In 2008, before I started working for Pets Best Insurance, I had just lost my job at a vet clinic. One day I noticed my dog Mih-kit-see acting funny, like something was bothering her hind end. I noticed a red color in the area, and of course as a certified veterinary technician, I thought the worst: I thought she had hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, and had visions of bloody diarrhea, vomiting and severe dehydration. I had no money to take her to the vet for treatment. How I wish I had insurance then, as I had no way to treat hemorrhagic gastroenteritis at home.
I cried and hugged her, as I felt it was going to be a long, hard night. I took her outside and looked again, and noticed the discharge on Mih-kit-see was just blood. I looked more closely and noticed an anal gland abscess had ruptured. While this is still a messy, uncomfortable condition, it is much more treatable than hemorrhagic gastroenteritis, so I almost cried with joy. Had I had insurance, it would have been a simple trip to the vet for an exam and antibiotics. But because I didn’t, I had to treat her at home by flushing the wound, and it took at least twice as long to treat. I understand not every pet owner has a veterinary background like I do, and without it, I would have been even more worried.
Even as a vet tech, home treatment was nerve wracking because of the risks involved. If it didn’t heal correctly or didn’t heal at all, it could have caused a fistula or nerve damage resulting in incontinence.
We got lucky and Mih-kit-see recovered– but it was an extremely stressful time that would have been made so much easier with pet insurance. She’s now insured with Pets Best Insurance, as is her litter mate Ki-yoo, and my Bernese Mountain Dog, Nick. Mih-kit-see hasn’t had any more anal gland problems, but I have used my insurance for the other two dogs, and I am so glad to have it.
When people ask me how many kids I have, I always say I have six: a seven-year old boy, a two-year old girl, three dogs, and one cat. Now that I have pet insurance and know how much peace of mind it brings, I wouldn’t go without it just as much as I wouldn’t go without health insurance for my human kids.
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