ATTN: PET OWNERS: don't do what I did!

Nightingale

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Hello, everyone. I just wanted to let you know about a situation I ran into with my cat that could have been much less of an ordeal than it was, had I planned ahead.


A few months ago, I took my kitties to the vet for their vaccines. While we were waiting, I picked up a brochure that was sitting on the vet's front counter. The brochure was for pet health insurance. I chuckled, thinking "my kitties are indoor. They're not going to catch anything or get hurt. What the heck would I need insurance for??" And put the brochure back, thinking no more of it.

http://www.petinsurance.com/

Well, I sure could've used that insurance this weekend. My kitty got very sick with a urinary tract blockage (the vet says this is somewhat common in neutered male cats) and had to have surgery and a catheter put in, with an IV for fluids. Between the x-rays (have to check for kidney stones and the like), blood tests (must check kidney function because the tract was blocked), anesthesia, IV, fluids, emergency after-hours exam, sedatives, and all that, the vet bill totals more than $1200.00

This was just a freak illness. Not something that could be prevented or planned for. It just happened. If I'd had insurance, this whole ordeal would have cost me a $50.00 deductable, rather than $1200+. Sure, its a bit of an expense every month, but better a little expense than a huge, unexpected one. Sometimes the insurance won't pay for everything, but in this case, they would have, as my vet charged less than their fee schedule. Even if my vet had charged more, it would've only amounted to a few hundred dollars rather than over a thousand.

Starting next week, both my kitties are going to have little kitty health insurance cards. I'd do it right now, but I have to wait til Anakin has a clean bill of health. Even then, the insurance will never cover him for this condition, because it is now "pre-existing". Had I put him on insurance last week, he'd be covered for virtually everything. Now, they'll cover him for most things, but never this problem or anything relating to it. If you insure your pets while they are healthy, you avoid that problem.

http://www.petinsurance.com/

you can use any vet you want to, which is nice.

Please, please, please, seriously consider getting insurance for your pet, unless you have a LOT of money squirreled away somewhere, and even then, vet costs for emergencies can be a lot more than you'd think. The insurance is about the cost of four mocha frappuccinos per month, as a comparison.

Look at it this way:

Cat, $17.67 a month at the premium rate (9.00 or so at the basic rate). He's three years old. Had I been paying his insurance premiums at the premium coverage for all three years of his life, I'd have only paid $636.12 in insurance fees. The insurance still would've saved me over $600.00, plus the inconvenience of an unexpected large expense.

its not for standard care (exams, vaccines, and such), unless you get the routine care coverage (an extra $9.00 a month). I'm not going with the routine care thing, because it's an expected expense I can plan for. If you have more than one pet, they do give a multi-pet discount.

Also, if you're wondering, Anakin will be just fine. He came home yesterday, and though he's still not feeling completely normal, he's doing much better. Of course, any prayers and good vibes for Ani will be much appreciated, because the condition can reoccur at any time.
 

someguy

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Good to here your cats feeling better.
I might get the insurance exept i think that it would end up having cost me more in the end. I have had cats for about as long as I can remember. 2 some times 3 of them right now I only have one. It would have cost my family some where around 3000$ dollars for a $9.00 a month plan counting my only my first 2 cats but then again they lived long and healthily.
I guess its kind of up to luck on that one though because if either of them got sick in a way the vets could have helped them it might have been cheaper.
Thanks for the information though. I may still look into it.
 
K

KenpoGirl

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I know it's kinda cruel sounding, but I'd put the cat down before I spent that much money. And, no I'm not a cat or animal hater, I've had cats all my life.

I'm just not sentimental enough, nor could I even afford costs like that.
:(

Dot
 
OP
Nightingale

Nightingale

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KenpoGirl said:
I know it's kinda cruel sounding, but I'd put the cat down before I spent that much money. And, no I'm not a cat or animal hater, I've had cats all my life.

I'm just not sentimental enough, nor could I even afford costs like that.
:(

Dot


Well...

I feel that when I got my pets, I made a commitment to them to provide the best care possible and meet their needs as best I can. If they need medical care, it is my obligation to provide it, no matter what it costs. There was never a question in my mind about whether or not I would pay for his care. It was HOW would I pay for it, not IF.

Anakin's condition was not life threatening, and there was a very, very, very good chance that he would be just fine after the surgery and go on to live a long, healthy life. Had the surgery been experimental or the odds very poor, I may have had to think a bit more. I asked the vet "if he has this surgery, will he be fine?" and the vet said "this is a very routine surgery, and it is extremely successful and very low risk. Barring the normal problems associated with anesthesia, this is 100% curable right now, and he should be just fine."

If you are in a financial situation like the one you describe, you should insure your pets to make certain you can provide for them, or give them to someone who can afford to care for them. If you don't want to care for your animal if it needs medical attention, you shouldn't adopt an animal. If you adopt a pet, it is your responsibility to provide for that pet, not murder it because you don't want to pay for it. If you know finances will be a problem in a veterinary emergency, plan for it by getting insurance.

jmo.

