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Febrary 2010

Veterinary Pet Insurance

We have noticed over the last year a significant increase in client questions about pet health insurance, fueled perhaps by the ongoing health insurance debate for us humans. According to AAHA, only about 3% of pet owners in the USA currently have insurance, although there has been a significant increase in coverage over the past 5 years. Our general opinion about Pet Insurance is that it is very much an individual decision as to whether or not it makes sense for your particular animals and circumstances, with some notable pros and cons.

Like any insurance, one can argue that it is only financially worth obtaining if you receive as much in return from it as you pay in monthly fees. A few years ago Consumer Reports published a report which concluded that, rather than purchase pet insurance, the majority of pet owners would be better off opening a savings account designated for their pet into which they deposited a regular sum every month. For dedicated people, this can work well, especially if the pet owner opens the account when the pet is young and before diseases of older age, and their resulting increased costs, tend to occur.

For the rest of us less organized people, the benefits of obtaining pet insurance are as follows:

1. Peace of Mind: this intangible, but none-the-less important quality of insurance cannot be overstated. Knowing that an unexpected event, such as an accident or unanticipated illness, will be covered can far outweigh the costs of not using the insurance during healthy times.
2. Coverage for routine procedures: Most surveys of pet owners conclude that people who have insurance tend to obtain routine care for their pets more than those who don’t have insurance. Annual wellness checks provide the opportunity to screen for conditions that might otherwise not be noted until clinical signs demand that treatment is sought, at which point the disease may be more serious than if caught earlier.
3. No gatekeeping HMO’s: currently, there is no HMO-type system in place for Pet Insurance, meaning that an owner can seek treatment at any veterinary hospital or specialty center. The owner pays the hospital upfront and submits paperwork to the insurance company for reimbursement.
4. “At risk” breeds: Owners of purebred animals, especially those breeds that have tendencies to develop breed specific diseases, can be helped by obtaining insurance, provided that the disease is covered by the policy (see downsides below). The same is true for dogs who engage in “risky behavior” such as athletic endeavors, off leash activities etc. Comparatively, indoor-only domestic shorthair cats are far less likely to require the same kinds of intensive treatments until their later years so a savings account might be a better option. It should be noted that purchasing insurance for a younger animal is almost always cheaper than an older one, especially an older at-risk breed.

The main downsides to insurance as we see them are as follows:

1. Cost versus benefit ratio: as previously mentioned, pet insurance can, depending on the plan, be expensive, so it is up to the individual to determine whether it makes sense.
2. Choosing a plan: there are about 20 pet insurance companies offering plans ranging from basic care to those offering very comprehensive coverage. The most popular plans of Hope Vet clients are those offered by the ASPCA and Trupanion, but these are by no means the only plans that we encounter. Assessing the companies and choosing a plan can be time consuming and confusing. Below is a link of plan websites for your own research.
3. Denial of care: When choosing a plan it is of critical importance to understand what is and is not covered. Plans very widely, and what may be considered routine care under one plan (eg dental cleanings) may be denied under other plans. Most plans do not cover existing conditions, many will not cover breed-specific conditions. Although we find that the majority of insured pet owners express satisfaction with their plans, we have certainly encountered many cases of owners battling with the insurance company over treatment that appeared to be covered under their plan.

Some questions to ask potential insurance companies:

1. Can the pet owner use any veterinarian?
2. What are the policy’s conditions and exclusions? Routine care, emergency care, and diseases.
3. Do they cover breed predisposed diseases? (eg intervertebral disease in dachshunds)
4. What is the cost per month?
5. Does the policy cover multiple pet discounts?
6. What is the application process and is there is waiting process?

In conclusion, we can’t make a blanket statement that obtaining health insurance is a good thing. Although we believe that it is probably a worthwhile investment, especially for at-risk breeds, individual animals and personal circumstances must always determine decisions about your pets.

Resource list of Pet Insurance Companies commonly subscribed to by Hope Vet clients:

ASPCA www.aspcapetinsurance.com 888-592-7387
Embrace www.embraceinsurance.com 440-386-2406
Pets Best www.petsbest.com 877-738-7237
PetHealth www.petcareinsurance.com 877-738-4584
PetPartners (AKC) www.akcphp.com 866-725-2747
PetPlan www.gopetplan.com 866-467-3875
PetSecure www.petsecure.com 800-268-1169
Purinacare www.purinacare.com 866-787-7676
Trupanion www.trupanionpetinsurance.com 800-569-7913
Veterinary Pet Insurance www.petinsurance.com 800-USA-PETS

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January 2010

Pet Toxins and Where to Seek Help

During the holidays we received many calls from clients worried that their pets had swallowed everything from chocolate covered malt balls, to dates, to an entire plate of sugar cookies. Especially during busy holiday times, none of us (ok, few of us!) are able to be as vigilant as usual when keeping potentially harmful things out of the mouths of our ever-eager pets.

While there is reason to be very worried about ingestion of some substances, others will probably just result in messy clean up the next morning. We cannot emphasize enough the importance of being aware of toxic substances, including food, plants, household cleaners and medications that can injure or kill your pet.

Amongst the most common household items that poison pets are as follows:

Foods
Chocolate (particularly baking chocolate)
Grapes and raisins
Xylitol (commonly found in chewing gum)
Macadamia nuts
Mushrooms
Onions

Plants
Lilies
Poinsettias
Azaleas
Sago Palms

Chemicals & Medications
Insecticides
Rodenticides
Home Improvement products (eg paint chips, paint thinners, drain cleaners)
Human medicines (especially pain killers and prescription medicines)
Veterinary medicines (when given or applied inappropriately)
Household cleaners (including bleach

The ASPCA poison control center has an excellent website that provides information about
common household toxins:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control

We are happy to answer questions and concerns on the phone and help you to assess whether or not you need to seek emergency treatment. Please call the front desk for help assessing how to handle your emergency. Please do not leave a voicemail for your doctor or a technician as we cannot guarantee that your call will be returned before your pet needs treatment. If the clinic is closed please call your closest emergency clinic.

As well as being aware of toxins and calling for help, you should also keep on hand the telephone number to the ASPCA poison control center. Available 24 hours a day, their staff maintains a comprehensive database of current ingredients of commercial products and medications.

The ASPCA Poison Control telephone number: 888-426-4435

Here’s wishing you a happy and healthy 2010

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December 2009

Expanded Saturday Hours

Dr. Jessica Faigle has begun seeing appointments at 8am on Saturdays. This brings to four the days when appointments begin at 8am (Monday, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays).

We hope that these expanded hours will be helpful for those of you seeking to get your animals taken care of before embarking on your busy day. Early appointments can also be very helpful for animals who prefer a quieter vet experience. We find especially that shyer cats, easily excitable dogs and exotics all do very well with early morning appointments when they are the only animal being seen.