Pet Insurance Blog – Pets Best Insurance

Blog posts Categorized under ‘Cat insurance’

Why Pet Insurance? The $2,000 Pistachio

Posted on: April 11th, 2013 by

Tulah ate a pistachio that caused an intestinal blockage requiring surgical removal.

Dr. Marc is a dog dad of two, and a veterinarian guest blogger for dog insurance provider, Pets Best.

As a veterinarian, it is important to be able to relate with your clientele and patients not just on a professional level, but on a personal level as well. In part, this is why I’ve decided to write a blog about a medical case that involved my own dog, Tulah.

What happened and how did it start?

For the Christmas holiday in 2012, we had my wife’s family visit from another state and spend 5 days with us. As is traditional for our family, we had lots of snacks and good food for the season. On the second day during their visit, my little Pomeranian (Tulah) vomited. For her, this is very uncharacteristic. Furthermore, it was not just a little bit of spew, but several cups all over our couch. She seemed to be acting normal and eating ok so we were hopeful that the problem wasn’t serious. Over the course of the next 24 hours, she became lethargic and continued vomiting to the point that she couldn’t hold any food down at all.

Off to the vet clinic with her dad…

Knowing that Tulah had some serious ailment, I took her into my veterinary clinic. After running a blood panel, completing x-rays, and even performing a barium study (an x-ray dye study to watch how her intestines are moving), (more…)

6 Heart Health Benefits of Pet Ownership

Posted on: February 28th, 2013 by

dogs help people have good heart health.

If you love dogs and cats, being around them probably puts you in a better mood. But did you know, interacting with dogs and cats has actual measurable benefits your heart health?

According to the American Heart Association:

1. Improved Health Status of Heart Patients

Dogs ease anxiety and improve the health status of hospitalized heart failure patients.

2. Anxiety Decreases

Researchers found that anxiety scores dropped 24 percent for participants who received a visit from the volunteer-dog team. Scores for the human volunteer-only group dropped 10 percent and the at-rest group’s score did not change.

3. Epinephrine Decreases (more…)

6 Ways to Be a Great Pet Owner

Posted on: February 19th, 2013 by

Happy dog owner.

February is Responsible Pet Owners Month. Being a responsible pet owner can mean a lot of things, so we asked our guest veterinarian Pets Best Insurance bloggers, “What are the top things a great pet owner should do or know?” Here’s the combined list from Dr. Marc Edward, Dr. Fiona Caldwell & Dr. Jane Matheys.

1) Do your homework before adopting or purchasing a pet

Make sure you understand the commitment required in owning a pet, some dogs and cats can live 15- 20 years (sometimes longer!). Pet ownership has on-going financial costs: from food, supplies, veterinary care and medicine. Owning a pet also takes time: make sure you have the time to properly train your pet, to exercise your pet and meet the emotional needs your pet may require. Make sure you choose the best pet to fit your lifestyle and home situation.

2) Spay or neuter your pet (more…)

Pets Best Insurance Has New Plans!

Posted on: February 12th, 2013 by

At Pets Best Insurance, we pride ourselves on being an innovative company. Our President and Founder, veterinarian Dr. Jack Stephens, founded pet insurance in the United States over 30 years ago. We continuously gather client feedback so our plans fit the needs and budgets of pet owners.

Three Types of Pets Best Insurance Plans                                                                       

1. BestBenefit plans

BestBenefit plans cover the diagnosis and treatment of accidents and illnesses. You can choose a deductible as low as $0, and a reimbursement level up to 100%.

Examples of coverage include: accidents, illnesses, prescription medications, emergency care, specialist care, acupuncture, chiropractic care and hereditary conditions.

2. Plans for Specific Conditions

We also have plans that cover accidents only, cancer only, or specific feline illnesses. These plans can be purchased separately or added to a BestBenefit plan for increased benefits for the specific conditions covered. You can choose a deductible as low as $0, and a reimbursement level up to 100%. A Pets Best Insurance sales agent can help you review your coverage options.

Accident Only

The Accident Only plan covers the treatment of accidents, including exams, X-rays, surgeries, hospitalization and medications.

You may want to add this plan to a BestBenefit plan if your dog is at a high risk for accidents. For instance, if you live near a busy road, on a farm, or you have an “escape artist” dog that loves to find trouble.

Cancer Only

The Cancer Only plan covers the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including exams, blood work, surgeries, medications and chemotherapy. Cancer Only plans start at $8 per month.

You may want to add this plan to a BestBenefit plan if you have a breed that is prone to cancer, like Boxers, Golden retrievers, German shepherds, Rottweilers and Doberman pinschers.

Feline Illness

The Feline Illness plan covers the diagnosis and treatment of feline illnesses, including diabetes and kidney failure. Feline Illness plans start at $4 per month.

Feline Illness plans may be a great option for older cats who aren’t very active, but may face illnesses in the future.

3. BestWellness Routine Care Coverage

Routine care coverage helps pay for your pet’s regular veterinary visits. Routine checkups, dental cleanings and blood work may help to catch disease early and ensure a longer, happier life for your pet. It’s an excellent way to budget for your pet’s expected medical expenses.

BestWellness coverage includes: vaccinations, spay/neuter, annual exam, blood work and teeth cleaning.

The BestWellness Plan can be added to any BestBenefit plan at enrollment or annual renewal for $22 per month. There is no deductible to meet, and annual benefits for covered services are up to $480 for dogs and $545 for cats.

Cat UTIs Wont Stop!

Posted on: February 11th, 2013 by

Dr. Marc is a veterinarian blogger for Pets Best Insurance.

Hi. My name is Dr. Marc and I’m filming for Pets Bets Insurance, answering some Facebook questions for you guys at Broadway Veterinary Hospital in Boise, Idaho.

This question comes from Emily.  She says that she has four neutered cats and two years ago three of them started getting recurring urinary tract infections, ranging from moderate to severe.  Some of them even included getting treatment such as months of antibiotics, and they even did a PU surgery, which essentially turns a male cat into a female cat to help avoid getting obstructed.  All the cats are on prescription food.  They drink from a fresh fountain.  They take glucosamine to prevent inflammation of the bladder.  And they use phenolate to reduce stress.  She scoops their litter boxes daily.  Her question is, “Can a UTI be viral?  What are the odds of three to four cats getting UTIs within such a close period of time?  And why are they so recurrent?”

Emily, that sounds like a really frustrating situation, but I commend you on what you’ve done so far.  That’s a really great job as far as medications.  I think it’s important for you to know that as many as 50% of cats cannot actually be diagnosed as far as what’s causing these problems.  We do know that there is a neuro-hormone that goes on in those little kitty brains that can actually cause stress related lower urinary tract disease.  And for this reason, I might pursue that a little bit more aggressively.  So we recommend having, at least, one litter box per cat plus one more.  So for you that would be five litter boxes.  Keeping those clean.   We can look at the environment of these cats.  Is there something that’s causing stress that’s leading to these diseases?  A behavioralist can oftentimes come in and kind of look at the interactions and maybe make some recommendations.  And also seeing your veterinarian is important, too, because sometimes even anti-anxiety medications can benefit.  Especially with such an extreme case of these problems for years for you.  Viral problems is not something I can diagnose, unfortunately.  It doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but it is just not something we can pursue at this point in time.  I hope that helps, Emily.

If you have any other cat health questions post them to that Pets Best Insurance Facebook page and we’ll get them answered for you.

Remember to protect your cat and your wallet with pet insurance. The Pets Best Insurance Feline Illness only plan starts at $4/month! Learn more at www.petsbest.com.

 

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