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.
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.
