Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Michael Nastasi at Canisphoto

I have just discovered another talented dog and cat photographer - Michael Nastasi at Canisphoto (courtesy of Urbanhound, that used one of his pictures on their website.)

Michael's pictures are a little less staged than some other photographers and many are taken outdoors in Central Park or at Martha's Vineyard. If you happen to be in NY and want a unique portrait of your dog or cat, Canisphoto might be an interesting choice.

Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) up for sale? A 2006 prediction.

The biggest player in the US pet insurance market at the moment is Veterinary Pet Insurance, the oldest company with the largest market share (just over 80% or thereabouts). Until about a year and a half ago, they were chugging along in a reasonably active manner but then some of the senior management were suspended in July 2004 as a result of  an internal investigation and some others resigned. At that point, Scottsdale, the insurance company that owns 60.8% of the company, inserted their own man to head up the pet insurance business.

Since then, we've heard hardly a peep from VPI. They have done some things with their website and logo but they haven't filed their financials with the NAIC (National Association of Insurance Commissioners) since 2004 like all good insurance companies should do. While all their competitors are running around tying up marketing alliances, VPI haven't launched any new marketing campaigns (not that we've noticed anyway), let alone made any noise about alliances. It's very strange indeed. This is not the way to run a going concern.

So, I conclude that VPI is up for sale. I would expect that some of the larger insurers are looking at the company and maybe even some of the pet food companies who are dying to expand their revenue streams (IAMS does own 8.9% of VPI but perhaps they've seen enough close up to know not to get involved?).

My prediction is that VPI will be bought out by the end of 2006, possibly much sooner, although pet insurance is not like any other insurance. Most large insurance companies wouldn't have a clue what to do with a company like that - maybe that's why it's still on the market?

You heard it here first...

My dog or cat is limping

Recently, my cat Barnes had a very sore paw and it turned out to be an infection in his foot. When he got sick, I wondered what the cause could be and it turns out that limping or lameness is one of the main reasons that cats and dogs go to the vet’s office.

So, what could be the cause of this problem? Here’s what I have found in my research:

• Burrs or thorns in the paw – something you can check this yourself if your dog or cat will let you. Also cuts or scraps on the paw. These are generally treated by removing the spike and wiping with hydrogen peroxide or iodine solution to prevent infection.
• Infection of the paw – just like my cat Barnes's swollen paw, something might have pierced his paw and caused an infection. The symptoms were a hot and swollen paw and Barnes had a mild fever. This condition can generally be easily corrected with a course of antibiotics such as amoxicillin, with a distinct improvement noticeable after one day.
• Overgrown or overly short toe nails. If overgrown, the nail might have broken off after being too long and getting infected, or if the nail twists causing toe arthritis or swollen joints. If too short, perhaps the toe got infected from being clipped too close to the quick.
• Sprains, dislocations, and broken bones, which might have occurred from an accident with a car or while exercising. You would probably know if this had happened but then again, if you have a cat that goes outside by herself, you can’t always tell. We think Lily dropped something onto her paw, causing it to be all swollen. Goodness knows how she did that!
• Elbow arthritis where fragments of bone are in the joint – ouch! This is most often seen in large breeds of dogs such as Labradors, Golden retrievers and Rottweilers.
• Sprains or strains in the various muscles of the leg and shoulder.
• Slipping knee cap, often called a luxating patella. This is generally an inherited condition that can be treated with surgery.
• Ligament tears, particularly the anterior cruciate ligament, which is quite common in dogs and sometimes occurs in cats. For smaller dogs, rest and drugs can fix this problem but for larger dogs, surgery is likely.
• General joint arthritis which is quite common in older animals, just like us humans. Symptoms include limping and/or swollen joints and larger dogs get it sooner than smaller dogs and cats. Elbow or shoulder osteochonritis dissecans (osteochonrosis) is where a flap of cartilage breaks off and gets trapped in the joint. Symptoms can be alleviated with surgery, pain killers and aspirin; however, weight reduction is definitely effective and some people also swear by glucosamine for both treatment and prevention.
• Hip dysplasia, which I have talked about in my article Hip Dysplasia in Dogs (and Cats).
• Bone tumors called osteosarcoma, which grow on the bone near a joint. The usual treatment is amputation of the limb (check out the header picture on this blog – do you see the three legged dog?).
• Inflammation of the muscles of the face and legs in both cats and dogs (known as myositis) can also cause limping over extended periods of time or in flare ups. The cause is unknown but could be related to the animal’s immune system attacking itself and is treated with corticosteroids.
• An inflammatory disease of young dogs, particularly German Shepherds, which causes limping that shifts from one leg to another and yelping if you grasp the bones of the affected leg firmly (aka panosteitis, enostosis, eosinophilic Panosteitis, juvenile osteomyelitis or osteomyelitis). No-one knows what causes this condition but the good news is that it usually cures itself over time. Vets often treat for the pain until the condition disappears.
• Lyme Disease in dogs causes limping, usually in one foreleg, swelling in the  lymph node affected the limb, and a temperature of 103 degrees. It takes about 3-4 days for the limping to progress from minor to refusing to move at all. The bacteria can also affect the dog's heart muscle and nerve tissue.  You can treat Lyme Disease successfully with antibiotics if you catch it in time.
• a blood clot aka aortic saddle thrombosis, where a blood clot caused by heart disease cuts off circulation to the hind quarters. Certainly you would hardly expect heart disease to cause limping in cats or dogs but it can happen rarely.

