Quote :

"My cousin just spent over 20k in chemo (they have significant financial means)."

I love my dogs, but that is ridiculous. I bet a kid is going through chemo right now that could really use that money.

9/29/2010 10:42:47 AM

thanks. nobody reads the 49th post.

Quote :

"gracias! i started looking into pet insurance for my 7 yo border collie mix. she's got some hip pain, hasn't been diagnosed w/ anything yet, but i wanted to see what's available to make treatment cheaper. none of the pet insurance plans covers pre-existing conditions, which i'm pretty sure they'll categorize mia's problem as since she's been treated w/ meds for it twice now. i found a discount program called pet assure. it's $100 a year for 1 dog or horse, $150 a year for a family plan (4 pets). you get 25% off everything, no waiting period, no conditions, pre-existing stuff covered. it's not insurance. has anybody heard of this or used it? the only catch i've found so far is that i'd have to switch vets to the one in town here that accepts it, but they are reputable, nice, and have very nice & new facilities. the only negative reviews i found were people unhappy with the vet or vet's facilities in their area."

9/29/2010 11:28:56 AM

^^ ...if it ain't my kid...it isn't my responsibility to pay for their chemo.

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 7:13 PM. Reason : sounds harsh. sorry they have cancer, but i'm not going to go around trying to save them all]

9/29/2010 7:12:12 PM

Just put your $50 in a saving account every month, then if you ever have a problem it will be there.

The problem with pet insurances are that you alway pay up front then the insurance company will reimburse you, however that doesn't always happen in the real world. I've been working at vet clinics the past 5 years or so and the number of times I've seen companies (especially VPI) refuse to reimburse is staggering. If it is a condition that is prone to a breed they won't cover it, if it is a 'preexisting condition' they won't cover it, if you delay treatment even for a few weeks for a minor procedure they won't cover it. Seriously, just put aside some money every month.

9/29/2010 9:28:24 PM

you didn't read my post. this is NOT insurance. it's a discount plan. $50 a month is WAY more expensive than $150/year (covers 4 animals). my dog will not be covered by pet insurance for a pre-existing condition, which is why i'm looking into this program. we've already done the math and the cost per year for the plan is way less than amount of money we would be saving. i'm just looking to see if anyone has signed up for this program before, knows someone who has, or has experience at a vet's office with it.

once again, it is NOT insurance.
you go to the vet, hand them your card, and they give you 25% off. think of it as something similar to a VIP card at HT (except you pay $100-150 a year for it). you will be paying 75% up front. you will not be reimbursed for anything.

[Edited on September 29, 2010 at 10:19 PM. Reason : ]

9/29/2010 10:12:54 PM

for a while I had insurance thru Banfield, and went to their offices.

It was pretty good deal, like 40-50 bucks a month, plus a lot of shit was done at no extra cost, 2 free visits per year, free bloodwork, etc. And when my dog got the heartworms, instead of spending several $K to fix it, it ended up only costing me about 800 bucks.

If I can't find another ins company that has baller deals like that, I might just go back with them.

The only bad part about it was that it was only good at the Banfield vets, and some of those offices had pretty shitty customer service. That, and you're locked in for a year.

10/1/2010 9:53:44 AM

Okay - I figure I should also put in my $0.02:

Anyone and everyone can budget for routine costs of veterinary care for their animals. Ask your veterinary hospital Admin for an estimate of routine costs. There you go. Banfield is notorious for over-vaccinating pets. If you look at the breakdown of care from the Banfield plan - you will see that you pay for a lot of things that aren't essential in the quality care of your animals. It is great for the first year, I guess, because it covers the cost of spaying/neutering your animal. After that procedure is done, however, your monthly payments don't lower at all - you still pay the same....regardless. Another thing I've also heard is that you're set up with automatic payments that you MUST keep on top of. You essentially sign up - and you 'think' it's for a year contract as your puppy/kitten matures - and after the year is up, they will automatically renew your contract without notifying you if you want to renew. It's difficult to cancel after that, and they will not refund your money regardless of whether or not you wanted to renew the plan.

My personal favorite pet-related insurance is TRUPANION

Why?

Trupanion is an illness/injury insurance plan. What I tell my customers: you can budget for routine veterinary coverage, but you can not budget for if your pet gets sick, or has an accident and is injured. Trupanion covers 90% of Veterinary costs (excluding office visits and exams) related to illness/injuries. Anyone can enroll their pets with Trupanion (initially it was only for puppies and kittens under 12mo) and last I checked, they have no limits on the payout for the lifetime of the pet. Also, the last time I chatted with a rep - he had mentioned that Trupanion is also covering all dental procedures if deemed necessary by the pet's veterinarian. This company has quick turnaround on issuing reimbursement checks as well. Oh, and they will cover hip dysplasia for an additional fee.

You can visit their website and get an online quote at http://www.trupanion.com

[Edited on October 1, 2010 at 4:43 PM. Reason : updated information]

10/1/2010 4:39:22 PM

took my dog in for his yearly checkup (he's 11) and they recommended a teeth cleaning.... minimum of $600.... jesus christ.

i love my dog and all, but if he had something really serious, i'm not sure i'd have too much trouble putting him down.

10/2/2010 2:25:22 AM

EmptyFriend - you need a second opinion then. I've never heard of a teeth cleaning costing that much ever.... unless your dog needed all of his teeth pulled and then put on antibiotics before and after. Everything's dependent on the grade of dental disease your dog is exhibiting and it has been clinically proven that dental disease correlates to cardiovascular disease and affects the entire body. If it's something that you're interested in providing your pet - def. get a consultation apt. with another veterinarian to compare costs.

