Pet Insurance Blog – Pets Best Insurance

Blog posts Categorized under ‘Industry News’

Predator or Prey?

Posted on: March 11th, 2011 by

Arden Moore, a pet insurance advocate, author of the Cat Behavior Answer Book.

Oh Behave!
Q&A with Pet Expert Arden Moore
For Pets Best Insurance

Q. My three cats seem to enjoy batting around toy mice and chasing the feathers on a wand toy. Why is their hunting instinct so strong after they have been domesticated for thousands of years?

A. While we usually think of cats as mighty hunters, they actually fill the role of both prey and predator, depending on the other species involved. Let’s start with the predator part. All cats, from a mighty lion to that sweet kitty on your lap, are genetically programmed to hunt. In keeping with their size, cats focus on small mammals and birds. Interestingly, most biologists regard cats as small mammal experts and bird opportunists because cats tend not to be very good at catching birds unless the birds are sick, young or ground nesting.

Predator behavior is mostly innate, and kittens early on show a tendency to chase moving objects and to pound on littermates. Just like us, they learn through trial and error, and their play sessions help them increase their speed and refine their leaping abilities.

Their moms also teach them by example. Outdoor cats often bring home a dead mouse or bird to their litter and eat it in front of the kittens to demonstrated needed behaviors. She will then present a dead animal to the kittens to eat themselves, and finally, will bring home a nearly dead creature for the kittens to finish off. These experiences hone their hunting and killing skills. For indoor cats, the prey happens to be a store-bought toy or perhaps your pink slipper. But the lessons learned are the same, and many cats who never see a mouse or a bird until adulthood quickly figure out how to catch and kill their prey.

When the tables are turned and cats become the prey, they tap into their survival skills and the fight-or-flight mind-set. Outdoor cats are at risk not only from neighborhood dogs; even in suburban areas they often fall victim to coyotes, hawks, and other predators. Their first response is usually to flee if at all possible, either diving into a hiding place or scooting up a tree. A cornered cat can fight fiercely, however, as many a startled (and scratched) dog has discovered. The very tools that make them effective predators become their best defense. That must be where the phrase, “to fight tooth and claw” comes from!

Confounded by your canine? Frustrated by your feline? Relax. Pet expert Arden Moore is here to deliver the real truth about cats, dogs…and you with her column appropriately called, “Oh Behave!”

Arden Moore, a pet insurance advocate, sits with her pets.

On a regular basis, Arden will unleash excerpts from her two award-winning books, The Dog Behavior Answer Book (named the top training and behavior book by the Dog Writers Association of America) and The Cat Behavior Answer Book (named the top training and behavior book by the Cat Writers Association). Learn more about Moore, who hosts the “Oh Behave!” show on Pet Life Radio (www.petliferadio.com) – the No. 1 pet podcast in the world — by visiting her Four Legged Life website (www.fourleggedlife.com).

Pets Best Insurance Q&A with “Ask Tracie”

Posted on: February 24th, 2011 by

A puppy with pet insurance sits in a dog bed.
Posted by: H.R.
For Pets Best Insurance

You asked, she answered! Pets Best Insurance solicited questions from our Facebook page friends relating to baffling pet behavior. Pet expert and author of The Dog Bible and the Cat Bible, Tracie Hotchner, weighs in! Read on to see if your question was answered:

Question from Bridget: I have a Bernese MTB dog, “Maddee” she loves to sit on our feet, also while I’m sitting on the floor she will come & sit on my lap. She is very much a “butt” dog, why is this? If I’m sitting there she will just back it up to sit on me, then turn her head around to see me.

Tracie: Congratulations! You have taught (allowed) a 100 lb. dog to treat you the way a 6 lb. Chihuahua would! Any affectionate dog, of any size, craves your attention, your caresses and as much body contact with you as you will permit. How much respect a dog has for your personal space, and your expectations of their behavior, all comes down to whether or not you set personal boundaries – something you have neglected to do with Maddee.

