Life happens. We can prepare all we want, but life doesn’t really care about our plans. That’s what I took away from a recent article on a blog called Dawg Business. This article shared an important dog health story that many dog owners want to ignore, but we’ll be up all night with our dogs if we need to, we’ll collect dog poop samples for the veterinarian just in case, and we’ll Google every symptom just to be sure our dogs are healthy and happy. Dawg Business also shared thoughts on pet insurance for dogs many of us hold.
But sometimes that’s not enough. All the preparation in the world doesn’t prepare us for the accidents that happen at the dog park, on a hike, or in our own home. This past year, our dogs have experienced…
- Arthritis, $300 + $480/year for supplements
- Pulled / hyper-extended muscle, $125
- Canine parvovirus, $2250
- Removal of floppy dewclaws, $400+
- Puppy pyoderma, $250
- And allergies, $100/year
Not all of these required veterinary care, but the one that did made a huge dent in my savings account, canceling a vacation and postponing car repairs.
What’s funny is that this is nothing. Compare my costs with the ones Dawg Business reported…
Because life offers to guarantees, our dogs are covered by Trupanion Pet Insurance for dogs too. Not because of the potential of cancer or hip dysplasia; we’re insured, because of the small things we don’t see coming. The things that you don’t see coming. I wasn’t prepared for the moment we heard Sydney scream out in pain while playing in the yard. I wasn’t prepared for Rodrigo to become nearly lame before his second birthday. I wasn’t prepared for a scratch on Blue’s belly to morph into repeated occurrences of Puppy pyoderma.
It was a tough decision to make and when I was researching pet insurance for dogs, I was quickly overwhelmed by a ton of information and didn’t know what choice to make, but after our experience with Riley’s unexpected veterinary bills, I knew that we should at least look into pet insurance for dogs. Hopefully what I learned will help you with your decision too.
Read why we chose Trupanion Pet Insurance.
October 27, 2012 at 1:39 pm
Good post! All responsible dog owners should invest in some type of pet insurance. I’ve had VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) for my babies; Louis (he died in 2009) and Pete (my trusty companion) for years. Honestly, I don’t have it right now. I’ve been sinking everything into my business, which is why I’m looking forward to reading your Trupanion Pet Insurance article. I have to get my little guy, Pete (a Chihuahua), insured and again and ready for the future. Life throws us too many curve balls.
I stopped by to say, Happy SITS Saturday!
Blessings to you…
Twitter: CarloAtYourServ
October 29, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Thanks so much. I was hesitant to buy pet insurance at first, but the peace of mind we have is great!
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom
November 13, 2012 at 4:37 pm
My husband and I are so sad we did not get this when my dog was younger. We heard so many mixed opinions and ended up not investing in it. Now, not even 2 years old, our pup has a torn ACL and we probably won’t be able to afford it. We’re doing our best to explore other options but it would have saved so much trouble if we had insurance. The surgery won’t be covered anymore as it is a pre-existing condition now
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TerriAnn recently published..Don’t Regret Anything This Shopping Season #LifeLock
Twitter: cookiesANDclogs
November 13, 2012 at 8:22 pm
I’m so sorry, TerriAnn
I used to hear horror stories about pet insurance 10 years ago; today it insurance companies are more legitimate. Definitely look into organizations that are willing to help families. I would start with the ASCPA – they may not be able to help, but maybe they can direct you to organizations that can help you with the costs. There’s also Care Credit, which offers a credit line for emergency pet costs.
Best of luck.
Kimberly
Twitter: thefurmom