Preparing for the Worst Case Scenario

Having a pet is expensive. There's monthly flea/tick and heartworm medications, food, constant vaccinations during the first six months, and that big operation that need not be named. And then there are all the minor emergencies that in the mind of first-time puppy parents are life-threatening tragedies needing to be diverted immediately.

With Shadow, there was his first bout of allergies, the time I thought he ate a USB cable, the time he damaged one of his pads at the dog park, almost anytime his "eliminations" don't look uniform, the first time he woke up gagging because he ate too much grass earlier that evening... All of these incidents elicited panic and wads of green from his owners. Many, we learned, were expensive false alarms that needed only rest and over-the-counter human medication (such as Bacitracin marked up 10 times because it came from the vet and "puppy booties" at $40 each when Amazon sells them for $10 a pair.)

But this is the learning curve when you bring a new puppy into the home. Now we are less jumpy, and our medicine cabinet has four puppy booties purchased for $30 at PetSmart, anti-inflamatory cream marked "Shadow," and Betadine (povidone-iodine) anti-septic from Walgreens for cleaning wounds. Most importantly, however, we know not every minor scrape or bruise requires a $50 vet exam and 10 tons of overpriced drugs.

That's why, when Chris and I looked into pet insurance for Shadow, we decided not to overpay for something that would reimburse us for every vet visit and every ounce of heartworm/flea/tick medication. Now that Shadow is eight months old (and a whopping 73 pounds!), the biggest expenses have already been taken care of. All we need is the peace of mind that comes with knowing if something horrible happened we would not have to choose between forking over $10,000 for an operation on our dog or letting him go. That is a decision I would never want to make, and thankfully won't have to.

If you're at the point where you need to select insurance for your furry friend, I have to recommend two websites: Pet Insurance Review (petinsurancereview.com) and Pet Insurance University (pet-insurance-university.com). Both break down the policies of the most relevant pet insurance providers in an easy-to-understand fashion, and contain consumer reviews to help provide reassurance.

Between jumping, barking, chewing, scratching, whining and pulling on the leash, us pet owners have enough to worry about without the ultimate concern hanging over our heads.

How to save a little $$

How would you feel if, after paying for a cart-load of stuff and heading for the door, you found out everyone else in the store got a 50% discount just because they asked for it?

It happens each day by the hundreds when pets undergo that special surgery no one wants to talk about. It can have a pretty hefty price tag. But Friends of Animals, an animal advocacy group based in the Northeast, has a low-cost spay/neutering program that allows pet owners to use their own vets (if participating) and get the same exact surgery at a fraction of the price.

Just tell your vet the magical phrase, "Friends of Animals rate," and wait for the certificate to arrive before planning the surgery.

Here's the link: http://www.friendsofanimals.org/sncert/instructions.html