Text 42253, 56 rader
Skriven 2006-11-04 06:28:06 av shannon talley (1:275/311)
     Kommentar till en text av Jeff Smith
Ärende: Re: Whippets
====================
Hi Jeff,

> members. What price are family members worth these days? Now I may not

How about 'health insurance'... :)?  I had a Dalmatian named Pebbles for 
nearly 16years.  She passed away just this past Aug, a day after my 
birthday.  I had to put her down, and I was so torn up over it.  She had 
deteriorated past medical advances and I had to carry her everywhere.  In 
the last few weeks, her organs just began shutting down as she lost her 
sight, her ability to walk, it was horrible.  The medical bills were very 
expensive, but I had chosen a number of years ago to carry health insurance 
on her.  Although her premiums were $38.00 (monthly) at the end, we were at 
the vet weekly with last few months of her life.  I ultimately got more back 
from the insurance company on her than what I had shelled out.

A few years ago I was told a procedure to save her life (prolong) was going 
to run me $1200, I was floored.  I was recovering from a divorce, ect., had 
no credit cards (had no credit back then), and I didn't know what I was 
going to do.  I called the insurance company, and they negotiated with the 
Animal hospital for a slightly lower cost, and they picked up the tab 
(100%).  The Animal hospital agreed (for that one time) to suspend payment 
until the insurance claim check arrived.  Pebbles was with me another 6 
years after that :)

Now I carry health insurance on all of my dogs.  Because they are Whippets, 
the cost is less than what I paid for my Dalmatian.  I pay about $22.00 per 
month for a superior plan which includes shots, routine stuff, and 
prescriptions.  To my detriment, I use an Animal hospital (with a team of 
vets / vice a clinic with one) which doesn't take health insurance directly, 
but rather -- I photocopy the bill (I scan it into PDF and print it out), a 
claim form, then submit it to the insurance company, who in turn, write 
checks and mail them to me.  For instance, I recently had a vet visit that 
cost me $66.00 (total).  I received a check yesterday for $65.00.

What would we pay to save our fuzzy little friends?  I do place a monetary 
value on them... There is NO limit to what I would pay to save my daughter 
<period> : but there is a limit to what I would spend to save my canine 
family members.  But, with insurance, I can negate that cost :)

If you are interested, there are only a few companies that underwrite 
insurance for pets.  I've looked at all of them.  The AKC even has an 
underwriter, but they are very expensive (in my opinion).  The military and 
local police use VPI, and that's who I went with 
(http://www.petinsurance.com )  You can get a free quote online without ever 
submitting any personal information other than your dog or cat's name, type, 
age, ect.

If you have a pet, it's good peace of mind.. :)  Although, I don't know if 
anything of the sort exists for our friends in Europe.. I'd be interested if 
they have something similar....

Warmest regards,
Shannon

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