Remember the schoolyard phrase when another kid was leaning on you? You’d say, ”What am I, your PLP? Your Personal Leaning Post?” Well, respecting your space is what you now need to train Maddee to do. You need to send her away, just as another dog would do if she tried to invade their space. Tell her to go to her bed if she uses you as a PLP (teaching the command “Go to your bed” is described in my book THE DOG BIBLE.) Or you can simply stand up and walk away when she practices this behavior.

I can assure you she will get the message quickly and if you are consistent (and consistency is everything in training) in not allowing this plonking down on you –– she will overall be more willing to be obedient and compliant with your other wishes.

Question from Kerri: Why is my Cavalier King Charles Spaniel hungry ALL the time?? It’s like he’s bored and wants to eat out of boredom.

Tracie: The only way I can answer this is to ask what you are feeding your Cavvie now? If you are feeding only kibble, then I urge you to be sure it is the highest quality premium dry food (my dogs eat HALO Spot’s Stew because it has no by-products or meat meals) and then you want to be sure that the kibble is only 50% of his diet.

Carbohydrate-only diets can make dogs and people hungry because they are carb-loaded and lacking the genuine quality protein that can only come from a can or raw dehydrated (my dogs also eat The Honest Kitchen raw dehydrated human-grade food as well as home-cooked or canned meat or chicken). Jump over to my website www.TheDogBible.com (or even look at the nutrition section of THE DOG BIBLE itself ) because my research has convinced me that dogs need to have at least half of their diet come from high quality, minimally processed protein.

While Cavalier King Charles Spaniels can be real chowhounds, they also have delicate digestive systems, so you want to feed as natural a food as possible, with no artificial ingredients. If your dog seems bored, he probably is! The best thing you can do is add more walks and some quality play time with whatever kind of toys he most enjoys – that will tire him out and take his mind off the cookie jar!

Question from Catherine: About 10 months ago a very sick Himalayan was dropped off at my work she had infection from head to toe, and mats all over her body. So after 2-3 weeks, on a top quality food, her mats actually fell out while I was brushing her. At this point the only thing left to treat is her eye infection, her third eye is always swelled up, red and irritated. She looks so much better than when I first got her but I always think about how painful her eyes must be. I would appreciate any help or suggestions.

Tracie: Hi Catherine! The best way to personally ask me a question is to call into CAT CHAT any Wednesday night from 8-9 PM EST (or 1:1:30 PM on Wednesdays) 866-675-6675 which is toll free and you don’t even have to be a subscriber to Sirius/XM to call in! I will tell you now that the cat probably needs an antibiotic ointment in her eye but if your vet has already tried that, then there may be something imbedded in the eyelid or a blocked tear duct, etc. This is the perfect case of why you need to get pet insurance the very minute you add a pet to your family – because you never know when the bills will start to pile up.

I chose Pets Best Insurance because they pay 80% of your vet bills after the deductible on any individual incident – I have been thrilled with the service and the peace of mind that I can take my dogs to the vet anytime there is a problem and not be scared of a possibly big bill! In fact, with three smaller visits to the vet for the same issue (like my dog Teddy’s crushed toenail) those bills do add up to enough that I am so grateful for the financial safety net of pet insurance.

For more information about Tracie, visit http://www.traciehotchner.com.

*”Ask Tracie” does not necessarily represent the views or positions of Pets Best Insurance.

Service Dogs

Posted on: February 18th, 2011 by

A service dog waits for a command.
By: Dr. Fiona Caldwell
For Pets Best Insurance

I met an inspirational canine the other day named Maggie*, a 14 year old german shepherd. She came to me unable to walk due to a degenerative nerve disease common in older German Shepherd dogs and couldn’t use her back legs. She also had a serious heart problem called A-V block, where her atria (the top chambers of the heart) don’t communicate with her ventricles (the bottom chambers of the heart), causing a dangerously low heart rate.

