Reiterating the importance of supervising your dog and financially preparing for when they get sick or injured

I recently received a comment on my post “Fun activity fordogs who like to ‘disembowel’ their stuffed animal toys”.  The commenter relayed their scary experience:  their dog ate 10 pieces of rolled up fleece.  Luckily, she was able to get the vet in time to induce vomiting to bring up the pieces of fabric.  This person ended her comment by stating that she had “no resources left financially” if there ends up being a blockage. 

This comment has spurred me to reiterate and repost on some topics I think are important for every dog owner to be aware of.

One.  It is ALWAYS a good idea to supervise your dog when they are playing with toys that they could potentially swallow—whether on purpose or on accident.  I supervise Leopold every time I give him the activity in the aforementioned post, even though I have never seen him eat anything but food (and grass…..).  The commenter’s conclusion was that no one should roll up treats in the fleece for this toy.  My conclusion is that a dog owner should always keep an eye on their dog when giving their dog activities that involve anything that the dog could potentially swallow.  If you keep an eye on your dog, you can correct the behavior and/or take away the toy right away and prevent your dog from having, what we call at the clinic, a foreign body in its system.   It’s even important to supervise your dog while they’re chewing on bones. As I've mentioned in a previous post, bones can crack and become potentially dangerous.

Two.  Owning a dog is not a cheap endeavor.  Taking care of your dog properly costs money.  It seems like owning a dog can be a cheap when you think only of the food you have to buy it.  But making sure your dog is healthy can add up quick.  Dogs get sick, need regular checkups and vaccines, heartworm preventatives, flea/tick preventatives.  All these things cost money.  And a trip to the ER can diminish your savings and/or force you to put your furry friend to sleep if there is no financial alternative (I’ve seen this happen. It is incredibly sad.)

I highly recommend to all dog owners who do not have independent financial security to get veterinary pet insurance.  It is an investment into your dog’s health and life.  Pet insurance is affordable for most, and there are more carriers available as it become more popular.  I wrote a post on pet insurance a while back.  I know that since then, more well-known insurance companies like Nationwide now offer pet insurance.

Three.  Dogs can do stupid things.  They eat rank-smelling items like dirty socks and dirty underwear.  They chew at carpeting and unravel it right into their gullet.  I once caught Halo eating dirt because some crab juice had spilled on the spot—she was eating rotten crab dirt.  I also discovered one day that she has somehow pushed past the fence around our compost and eaten some of the compost (which ended in a trip to the ER).  Dogs lick antifreeze because it’s sweet.  They eat turds and dead animals.  I have learned that having a dog means expecting that they will sometimes do stupid things.  And the most you can do is try your best to prevent situations in which your dog will harm itself, and have money in reserve or pet insurance to take them to the vet when they do get hurt or sick.  I have also learned that sharing a life with dogs is a learning experience.  That is, after all, what this whole blog is about.

Pet insurance. It exists! And can be a life saver for pet owners who can't afford emergency vet bills on their own.

I see a lot of very sad things working at an emergency vet clinic.  It's just a part of the job.  But I’ve managed to stifle my tears and carry on in the face of dead and dying animals and their mourning owners. That is….until recently.  Earlier this week presented a case that struck a cord with me in a way that required I go spend a little time by myself because I couldn’t help but cry. A puppy came in that was very sick. It was in and out of the clinic for a couple days before it came back one last time in such a state that the kindest thing to do was humanely euthanize. And while the puppy was in a physically terrible state, the real problem was that the owners didn’t have enough money to pay for the treatment needed to help the puppy get better.

This little puppy is not the first animal that I’ve seen put to sleep because the owners didn’t have money to pay for treatment. Surgeries can cost thousands of dollars, x-rays alone can cost hundreds. And while the doctors at the emergency clinic try to work with and help out those for whom money is an issue, there is only so much we can do while still staying in business. It breaks my heart to see animals for which the only financially viable option is humane euthanasia. Watching this happen to a puppy, which had barely begun to live its life, was very hard for me. All I could think was, life is just so unfair sometimes.

And so I’d like to talk a little bit about Pet Insurance.  Many people don’t know such a thing exits, but it does and there are many companies from which you can purchase policies.
When I first got Leopold, I knew that I could afford food, training classes, routine vet visits, and other doggy supplies. However, the idea of a trip to the emergency room scared me. Emergency bills add up quickly, something I know now more than ever as an employee at a vet emergency clinic. And while emergency vet bills do not always reach the thousands, they can—especially if surgery is needed. So to help ease my mind, I looked into and purchased a pet insurance plan for Leopold. It was incredibly affordable (less than $200 a year) and would provide up to $12,000 in treatment for an emergency situation. The premium goes up a little ever year because Leopold’s chances of needing emergency care for illness or injury increase as he gets older. However, it’s still affordable. And while Leopold has not yet needed to visit the emergency room, it’s nice to know that I’d be able to pay the bill if I had to.
If you’re interested in finding and purchasing a plan, here’s a website I found helpful: http://www.petinsurancereview.com/dog.asp
I, myself, got a policy with PetPlan, which is one of the higher user-ranked, but still affordable companies. The plan I got was good for emergency situations.  But there are many companies that have many different plan options. There are even companies that offer plans, for a higher premium of course, that help pay for routine vet visits and vaccines.
I recommend pet insurance to anyone who doesn’t have thousands of dollars that they could potentially drop on treatment for their animal. Paying a little bit now sure beats having to euthanize your fury little friend because you can’t pay for treatment when bad luck stumbles their way.