Can We Plan For The Unexpected?
by Anna Cooke
There is just something about the Rottweiler that Janette Valentine and her husband have always been partial to. So often misunderstood, Rotties are sweet, lovable and loyal. Hanna is the Valentine’s fourth Rottweiler. They adopted her six years ago from Hillsborough County Animal Services Pet Resource Center. Previously, they have adopted from Rottweiler Rescue of Florida. Years ago, when the couple’s first Rottweiler had two torn
ACLs, they didn’t have insurance. “We probably spent six to seven thousand dollars on her in one year,” said Janette. Since then, they have always carried pet health insurance.
When her husband’s employer began offering Nationwide Pet Insurance as part of the company benefits package, that was extra incentive to continue carrying it on Hanna. “The money is automatically deducted from his paycheck. We pay $1,000 a year and don’t even notice it. Believe me, it’s worth every penny,” said Janette. The first sign of trouble for
Hanna was when she started vomit- ing. When she stopped eating, Janette knew there was a serious problem and rushed Hanna to the emergency vet. After stabilizing her, one of the specialists wanted to run some diag- nostic tests. But first, Janette had to agree to a $2,500 deposit. “If we did- n’t have the pet insurance, we would have certainly had to put Hanna down,” said Janette. “It was a very trying time for us and my only peace of mind was that we had the insurance on Hanna. Without that security, I would have just panicked.” Once stabilized, Janette took Hanna to Dr. Stephanie
on Nationwide Pet Insurance, we wouldn’t be doing any of this. I know I sound like a commercial for them, but, yes, I’m always pushing Nationwide Pet Insurance for a reason. They do what they advertise.” Surprisingly, there are a lot of pet owners who are still not
aware of the value of pet insurance. “It’s one of the things I rec- ommend to my clients when they bring in their puppy for the first time or when they’ve adopted a new dog,” said Dr. Montour. “Be prepared by having pet insurance. It is well worth it.” Nationwide Pet Insurance makes reimbursement easy. “We can take care of the paperwork,” said Dr. Montour. “Or our clients can do it online.” Within one day, Janette received an email from Nationwide Pet Insurance that they had the claim. “I was able to track it on their website to watch when my reim- bursements would be arriving. That way I could plan for Hanna’s follow- up visits.” Pet health insurance is much
more common in Europe. “Almost every pet owner has pet health insur- ance. Europeans seem to be more aware of it,” said Dr. Montour. In 2017, more than two million
pets in the United States and Canada were insured. That’s an increase of about 17 percent from 2016. Veterinary care is much more
Hanna Valentine, alive today in part because of pet health insurance.
Montour with 4th Street Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg. “We have been with Dr. Montour forever,” said Janette. Hanna was diagnosed with Canine Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA). Hanna’s immune system was mistakenly producing anti- bodies that were attacking her own red blood cells. With IMHA, the dog’s body still produces red blood cells in the bone marrow to replace the destroyed cells. However, once they are released into circulation, the immune system mistakenly recognizes them as something foreign, like a virus or infection, and destroys them. The condition is also know as autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). For now, Hanna is heading towards remission. Still, there are
a lot of meds and follow-up care. “I have never heard of this before,” said Janette. “You cannot possibly foresee something like this happening. And, I don’t wish it on anyone. If I couldn’t rely
72 THE NEW BARKER
expensive than it was 20 years ago. There are more diagnostics available; more procedures that can be per- formed. We have specialists and a lot more treatment options available. “Today’s veterinary medicine is
extending the lives of our pets,” said Dr. Montour. “But, yes, the cost of veterinary care is expensive. For work-ups, to begin with, it’s upwards of $800. I have seen people who have had insurance on their pets for a long time. And for one reason or another, they go off the plan. Then something happens to their pet. It’s tragic for the whole family.” There are different levels of pet health insurance depending
on the age of the dog - from puppy to adulthood to senior dog. Nationwide Pet Insurance also covers behavior problems and genetic issues. Except for the $250 deductible, all of Hanna’s costs related to
IMHA, her condition, have been covered by Nationwide Pet Insurance. “So far, $3,500. And we have another CBC (complete blood count) test after the first of the year,” said Janette. “I just don’t understand. If you love and care for your pet, why would you not have Nationwide Pet Insurance?”
U
www.TheNewBarker.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
