Have you taken your dog to the vet recently? Did you balk at the cost of a regular check up or the price tag of your dog’s medicine? In a more extreme example, your dog may have eaten something that didn’t agree with them and they are convulsing and coughing up blood. This frightens you and you rush them to the emergency vet hospital. The vet has trouble ascertaining the cause of their distress and runs several tests and pumps a plethora of medicines in your dog’s body.
Of course you love your dog and will do anything to save him. However, after the fright of the situation wears off you realize that your dog has racked up quite a vet bill. In fact, the bill may be over $1,000. Wow! There is no question that you should save your dog’s life by any means possible, but if this type of situation happens more than once your bank account might dwindle to nothing. Therefore, you need to purchase pet insurance for your dog.
Pet insurance for your dog you ask? Yes, you can purchase pet insurance for your canine companion. It is a great idea to purchase pet insurance for many reasons. Was your dog born with birth defects and other chronic problems? For example, some dogs are born with misplaced knee caps, “trick knees”, and will need costly surgery in the future. Another reason to buy pet insurance for your pet is that if they are getting on in years. Many times dogs will hit a certain age and it seems as if they are struck with several health problems at once.
Pet insurance is also a good option if you have an overly active or working dog. Does your dog tend to run around the country side and come home with scrapes and bruises? Do they bring home disease infested rodents for your viewing pleasure? Do they feel compelled to eat trash that is filled with bacteria even when they know they aren’t supposed to? Do you have more than one dog and fear the spread of a dog illnesses or infections? Pet insurance is something to consider in any of these cases.
How does pet insurance work? Pet insurance is very similar to your own health insurance plan. There are several different pet insurance plans to choose from that range in the amount of services and cost. Many pet insurance plans offer coverage regarding annual checkups, lab tests, vaccinations, drugs/medications, spaying/neutering and emergency visits. Often you will visit the vet, pay for the service and then submit your claim to the pet insurance company.
The range of coverage varies as does the deductible and reimbursement percentage. Some pet insurance plans will pay up to 80% of your vet bill after you have reached the $100 deductible. Pet insurance is an especially thankful gift when your dog has an emergency and racks up the medical costs.
In addition, pet insurance plans also allow you to choose the veterinarian you would like your dog to see. You do not have to worry about veterinarians “in your network” like you commonly do with your own health insurance plan.
When choosing a pet insurance plan you have a host of pet insurane companies available. Many of these companies have websites that can provide you an instant pet insurance quote. You type your contact information, the breed of your dog, and your dog’s age. You can find the costs for pet insurance plans that are basic to comprehensive and whether you want to pay the pet insurance premium monthly or once a year.
It depends on the age and breed of your dog, but you can find pet insurance premiums as low as $10-$15 per month. As your dog gets older, the cost will increase slightly due to the fact that older canines are prone to more illnesses and veterinarian visits. This rise in cost can be offset greatly by the amount of money you will save by purchasing a pet insurance plan.
Think pet insurance is too high or unnecessary? Consider the fact that if you don’t purchase pet insurance, you will have to pay the full amount for every vet service out of your pocket. This can soon add up to over thousands of dollars during your dog’s lifetime.
If your dog is susceptible to illness or you find yourself at the vet’s office often then check out pet insurance plans. You can peruse the Internet for instant quotes or contact your vet for possible pet insurance options. Finding pet insurance is as easy as signing up on the Internet. If you don’t feel comfortable with the Internet, then seek out the guidance of your vet. They may know well respected pet insurance companies that offer affordable pet insurance plans. Your pooch and your pocket book will thank you.
Katie Brandt’s website, http://www.dog-breeds-infosite.com is the ultimate dog lover’s resource. Research dog breeds & get free tips on dog training, dog supplies, dog health, dog school, dog grooming, dog laws, dog products & how to find dog sitters & dog walkers.
Tags: dog, dog breeds, dog care, dog health, dog insurance, pet care, pet insurance
Reading a pet food label, how difficult can it be? You just pick up your regular brand and look at the variety on the front, right? Not so fast! Reading a pet food label isn’t as easy as you may think. It’s not just ingredients and feeding suggestions. There’s also a “secret code” you should know about. The code helps you separate the Chicken Formula from the Chicken Dinner and the Beef and Bacon from the Beef with Bacon. You may be thinking “Aren’t they all the same?” and the answer is no.
While pet food labeling is regulated at the federal level, some states have their own labeling laws. Many follow the Pet Food Regulations established by the AAFOC (Association of American Food Control Officials).
