My dog Josey became injured twice this past year. First, as I watched him coming towards me in the woods, I saw his body stop and tilt completely, mid-jump. He landed hard on his right side and got up holding up his right leg, which appeared to dangle lifelessly. "Whoa," I said, feeling sick, as I rushed to him.
He'd run a stick completely through the meat of his forearm. I picked him up -- all 60 pounds -- and started for the house.
Fortunately, whatever had punctured his leg had missed blood vessels and bone. My vet took x-rays, and sent me home with prescriptions for antibiotics and pain medication. Those items, plus the emergency visit, came to $288!
A few months later, during some routine training, I remember seeing Josey slip awkwardly as he careened around a corner on the wet grass. He began to favor his right back leg, seemingly unable to put any weight on it.
Right, it was time for another emergency vet visit. "Classic ACL presentation," my vet said, and my heart sank. "But, I don't think this is a complete tear, and I'd like to try a shot of Adequan, and give him a chance to respond to that before we do any surgery."
Josey got the pain medication and the shot, and in a week, another shot. He was noticeably better in a week and completely better about a week after the second shot. On my vet's advice, I rested him for a month. He has had no further problems. The total vet bill was $308!
I'd wager a bet that all of us have insurance for our homes, vehicles and personal health; but, although many of us are multiple dog owners, we haven't looked into pet insurance. And it's easy to research -- I just did it (www.Purinacare.com), and I can vouch that it's well worth the time. There's a comparison tool on that website, which allows you to compare rates, options and coverage benefits for a dozen companies.
A basic accident only policy was just $12.50 a month. If I'd had a pet insurance policy for Accident and Illness, with a 20 percent co-pay and $100 deductible, I'd have paid $38.31 per month for the policy, in round numbers $460 a year.
My total vet bills for Josey's two injuries were $596. My 20 percent co-pay would have been about $100 and I would have paid the $100 deductible. Bottom line: The $460 policy would have covered about $396 of the vet bills. Ah hah, you're thinking, so, is it worth it?
Well, yes. Just change Josey's ACL injury to a complete tear, requiring surgery. The average cost for that is more than $2,000!
"It's just like when you buy auto or home insurance, you might think, well I'm spending this money, but I haven't had a claim," said Mike Albo, director of sales & marketing for PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance. "What you want to have is that security blanket -- it's not about saving money, but about protecting yourself against financial disasters and having to make emotional decisions.
"Pet insurance is not for everyone. It's for highly-involved pet owners who see their pet as part of the family," he added. "You won't miss not having it -- until your pet has an unfortunate illness or accident."
Expenses which are covered by an Accident and Illnesses policy include hospitalization, surgery, diagnostics, and prescriptions. Policies typically don't cover illnesses, which could have been prevented, with proper care, such as treatment for kennel cough, parvo-virus and heartworm.
But what happens if your dog gets quilled by a porcupine while you're grouse hunting in Maine? Gets hit by a car crossing a dirt road in Michigan? And both those things happen when you're not anywhere near your home-state vet?
"You would just have to present the claim to your insurance carrier," Albo explained. "As long as the treatment is performed by a licensed veterinarian, and you have the documentation, the policy will be in effect."
Pet insurance may make even more sense for those who are starting with a puppy or younger dog (Policy premiums adjust up with age milestones, 5, 8 and 10 are typical.) Although I opted to look into a policy, which covered accident and illness, there are more comprehensive policies which include preventive care such as vaccinations, annual exams, spaying/neutering, heartworm tests and medications, flea and tick products and even dental scaling.
Preventative care policies may cover as much as $700 a year in annual benefits for routine care. According to statistics, the average cost for routine care for a dog per year is $356. Dental scaling -- a component of preventative care many of us overlook -- typically costs at least $150.
Still think pet insurance may not be worth the cost? As an example, consider the case of Garbage Can* (*not his real name), an exuberant, 3-year-old black lab. His owners were painting a room in their house, and as they removed the protective blue tape from the trim around doors and windows, they rolled the sticky, paint-covered tape into tidy balls.
Yep, you guessed it. Garbage Can was just trying to help. He ate not one, not two, but several of the balls. Removing the balls from various parts of his digestive system cost his owners a little over $6,000.
They had a pet insurance Accident/Illness/Preventative Care policy with a premium of $23.51 a month, 20 percent co-pay, $250 deductible.
"Some people who own a dog and are facing a bill like that may opt for euthanasia, because to them, it's just a dog, disposable," Albo said. "But most of us don't feel that way about our pets -- I have an 11-year-old dog that is part of my family.
"Most of us would be willing to put a large amount of effort and money into treating a pet's serious illness or injury, but if the family simply couldn't afford the treatment you'd have to make a decision, which could destroy you emotionally," he added. "Having pet insurance protects you from having to make tough decisions about a large veterinary bill."
Monthly premiums vary based on the amount of coverage you seek, the age of your pet and the amounts of deductibles and co-pays. Many companies offer multiple-pet discounts. As we start a new year of life with our hunting dogs, it may be time for us to do a little hunting on their behalf.
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