If your pet were to become injured or ill, would you have the money to pay for
the veterinary care needed? Even if your pet is young and healthy, what if your pet were to have an accident
or injury requiring
surgery and hospitalization? Just a single illness or injury can end up costing
thousands of dollars if your pet needs surgery or hospitalization. Pet health insurance can give you the
peace of mind that you can take care of your pet in the event of a serious
injury or illness requiring expensive veterinary care.
We have carried pet health insurance
from
PetFirst for our 3 cats since 2008 and it saved the life of our cat, Iris,
this year when she fell severely ill (in August 2013). She suddenly stopped
eating, shortly after we got back from vacation. She had been ill before with
sicknesses that were diagnosed as gastrointestinal lymphoma or IBD, but made a
full recovery and had been symptom-free for 2 years. This time, she was sicker
and the holistic treatments that had worked in the past were ineffective. Iris
was so sick and dehydrated that she had to be hospitalized. An abdominal
ultrasound showed that she had acute pancreatitis, a very serious illness that
often takes weeks or months to recover from. Iris was hospitalized for 4 days to
get her stable enough to insert a feeding tube for feeding her after she got
home from the hospital. Because Margaret lost her job in June 2013, our finances
were strained. If we had not had pet insurance, we would have had to euthanize
Iris instead of hospitalize her. The 4 days of hospitalization, diagnostics and
treatment ended up costing over $5,000. We submitted the claims to
PetFirst shortly after bringing Iris home from the hospital and they
promptly paid their share (90% after a $250 deductible) within a couple of
weeks. If only human health insurance worked as well!
We are happy to report that as of December, 2013, Iris has made a full recovery
and is off all medications. We continue to get her regular acupuncture
treatments, as well as support her digestion with various superfoods and
supplements, including
BioPreparation,
ALPHA-G,
Moxxor,
Seacure®
and
probiotics.
We have also used our
PetFIrst insurance in previous years when Iris had more
minor problems such as a "trimmed" tail when we were trimming the catnip patch
in our yard and didn't notice her tail among the catnip stems (she was hidden by
the tall catnip), or when our cat Julius attacked her and she developed an
abscess (Iris is now kept permanently separated from Julius). Although some
consumer organizations say pet insurance is not worth the cost, this has not
been our experience. We now recommend it for all pet owners and suggest you buy
it when your pet is young, before they contract any serious illnesses or
injuries.
Although feeding your pet an optimal diet, giving them superfoods
like
BioPreparation and avoiding unnecessary vaccinations will help ward off illness,
this may not work in every case. In Iris' case, we acquired her in 2007 in her
midlife, after she had been thru multiple permanent and foster homes, where she
was fed poor quality food and given excessive vaccines. Despite switching her to
a raw diet, minimizing vaccines and feeding her BioPreparation, she fell
severely ill. We have discovered that there may be a limit to what you can do to
fix your pet's health when you acquire a pet in mid-life from a shelter or
rescue group, instead of buying a pet from a breeder who has been raising
several generations of animals on raw food and minimal vaccinations. Rather than
discouraging you from adopting rescue animals, we would suggest that you
consider pet insurance in case your pet should fall ill or become injured.
Obviously not all rescued pets will have serious health issues. Our other 2
rescued cats are in good health. And
even purebred pets from good breeders can have health issues, since the genetics
of purebred animals make them more prone to certain health issues. Pet insurance
makes good financial sense, unless you are wealthy enough to easily handle a vet
bill of thousands of dollars.
Not all pet insurance companies are equal quality. Like health insurance for
people, some pet insurance companies are better than others at paying claims and
reimbursing you adequately. We suggest you choose one with a high customer
service rating, such as
PetFirst.
Nothing on this website has been evaluated by the FDA. This information
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Please
see a qualified healthcare practitioner for any disease or illness.