The secret of pet food descriptions are dictated by four AAFCO rules…
1) The 95% Rule - The products that fall under this regulation have simple descriptions such as “Chicken Cat Food” or “Beef for Dogs“. These foods must contain at least 95% (not including water) of the named ingredient. In this case, chicken or beef. If a food description contains more than one meat, poultry or fish ingredient such as “Chicken and Liver Cat Food” , then both ingredients combined must equal 95%, with the first named ingredient being the highest percentage of the two. The 95% rule does not apply to grains and vegetables, so “Chicken and Rice Dog Food” must still contain 95% chicken.
2) The 25% or “Dinner” Rule - If the named descriptive ingredient falls between 25%-94% of the total product (still not counting water), then the description must include a qualifying word such as “Dinner”, “Platter”, “Formula”, etc. As in the first rule two listed ingredients must have be at least 25% of the total weight combined. So, “Chicken Dinner” only has to contain 25% chicken, while “Chicken and Liver Dinner” only has to contain 25% of the two combined. (Minimum of 3% of any named ingredient.) Unlike the first rule, the 25% rule applies to all food, not just meat sources.
3) The 3% or “With” Rule - This is where things get a little sneaky. Any ingredient on a label proceeded by “with” must equal at least 3% of the total weight (minus water). That might sound all right if the food is “Beef with Chicken” (95% beef, 3% chicken), but how does it sound in this form…”Dog Food with Beef”? Yep, that tells you that it only has to contain 3% beef! (Makes you wonder what the other 97% contains doesn’t it?)
4) The “Flavor” rule - There is no percentage attached to an ingredient described as a “flavor”. There only needs to be an amount sufficient enough to be detected by test methods. As you can probably guess “Chicken Flavored Cat Food” may contain very little chicken. In this case it doesn’t even need to be chicken as we normally think about it, but instead can be chicken meal or chicken by-products.
Premium Food - Looking down the pet food aisle you may be attracted to foods listed as “Premium” or “Gourmet”. These descriptive words have no requirements attached to them, so while a “Premium” food may sound like it’s higher quality food, in reality it doesn’t have to be any better than anything else on the shelf.
Now you know the secret of pet food descriptions and can be confident that the next time you’re scanning the different varieties of food for your best friend you’ll be able to tell the difference between “Beef for Dogs”, “Beef Dinner”, or “Dog Food with Beef”.
Jill Richards is the Owner/Operator of
“Have Leash, Will Travel - Pet Sitting” in Aurora, CO and offers t-shirts, sweatshirts, and stickers to Pet Professionals, Animal Rescue Workers, Anti-Breed Ban/BSL Fighters, and Pet Lovers through
USPetPros.com
Trying to decide if you should get insurance on your pet? There are of course pro’s and con’s to it. Years ago I decided to try it out. I thought, if something happened, it would be a good decision to have it. Some plans will cover basic vet care and heartworm and things like that. Read through the information below and make a decision for you and your beloved pets.
Standard Care is the essential care that is required for any pet. This usually includes shots, heartworm tests and supplies, and any other preventitive care that is required through an animals life. This is usually not covered by most insurance plans and requires a special extra fee. Calculate the cost of this fee and then call your local vets office to get a price quote and compare the two. Keep in mind that sometimes your vet may be more costly than using an online pharmacy, so price out those options as well.
Accidents happen to pets all the time. Just the other day, my dog broke his nail. We had to go to the vet, have it removed, and get a shot of antibiotics. The total cost was $50 for this procedure. Of course, not everything is covered so you need to discuss this with the insurance company and find out exactly what is covered. When I was with one insurance company I actually got charged for submitting claims that weren’t covered. Of course I had no way of knowing what was covered and what wasn’t.
Every owners fear is the dreaded Cancer word. At least I know it is mine. Cancer procedures and testing is not covered by most companies. There are special riders for this as well. But you have to purchase them BEFORE the dog has cancer. Otherwise it is excluded as preexisting.
The bottom line is do your research, talk to your vet, talk to different companies and try to make the best decision you can for your loved ones. I know that vet insurance has worked for so many people. In the long run, I think its a gamble, just like life insurance. If you dont have it and something happens you kick yourself that you should have just done it. But in other cases, you do have it, and nothing thankfully ever goes wrong.
Amy Dunphy
Owner of the Dog Trainer Search - Get all the information you need on training your dog or puppy