I am getting good at this, giving my family an update daily when I don’t do anything to report on. However today I do have something to tell you about.
Back when I got my first dog, Serna Sky, I got an insurance policy for her right away. I had watched Shirley with her dogs and the amount she had to pay to vets to keep her dogs healthy and safe. I had not had a dog for more than fifty years and back then you didn’t take a dog to a vet for anything, things are different today so I decided I needed to have some insurance to help me pay any big bills. Serna Sky had heart worms when I got her and she was under the care of he vet for the human society and that would not be covered by the insurance but I got it any ways. I got the 24 Pet Watch- Pet insurance program. It cost $35 a month and covered any accident or major illness except the heart worms. It did not cover any shots but she already had those and it did not cover any wellness tests or check ups. It did cover any costs in finding my dog if she ran away or was stolen. It just gave me a sense of being covered if anything big happened to her. As you know she only lived 6 weeks before she died from the heart worms because no one knew how long she had them. I got to pay just one $35 payment before she died. Then I got Otis and still had not finished with Sky’s insurance. I had paid a vet bill of $597.25 which I thought was very reasonable for all they did to make her passing peaceful and for her cremation and where she died of a precondition that was not covered by this insurance I had not made a claim but when I called to cancel the insurance I was advised to make a claim anyways. Let the company decided if I had a claim or not. So I did and they awarded me $200 toward that bill. I was surprised and thankful. With that I decided I would get the same policy for Otis but this time I wanted to know how much it would be for the Wellness policy also. I thought that would really push up the monthly premium but when they told me instead of $35 dallars a month it would be $35.85 cents I signed up for both on the spot. Now they would help with every time I had to take him to the vets. Not all of it but every little bit would help since I was prepared to do what was right for my new dog so he never suffered as Sky had. When I got him they said he was all up to date with all his shots and that he was healthy but they didn’t give me any of his medical records. I took him to the vets to be sure he was all set medically and the vet tried to get his medical records too but could not so I had to pay to have the heart worm test again before I could get the pills he needed to take every month to prevent it and they trimmed his nails which were way to long and gave him a good check up and advised me on his care. The bill was for $134.90. Oh this exam was a requirement of the policy and the vet could not get any record from the animal shelter even though they said he had a full exam so I had to paid for that to be done again and to have him chipped. I was advised by the company to file a claim on that visit and every one I made even if none of it seemed to be covered so I did. One this claim I was given $15. Not much but more than I thought I would get having read the policy. Then he had to go back for all of his other shots because we still could not get any record from the center that he had really had any of them. I took him in and the bill this time was for $112.66 cents. This time when I read the policy I figured I would get back $30 so I put in the claim and it was just settled and I am getting back $70. Boy do I like that company. I have never had any insurance that is so easy to deal with and so good and fast about settling a claim. If it had been left up to me I never would have even put in a claim for these two visits. So anyone who gets a new pet I think they should get the insurance. Otis hurt his leg when he jumped off the bed and I was afraid I would have to take him to the vet. They advised me to just watch him for a day or two and see if it would take care of itself. Shanti told me of her friend who had a dog like mine and hers did the same thing and it was the ACL and hers had to have an operation that cost $4000. I waited and by the end of the day he was walking again but with a limp and within two days even the limp was gone. The vet was right and I didn’t have to decide about having the operation. If I had my insurance would have covered 80% of it which would have made it possible for me. So between a good vet and good insurance it was a none event. I bought a set of doggy stairs so Otis doesn’t jump off the bed anymore. My floor is tiled and he does have long nails so when he jumps his feet slide on these floors. Now he is covered and we are both happy.
I hope this story helps someone else that has a dog and big vet bills. $35.85 a month is little enough to avoid the big bills that can come with a small pet. Have a good day.