I'm all for recommending preventive services, but I've found very effective things to use that help out in the long run - especially for teeth. Raw bones are fantastic - I love knuckle bones that have marrow in them as a regular treat for my girls. The marrow acts like a mechanical toothbrush that physically breaks off the tartar and calculi off the surface of the teeth, as well as massages and exercises the gums. I always follow up a good chew day with a little teeth brushing and a Chlorohexadine rinse - in order to help manage the bacteria under the gumline and to help with breath. I also scale my own dog's teeth when I don't have any bones available.

Good marrow bones are fantastic for any dog of any age. I'd try them out with your pooch.

10/2/2010 3:07:46 AM

^may work fine for your dog, but I wouldn't recommend 'raw bones' for any dog. Seen too many break off and the dog try to swallow it.

greenies, rawhide and nylabones would probably better recommendations.

10/2/2010 12:51:21 PM

Okay, just to make sure everybody is clear...CarZin's insurance matter ended in February.

se7entythree had this thread bumped to discuss her matter--some sort of discount program called pet assure. I dunno...I didn't really read her post.

10/2/2010 1:17:13 PM

Greenies have corn, a major source of food allergies for dogs. Rawhide can seriously upset the digestive tract and cause blockages. My mom & I have experience with all of that with our dogs.

Umm okay thanks for bring me up, but not even really reading my post isn't that helpful..

[Edited on October 2, 2010 at 1:19 PM. Reason : ]

10/2/2010 1:18:18 PM

^^^ it is solely dependent on what kind of raw bones you get. Always pick ones that are larger than the mouth of the dog. I only get the Bison Knuckle bones (you can get them from Unleashed dog store off Lake Boone). Never have I experienced any dog break off a piece on these... the solid bone is way too strong - and the spongy marrow is pretty tough as well. It took my girls literally all day with these bones and they might have made it a little more than halfway through. I have serious chewers (Standard Poodle and English Bull Terrier) and I can't give them any other bones. My bully eats rib bones, and can splinter femur bones like they were super soft. The huge knuckle bones are the only ones that she can't devour immediately.

I would not recommend greenies or rawhides because of the greater likelihood of choking hazards and impaction hazards - dogs can get through those so quickly and swallow those pieces so fast. Both have been known to cause impaction and can lead to serious injury. But to each his own. (c;

[Edited on October 2, 2010 at 1:27 PM. Reason : whoops - sorry (c;]

10/2/2010 1:22:00 PM

^^ If Mia hasn't been definitively diagnosed with a cause to her hip pain, then you could argue against a pre-existing condition.

She could have 'over-exerted' herself, which for any dog/person/critter can cause stiffness in joints and muscles. (c; Unless the Vet has written in medical records, the insurance programs can't justify not covering a claim in the future if you actually want to do a comprehensive sedated orthopedic exam.
[just a thought]

I haven't actually heard a lot about Assure- but I wouldn't like to have to switch veterinarians after you've already been accustomed to a practice/veterinarian with whom you like and knows your case history.

[Edited on October 2, 2010 at 1:33 PM. Reason : name change]

10/2/2010 1:31:38 PM

Btw, I have heard of King Cavalier King Charles Spaniels from some show lines needing to get cranial surgery. Their brains grow bigger than the cranial space, and pressure on the brain can cause seizures and headaches for the dog.

10/2/2010 2:48:59 PM

^^^greenies changed their formula for that reason. Swallowing whole isn't the concern it once was with those things, they'll dissolve.

Just like you know what your guys are capable of eating, don't be assuming it will be fine for everybody's dog. Choking hazards, splintering etc. Key here is supervising them with anything they chew.

10/3/2010 8:38:14 AM

i just went to the greenies website & they've taken corn out of the list of ingredients. that's good to know, but i still won't buy them. one of my dogs practically inhales them, & back when i did try giving them semi-regularly they never seemed to do much of anything for their teeth or breath. they're expensive too. it only costs me $5 to get their teeth brushed at the groomer, if i wanted to be the ultimate in lazy.

i've had good luck with CET chews & the like, but vets have told me rawhides aren't good to give often & the risk of choking or blockage is higher than the benefit in most cases.

toothbrush & enzyme gel stuff is the way to go. a full dental thing at my vet was quoted as $340. $600 is ridiculous. you need to ask around for pricing.

Wheezer, her hip problems have been going on for about a year now. i know the words arthritis & possible hip dysplasia are written in her chart...although w/ the HD i'm pretty skeptical. she's almost 8 years old; wouldn't she have shown signs of this a long time ago? xrays will be next on our list.

[Edited on October 3, 2010 at 9:20 AM. Reason : ]

10/3/2010 9:17:39 AM

Wow - I can't believe Miss Mi-mi is that old already! I remember when you got her!

My mom's dog is 6 and she just recently became lame in her right hind. After several complaints to my parents to get her to the vet to get it checked out, they did - and she was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia. Not having the money to do a surgical fix (TPLO) they opted for pain management and nutraceuticals. She went on once a week injections of Adequan in her hips for one month, and is on the maintenance levels for that, and she is also on daily Previcox management (which is one of the best orthopedic pain relievers in dogs I've researched and of course, Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate. Now you can't even tell she's had any issues - still as active as ever and only experiences slight stiffness when getting up.

10/3/2010 12:02:45 PM

i know!! i can't believe she's that old either she'll actually be 8 in march. zoe turns 8 on the 10th of this month. monkey is 6. suki's only 3. my college roommate's dog, sedona, was 5 when i got mia...so she'd be 12 almost 13 now, if she's still around. god, time flies.

i'll keep that treatment in mind. if she's not too old & it would be feasible (& i can afford it), i'd like to get the hip replacement. suki's elbow surgery was only $1400, and done by a vet who specializes in delicate ortho surgeries...so the hip thing can't be too bad. knock on wood.

10/3/2010 1:08:45 PM