BEFORE YOU BRING PUPPY HOME: Pet Insurance

(Part 1 of 2)

In 1997, I purchased health insurance for my first puppy through VPI. Back then, pet insurance was just coming into vogue. Many of my relatives and friends thought I was nuts. My puppy proved them wrong over and over again.

Cali was a sweet and spunky golden retriever; a clown who was always up to something. She’d dig for rocks in the mud, chew up towels and pull the stuffing out of her bed–the one guaranteed to last or they would refund your money with no questions asked. Thank you, Orvis!

Cali loved to steal food off the counter and would consume anything she could get her jaws on–like the thawed chicken breast that she snatched and ate (plastic wrap and all). She’d steal corn and eat the cob. Then there was my son’s missing $6. We found it encased in a dog pile in the backyard. (Don’t ask if we kept it.)

Not only was Cali a curious pup, she was very technologically friendly. Once, she ate my son’s Tamagotchi, a toy digital pet that supposedly came from another planet arriving on earth in a plastic egg. Once hatched, the pet creature required constant care and feeding or it would die. It did. Cali ate the pet creature–battery and all.

3% Hydrogen Peroxide (aka “the black bottle”) was a permanent staple in my house. Since Cali was a large dog, 2 tablespoons in an oral syringe shot down the back of her throat every time she ingested a no-no (and repeated every 15 minutes if necessary) usually did the trick. She threw up the alien pocket pet–battery included.

But not all of my four golden retrievers were so lucky. One ate a rope toy requiring major surgery that cost me $3000.00. (See blog post.) Was I glad that I had pet insurance? ABSOLUTELY!

Foreign object ingestion isn’t the only reason to consider pet insurance. From the first hello to the last goodbye, the cost associated with owning a beloved furry friend is high. Why? Because costs for everything from dog food to medical equipment has increased. In addition, advances in veterinary medicine can now address illnesses and injuries that were previously untreatable. There is a cost to that, but that cost is small in comparison to the unconditional love and companionship that a dog gives its owner. After all, dogs are family members, too.

So before Rover comes home, make sure that you don’t ever have to compromise canine health because of financial concerns. Plan now, before puppy comes home, to purchase pet insurance.

Tags: dog health insurance, new puppy, puppy insurance