The owner knew Maggie’s days were numbered, but was having a hard time letting her go. Maggie was a highly trained search and rescue dog, and a cadaver dog, meaning she visited scenes of crimes helping people to locate missing bodies. She was top notch in her day and was even sent to New York on 9/11 to assist rescue crews. She had retired a number of years ago, and her owner considered her family.

Search and rescue dogs aren’t the only time of ‘working’ dogs out there. A ‘working dog’ refers to a dog that isn’t just a companion, but also performs some other job. One well known example includes dogs trained to become guide dogs for the visually impaired. Service dogs can actually help with a variety of human handicaps in addition to the blind. Service dogs also assist hearing impaired people, people with mobility limitations by opening doors or bringing objects, and can even be trained to detect seizures in people, warning them before the seizures occurs. This allows the person to take precautions, such as sitting down, prior to seizuring.

Dogs have been given jobs for hundreds of years, as long as they have been domesticated. Herding dogs are still invaluable to sheep and cattle handlers around the world. Modern herding dogs help control cattle and wild geese in parks or goats used for weed control. A well trained herding dog can learn to control many domestic and wild animals alike. Turnspit dogs were used as a source of power; they turned a treadmill connected to a roasting spit, or could help with other household duties, such as churning butter.

Another type of ‘working dog’ are the many trained therapy dogs that visit incapacitated people, either in hospitals, retirement homes or other facilities with limited freedoms. These dogs bring joy and entertainment to people, bring a smile to their faces. There are prison programs for inmates that pair an inmate with a shelter dog to be trained and eventually adopted out. This gives inmates a sense of purpose and responsibility, as well as companionship. This program also helps with overcrowding in humane societies and helps rehabilitate dogs that might otherwise be unadoptable.

Often the trainer or handler that works with these highly trained dogs becomes extremely attached. The bond between service dog and its owner is usually deep. Even after the dog is ‘retired’ from their job, they continue to provide love and joy. Maggie hadn’t worked for years, but her owner was just as committed to her as when she was highly sought after for her services. Maybe she felt that now was her time to give back to Maggie, who had given so much when she was younger. By helping Maggie through this time she was able to say thank you for all she had done for others earlier in life.

If you are interested in becoming a service dog trainer, or want to learn more information, visit Canine Companions for Independence or Canine Assistants on the web.

*Names have been changed

Do I need pet insurance?

Posted on: February 8th, 2011 by

A dog with pet insurance is tended to by a veterinarian.
By: Dr. Jack Stephens
President and Founder, Pets Best Insurance

Some people advocate a “pet savings account,” instead of pet insurance. For example, they recommend putting away $50 per month in a special account that is only to be used in the event of a pet health emergency.

On the surface this may seem logical until you realize your pet may have a costly medical event well before you save enough to pay for it. What if your pet had an accident only two months into your savings? Then you would only be able to pay $100 on a vet bill that could be upwards in the thousands—and that’s only if you hadn’t already used the funds for something else.

On the flip side, your pet may have no serious or costly medical events other than routine care for several years. If this is the case, then would you keep the savings in the delegated pet account?

As with our own health, much depends on luck, which is usually out of our control. Your pets’ current health will be a strong indicator of future health, although this doesn’t necessarily take accidents and injuries into account.

Some breeds are much more susceptible to illness. Exposure to viruses and bacteria are unpredictable, as is cancer. And of course environmental causes, such as toxins, poisons and household chemicals can influence pet health. With pet insurance, a pet owner is always prepared. Preparation for pet illnesses and accidents comes down to risk tolerance and the level of importance peace-of-mind is to a pet owner. With pet health insurance owners know they will be able to afford nearly any expense incurred by their pet.

Many people wonder how insurance ultimately works—in the case of pet insurance, large pools of the insured’s premiums are collected and used to help pay medical bills for those pets who have an accident, illness or injury.

Some pets will have a few pet health problems, others may have one large, costly expense, and some might have multiple costly medical episodes. The conundrum is that no one knows in advance which pets will have pet health problems and which will not.

