be so fortunate.  BR, (before Rua), I would have never considered Pet Insurance.  In my mind, a dog was, well a dog.  Of course, since I wasn't a dog person for most of my life, I just didn't get it.  Things have certainly changed.  I signed Rua up for pet insurance the beginning of February (she was a little over 5 months).  Let's say Rua is with me for almost 15 years (miniature life expectancy 13-15 years - don't even like thinking about that), my pet insurance will cost me a bit under $5,000 for that period of time (assuming a rate increase of 5% per year - most likely will keep up with rising costs of treatment).  Given the same increase in the cost of care, that same procedure might cost almost $8,000 14 years from now.  Even if I never have to use it for an accident or illness, I don't mind the investment just for my piece of mind! 

 

I am pretty sure I have wasted $5,000 on much less valuable things in my life so far.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I hope Sophie recovers uneventfully. My thoughts when I got the pet insurance were about something like this or worse. I have a high deductible and it doesn't cover routine care. But for sure it comes in handy when something catastrophic like this occurs.

[Bonnie and Kona]

Lisa, Please extend our well-wishes to your daughter and SIL as they care for their dear Sophie. Hoping her recovery is swift and uneventful.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

So sorry to hear this. Our friends' 5 year old chocolate Lab had this same problem, and the surgery cost $7000. Fortunately they, too, were able to pay for it. But they did say they wished they had taken out pet insurance when she was younger. The good news is, she did make a full recovery, and I wish the same for Sophie: a quick and uneventful recovery.

[Camilla and Darwin]

Wishing her a fast recovery. It's a great reminder, I feel SO much better since we signed up for pet insurance.

[Phyllis & Duffy]

Duffy was very ill in January.   He was at death's door.  We thought about pet insurance when we adopted him but we'd never had a dog get sick before so we didn't do it.  He was in ICU for days,  had IV's everywhere, had blood transufsions, feeding tubes, the whole thing.  I'll only say it was well over $10,000. How we wish we had bought the pet insurance.  He doesn't qualify now since what he had is considered a pre-exiting condition.  We were  in such an emotional state, we were aware of the cost, but just couldn't deal with it at the time.  My advice, buy pet insurance, there are lots of companies out there.  I think there is a discussion in here somewhere on the different ones.

 

Glad to hear Sophie is doing well.

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

Hope she recovers quickly, poor baby.