-N-
 

Shodan

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This is an interesting idea- pet insurance. I've had cats all my life too and we've only had a couple that have needed expensive medical attention. Currently, we have two cats and I had to pay $500 for one of them to have I.V. solution for a kidney problem (blood tests and etc.). We always make a budget for the year at the beginning of the year and budget a certain amount in case the pets (we also have a dog) get sick. Just wondering if the insurance is worth the every month fee......or if it'd be better just to save that much yourself every month in a pet fund. Considering your pets might be very healthy for the most part (as ours have).......seems like it's a pretty expensive way to go to have this pet insurance.......hmmmmmm....
 
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Nightingale

Nightingale

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Shodan said:
This is an interesting idea- pet insurance. I've had cats all my life too and we've only had a couple that have needed expensive medical attention. Currently, we have two cats and I had to pay $500 for one of them to have I.V. solution for a kidney problem (blood tests and etc.). We always make a budget for the year at the beginning of the year and budget a certain amount in case the pets (we also have a dog) get sick. Just wondering if the insurance is worth the every month fee......or if it'd be better just to save that much yourself every month in a pet fund. Considering your pets might be very healthy for the most part (as ours have).......seems like it's a pretty expensive way to go to have this pet insurance.......hmmmmmm....

I'm getting insurance because if something happened to one of them next month, there's no way in hell I could pay for it. If I took that money and put it in a savings account, I'd have like $30 rather than a way to pay for the vet. So... what I'm going to do is put the money towards the insurance, and put an equal amount in the bank. When I have enough of a savings where I think I could handle everything if something happened to the kitties, I would drop the insurance.
 

Shodan

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Sounds like a plan!! And by the way- good to hear your cat came out of this illness okay. Hopefully he will live out the rest of his life happy and healthy. My parents have a cat right now that will be 18 in June. His health is failing right now, which is hard to see.......but he has had a long, happy life.......we've had him since he was born so I still consider him part my cat too- even though I don't live with my parents anymore!! He is in kidney failure so my parents are having to pay for the electrolyte I.V.'s, special food, etc.

Anyway, good luck with the insurance thing and I hope all your cats remain in good health!
 

OULobo

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KenpoGirl said:
I know it's kinda cruel sounding, but I'd put the cat down before I spent that much money. And, no I'm not a cat or animal hater, I've had cats all my life.

I'm just not sentimental enough, nor could I even afford costs like that.
:(

Dot

I pretty much agree with this. Without trying to sound cold-hearted myself, until a pet can supply money somehow to pay costs like that (working dog, pet trained for advertising, ect.), I can't justify excessive bills. I know they supply affection and entertainment, but that's the reason why they get food, shelter and basic heath care from me. I do have to say though, that if the condition was life-threatening, but had an unquestionably certain positive prognosis, I would prolly buckle and eat the bills.

When I lived in AL we had stray dogs all over the farm and they would form a pack and chase off our dogs. Every so often one of us would have to go out back with a shovel and take care of business. Seeing things like that makes it harder for me to see investing large sums of money in animals. I know it sounds cruel, but sometimes life is grimm and there aren't any other options.
 
K

KenpoGirl

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Nightingale said:
Well...

I feel that when I got my pets, I made a commitment to them to provide the best care possible and meet their needs as best I can. If they need medical care, it is my obligation to provide it, no matter what it costs. There was never a question in my mind about whether or not I would pay for his care. It was HOW would I pay for it, not IF.

Anakin's condition was not life threatening, and there was a very, very, very good chance that he would be just fine after the surgery and go on to live a long, healthy life. Had the surgery been experimental or the odds very poor, I may have had to think a bit more. I asked the vet "if he has this surgery, will he be fine?" and the vet said "this is a very routine surgery, and it is extremely successful and very low risk. Barring the normal problems associated with anesthesia, this is 100% curable right now, and he should be just fine."

If you are in a financial situation like the one you describe, you should insure your pets to make certain you can provide for them, or give them to someone who can afford to care for them. If you don't want to care for your animal if it needs medical attention, you shouldn't adopt an animal. If you adopt a pet, it is your responsibility to provide for that pet, not murder it because you don't want to pay for it. If you know finances will be a problem in a veterinary emergency, plan for it by getting insurance.

jmo.

-N-
Sorry Nightingale, didn't mean to imply that I thought you were wrong to spend the money. Everybody has a limit on what they'd spend on the care of their pets. Mine just happens not to be that high.

I was going to go into a big explaination of my point of view, but I've thought better of it. Obviously from your statement above you are set in your opinion and think less of others that do not. Fare enough to say that I disagree but understand and honour your right to your point of view, and in different circumstances might feel different.

I hope you cat is feeling better.

Dot
:asian:
 

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