Maximus was one in a million and as a result, we spent close to that on his care. I know not everyone could have afforded him this care, but with pet insurance (and care credit), you can eliminate some of the pressure of decisions made based on cost. For some couples, pet insurance keeps the marriage happy as one usually has a higher limit than the other for care. My husband was not a fan of the large vet bills, but he knew when he married me that when it came to care of those I love money is no object provided quality of life is there. If you ever have a few dollars to spare, In Memory of Magic is an organization that is always in need to donations to help provide care for companion animals when their caretakers are financially challenged. This link for a now defunct group has many similar links to help cover costs of medical care for animals and owners in need.
This is not a complete list, but rather the really big ticket items we spent on Maximus in his 8+ years. This does not include the multitude of regular visits, follow ups, or trips for assistance in inducing vomitting to prevent foreign body obstructions. I would happily spend all of this and more for any dog in our care.
* TPLO #1 - $3,500 (at board certified surgeon)
* TPLO #2 - $3,500 (at board certified surgeon)
* Foreign Body Surgery #1 - $3,500 (at emergency vet)
Foreign Body Surgery #2 - $3,500 (at emergency vet)
Foreign Body Surgery #3 - $1,300 (at regular vet and less invasive than prior)
MRI, euthanasia, and private cremation- $3,200 (at neurologist)
* items we did not have insurance for at the time
Total- $18,500
With our Pets Best Insurance, 80% approx. of his recent medical bills were covered. I am thankful to them for not excluding my senior nor dropping us after his repeated foreign body surgeries. If you have ever considered pet insurance, be sure to look around and look for what is included and what is not in each policy. I can personally vouch for Pets Best and am so happy I never once had to consider if we could afford to treat Maximus, because Maximus was priceless. Unfortunately, his nine lives ran out and no amount of money could have changed this outcome.
All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again...
I somehow got denied for the Care card which sucks, because over the last 4 years with 4 animals we have spent well over 15k - everything from ER visits to emergancy dental surgery!
ReplyDeleteI will forever be grateful to Pets Best for being the only company who would cover my 13-year old dog, and for paying our every claim without complaint (or cancellation!) until Benny died at 17+ years old.
ReplyDeleteBridget, I am forever indebted to you for telling me how great Pets Bests was. You were a lifesaver in the literal sense!
ReplyDeleteI have care credit sitting there just in case. I do wish I had gotten Haylie pet insurance before having her hips xrayed though :(
ReplyDeleteI already have some leg issues, so mom is afraid the expensive surgeries I may need in the future won't be covered because it's pre-existing from before mom rescued me... she's still going to look into it though.
ReplyDelete-Corbin
Sadly at this time we are told our rescue dogs would have a shockingly high premium so its not an option as we would rather put money into savings to pay for and unforeseen illnesses
ReplyDeleteKari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com
I got really excited when I clicked on this entry; "Oh it's Maximus!" My husband thinks I'm a freak, but I just love his face and (like I've said before) he reminds me so much of my Greighson.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post about pet insurance.
With having 4 dogs it has always been really expensive and we have been blessed to not have $3,500 emergency surgery incidents.
I,like you, cannot put a price tag on my kids; money is just a piece of paper when it comes to them. Money can be replaced, they can't.
But even as blessed as we have been you never know what may be around the corner so I will most certainly check out Pet's Best.
Please give Bellona a hug from me.
I bought insurance the week I got our pitty as I don't ever want to make a heart breaking decision about our Wilbur because of financial reasons. I chose Trupanion based on another blog I read. I haven't had to use it (thank God!)but perhaps others might like to check them out.
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