Seriously... Do not put off pet insurance

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Here is the good news:  Roo will live a long and healthy life.  The bad news is that it will cost between $2000 and $4000 a year because Roo has Addison's disease.  And because I had procrastinated about researching pet insurance.  Every time there was a post on DK about pet insurance, I meant to do it, sometimes, I even started the research.  Never really followed through. Boy am I sorry, but it only hurts my wallet.  For us it is not a fatal mistake for Roo, for my daughter, I really do not know what she would do.

Roo was four in October of 2011.  He has been totally, riotously healthy.  Until he wasn't.  Roo and Tigger went in Mon Jan16 for their wellness check-up and Roo's rabies booster.  We were placed in the room that we were in with Storm and Roo when Storm was euthanized.  He immediately crawled under the chairs.  Roo is boisterous to a fault, and has not previously shown anxiety at the vet's, although he is not exactly Mr. Cooperative either.  Both dogs were checked by the nurse, the vet,  blood was drawn for a "junior wellness" blood panel, stool and urine samples..... and Roo received his Rabies booster.  All was well except for Roo's odd under the chair behavior.

That afternoon was lethargic on his walk and picked at his dinner.  I thought - rabies vacine reaction.

Roo did not eat for the next four days, at all - nothing.  He got progressively sadder and quieter, not really sick, but certainly not well.  I put two and two together and got 832.  I thought the room had really traumatized him.  Friday Roo and I returned to the vet for a ACTH. It is a test to stimulate the adrenal gland, a definitive test for Addison's Disease if the dog's blood shows no change one hour after the test.  It was a long hour.

Roo definitely had Addison's disease.  A "repository" injection which will need to be repeated every three weeks for the rest of his life.  Today Roo is his old self and looking back to last summer there were two clear times when it was obvious something was wrong, it just fixed itself.  This time the adrenal gland wasn't weak. it wasn't operating at all and the visit to the vet was enough stress to send him toward an Addisonian crisis.

Yesterday I bought pet insurance for both Roo and Tigger.  It will not, of course, cover Addison's disease treatments.  But now I understand.  I am not invulnerable and neither are my beloved dogs.

 

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Oh Maryann, I'm so sorry to hear this news.  I guess the good news is that there is treatment and Roo will be able to live a long and healthy life.  I am definitely a believer in Pet Insurance....I love the peace of mind.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Sorry to hear about Roo, but I am glad that he can be treated and is expected to live a happy, healthy life from here on out.  I was just thinking about pet insurance the other day and if I should keep it (our premiums went up again), but after reading your story, I will keep on making those payments.  I hope that things continue to go well for Roo and that you don't need to use the insurance for any other issues.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Maryann, I am so sorry to hear about Roo, but glad it is treatable! Thank you for sharing this and hopefully, it will help someone else make the decision to get pet insurance. I am going to share it with my daughter. We are sending positive thoughts and hugs your way!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I'm so so sorry about Roo. Thank goodness he got a proper diagnosis and is treatable. I hope you never need to use that pet insurance, but it is good to know it is there just in case.

[Lee Seidman]

So sorry to hear that Roo has Addisons Disease. Our Lexi, a three year old Goldendoodle was diagnosed with Addissons three months ago. Fortunately we have VPI for both Lexi and Billy and they paid almost $3700 out of $4800 in Vet fees.

Lexi had lost almost 9 lbs and was so weak . She was mis diagnosed for a UTI and given the incorrect antibiotics by our previous vet. Her Adrenal shut down and she went into crisis. She is now back to her old self, playing with Billy and the love of our lives. We are looking forward to a long happy life for her. She currently weighs 39lbs, is eating and drinking  well and is back to her weight.. We were so fortunate to be referred to the Coral Springs Animal Hospital. I have been told it is one of three hospitals to have a top rating in the US. Dr. Seamans is our specialist there and is incredible. She  has Lexi  on a 1.3 Ml Percorten injection every 25 days and 1.25 mg of prednosone daily. If Roo is on Percorten, the least expensive place we have found to order is 800 PetMeds. We pay $149.00 for a 4.3MLvial. They quote $199.00 but will price match med plus( a wholesale distributor) and ship freight free. You might also go to a website on Yahoo.It is addisondogs.com. They are an international support group and offer a wealth of information on canine addisons.

Please feel free to contact me if you require any additional information. I pray Roo will respond as well as Lexi did to the medications. Keep me informed to Roo's progress, I am sure we can learn from each other.

Lee Seidman

[BG and Gavin]

I am so sorry to hear about Roo.  Gavins was tested (and was negative) for Addison's when he we were having difficulty diagnosising his issues last year.  I know the $$ can be an issue, but our vet said it is certainly not the end of the world as it is very treatable and dogs live long and happy lifes despite the diagnosis.  Hugs to you and Roo.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

Poor Roo. And poor you. Glad to hear that Roo will be ok though.

I procrastinated getting Cooper insurance for 2 1/2 years, mainly due to finances, but bit the bullet and got it just last week, despite our finances not getting any better. It is a huge weight off my mind, as Cooper is almost as klutzy as me!

it was the stories here on DK that pushed me to get insurance

[Sally]

When Duncan turned 2 i finally got insurance for him TruPanion. I haven't used it yet because i have a $500 deductible and all of his visits have been less than that. (Closest we came was his sonogram when we learned he had a heart murmer). But I am so glad that I made the decision to get the insurance so that should anything arise in the future i'll have it. 

I hope Roo continues to feel good and live a long life. Best to you and thanks for raising awareness. I was shocked at myself that i waited 2 years before finally getting insurance for Duncan. 

[Sue, Murphy and Bella ()*o*()]

Good post Maryann. I feel it's a great investment and one I hope none of have to use that often. But the sense of comfort it gives is certainly worth the premium. With two I feel the cards are stacked against me not ever having to use it. Never had it with Murphy and I spent $1000s in ear infections. He luckily is now covered as its been about two years since he's been treated, ( by a vet) for an infection.
Hopefully others will learn from your story and be saved the same problem, as Vet bills can add up quickly should there be an issue.
as for Roo's med, I am sure you can research different sources and find a reasonable price for them, rather than the vets as Lee mentioned. On the other hand, it is so good it's a manageable illness and one Roo can live a long and healthy life with. So sorry though, I know it's a worry for you.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am so sorry to hear about Roo but it's good that his disease is treatable. The fact that the traumatic visit brought this to a head is very interesting. I am glad I decided ti get the insurance.

[Leslie and Halas]

I'm sorry Roo has Addison's, but at least it's treatable.  I wish you had insurance to cover it, but at least you know you're covered now for any other illnesses or injuries that might happen.  I have insurance for Halas, and it definitely gives me peace of mind.  I'm working on my mom to get insurance for her new dog, so I think I'll get that done this weekend.

[Leslie J]

I'm glad that there's treatment for Roo but sorry you're sweetie is sick.  I'm glad that you're using your experience to advocate pet insurance.  I didn't get Cocoa pet insurance when she was a pup, and she ate something that caused toxicity.  The vet bill was about $850 - and could have been much more if she had suffered any additional complications.  This was enough to convince me to get pet insurance- I had no idea before that how expensive vet bills could become. 

Well, a few months ago Cocoa ate something else (at least that's what we think), and this time the vet bills ran well over $2,000. It was very reassuring when we were at the animal hospital and they kept wanting to run tests to know that we'd only be responsible for 20% of the cost.  Less than two weeks after we submitted the claim Petplan sent us a check for $1,700.  It covered everything (except the deductible and 20% co-pay).