As a real life example, take my nine family pets over a four year period; one (Obie) had over $12,000 in medical cost for three separate gastric torsion surgeries and bone cancer. Four other pets had medical care in the $240-500 range and the others had just a few veterinary expenses. For me, the premium for all 9 pets was offset just by Obie.

The other pets I could have covered well enough, but with my pet insurance paying a high percentage after the deductible, I didn’t have to dip into savings or rack up any credit card debt. I may now go years before I have another costly pet expense. And I hope I do. The point is no one knows the fate of their pet’s health and pet insurance allows pet owners to pay an affordable monthly premium while knowing that a portion of any future pet medical costs may be covered by their pet insurance policy.

Not all pet insurance companies are equal

Posted on: January 19th, 2011 by

The founder of pet insurance in the US, Dr. Stephens, sits with his pets.
By: Dr. Jack L. Stephens
Pets Best Insurance President

To help assist pet owners in choosing a pet insurance provider and in selecting the best coverage, I am initiating the new “What to look for in pet insurance” series.

My aim is to provide helpful tips for pet owners to avoid unforeseen pitfalls and traps in choosing a pet insurance plan. This series will also help pet owners understand what they should expect from their pet insurance provider in terms of service and reimbursement.

Becoming a veterinarian and later starting my own practice was a dream come true. I worked hard throughout my years at college and veterinary school. After graduation I even took a second job (at night) operating an emergency pet clinic to help fund my own hospital.

Treating pets was something I had always been passionate about. But one day I came to the realization that I had to do something more. I wanted to help pets and their owners receive medical care even if they couldn’t afford it.

The turning point for me was after I met one small, sick pet that I was forced to euthanize because the family couldn’t afford the treatment costs. It was around then I was determined to change my career path from treating pets to starting the very first successful pet health insurance company in the United States.

I ultimately left my practice and pioneered the concept of pet health insurance so that more pet owners could afford unexpected veterinary care for their pets by using insurance principals of risk sharing. My goal was to provide an alternative for pet owners who did not want to euthanize a beloved pet because of their financial situation. With dog and cat insurance, owners would not have to raid their savings, pay high interest on credit cards or seek lesser care for their pet.

After working with the initial company for a good number of years, I left to start another pet insurance company in 2005— Pets Best Insurance, because I wanted to do things differently.

For many years the company I pioneered in 1982 was the only choice for pet owners. But today there are a dozen or so, pet health insurance providers in the United States and there will likely be many more to come.

Overall, the many options for pet insurance is a good thing for pets, their owners and even the pet health insurance industry as a whole. Competition breeds industry growth by providing more awareness and more attractive options for the consumer.

However, I have noted over the last few years that with more competition comes more confusion. Pet owners seem confused over coverage, about the reliability of the many different companies, and over which company will provide a greater value to them. Pet owners are also confused about which companies are more likely to pay their claims without hassle and which pay their claims timely.

While I may be biased towards Pets Best Insurance, there are many other fine options in the marketplace. (Visit www.naphia.org for members of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association)

Selecting the best pet insurance company is not an easy feat, since circumstances vary widely. Pet owner expectations, budget and cost of pet care must be carefully considered. Optimum coverage for a pet will vary by species, breed, age and the pets’ current health. And of course, price will also vary. Underinsuring only becomes a concern if you have a large veterinary bill, while over insuring can drain monthly resources.

Making the right choice becomes easier with knowledge and through experience. But experience can be hard earned and costly. After 12 years of practicing small animal medicine and 30 years of forming and operating pet health insurance I know I can provide you with the knowledge to buy the right coverage to fit your needs and budget. I will use my experience to help you avoid insurance “traps” you might never expect. I will also show you the “trade offs” that you can make in your choice of pet insurance by demonstrating value to price.

I will attempt to be unbiased; given my position and being the founder of Pets Best Insurance. I will not utilize company names or specific plans, but give you the tools to understand the long term value of different options available. Ultimately you the reader will be the judge if I accomplish this goal. But I know you will be more savvy in getting the best value for your pocketbook and in protecting your pet with the information.

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