Why I Should Have Gotten Pet Insurance
By: Petplace Staff
So many of us would take the food off our own plates to care for our animals. We just love them that much. We would go into debt, live leaner and maybe even give up some of the basics in life. What if you didn't have to do that though? What if you could have given your pet the care he needed without having to dip into your savings? I just read a letter from a woman that would give up whatever necessary to care for her pooch, but wishes that she had gotten pet insurance.
Jodi Judson from Mount Juliet, Tennessee writes about her lovely Bichon Frise, Pierre. He is the love of her life and in the four years he's lived with her has become the most loving friend she has ever had. So when she noticed something was wrong with him, she worried a great deal.
Jodi noticed a little bit of cloudiness in Pierre's left eye.
She watched it closely trying not to worry too much, but when a week later the other eye began to get cloudy, she knew there was a problem. She took him to the vet right away. Sadly, the news wasn't good. After an optical exam, Pierre's vet diagnosed him with immature cataracts. After blood work, testing for diabetes, thyroid problems, cholesterol and so on, everything appeared normal. The only thing to deduce was that the cause was hereditary.
At a veterinary ophthalmologist at UT Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Knoxville, Pierre was deemed an excellent candidate for cataract surgery. The only possible issue was that Bichon's tend to develop a retinal detachment after cataract surgery, so he had to have a preventative procedure, a surgery called Retinoplexy prior to the cataract operation. You can just imagine the expense of all this, but it all means that Pierre is likely going to see again.
Jodi says that she only wishes she had purchased pet insurance before this became a pre-existing condition. The vet bills were going to be expensive, but it would have really helped to have some of them covered. Jodi also has to pay for hotel stays, gas, food, etc. Should you consider pet insurance too?
Petplace Staff