As with any of your pet’s health conditions, if you are worried about your pet, talk to your vet.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm off to Canada to see my family this Thanksgiving holidays. Enjoy this special holiday with all your furry and non-furry family - no comments on Aunt Edna's mustache now! Can't wait for my turkey dinner...

Laura and Alex, your non-furry friends at Embrace - although Alex does have a beard now :)

Why dogs don't live as long as people

I just happened on this little story and being pregnant (did I tell you that? It's true, I'm due in January) and affected by anything warm and fuzzy, this story kind of got to me. I thought you might like it too.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owner, his wife, and their little boy were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family there were no miracles left for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, the owners told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old boy to observe the procedure. They felt he could learn something from the experience. ...

Read the rest here...

Hartville Group releases Q3 earnings

The Hartville Group released their earnings for the quarter yesterday and they show some good improvement over prior quarters and certainly last year.

You may recall that Hartville are pulling themselves out of the weeds after previous management tried to take on too many ambitious projects that weren't directly related to the core business of selling pet insurance. The new management seems to have things back on track and hopefully, have the company steering towards bigger and better things. It's in no-one's interest for existing pet insurance companies to struggle financially or worse.

If you are interested, the investor conference call is tomorrow at 8:30am EST. Call 888-802-8576 five to ten minutes prior. Just dial in and listen to what they have to say. No need to be an investor or a corporation.

We spend more on pets than on babies

It's official - we are nutty to the extreme about our pets according to a recent NY Times article (need subscription after a couple of weeks):

Pet supplies now fuel a $37 billion industry. Retail sales of pet supplies, not including food and services, amounted to $8.5 billion in the United States in 2004, more than the $6.2 billion spent on baby-care supplies, according to Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com. And pet supply sales are growing at 7 percent annually, as sales of baby supplies are decreasing.

The article goes on to cite a number of goods and services that just go to show what we spend our money on so I looked up some of the companies mentioned and the links for you:

• NJ Pets, a NJ pet retailer
• Pet Dreams, a small Manhattan company selling "cratewear", which are accessories for dog training crates
• Fideaux, a pet supply boutique in Healdsburg, Calif., 43 North Street @ Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg, CA  95448 ph: 707-433-9935
• Up Country Inc., a Rumford, R.I., company that makes collars, toys, beds and other products
• Ruff Around the Edges, an Austin Texas pet sitting service

WSJ article on pet insurance

Michael Dillon has a nice summary of the discussion about pet insurance recently in the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal reports that pet insurance is currently offered by 5% of companies, up from 1% in 2000, and that Google, Hilton Hotels and Mercedes-Benz USA plan to offer it as an employee benefit in 2006. ("More Employers Are Offering Pet-Insurance Benefits," by Kerry Hannon, The Wall Street Journal, Nov. 12-13, 2005).

Michael has a blog on the pet industry in general and covers pet insurance every now and then.

Interesting pet insurance facts

A report on pet insurance out earlier this month had the following to say:

Pet insurance revenues in North America have jumped 23% since 2004, thanks in large part to the "part of the family" status pets have achieved in many households, particularly those led by recent empty nesters, seniors, singles and gay couples, according to Market Trends: Pet Insurance, a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.   ...

"As the word about affordable pet insurance hits the streets, more and more pet owners are choosing to safeguard the health of the pets they call 'family'," said Don Montuori, the publisher of Packaged Facts. "They're becoming educated on pet-related cancer, periodontal disease, urinary tract infections, and a whole host of other illnesses, and they're seeking high-tech
medical intervention including surgery, chemotherapy, MRI, and CT scans just as they would through their own health insurance."

So it's not just Embrace Pet Insurance that thinks pet insurance is a good idea - it's you too!

If you want to buy the whole report, check the report link above. Unfortunately, it comes at the steep price of $1,995 - perhaps a rich uncle can get it for you :)

First Pet Life has a pet insurance partner

First Pet Life announced yesterday in a press release that they are partnering with Pet Partners to sell Pet Partners' pet insurance. Pet Partners in the past has focused on pet insurance programs for the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) although the latter seems to have disappeared from the Pet Partners website and doesn't look like it's available anymore.

First Pet Life appears to be the marketer for the products, as they are still looking for a broker to sell through. I'm not sure why they can't use Pet Partners for that as they are also a licensed broker - I must be missing something obvious. Looks like quite a few cooks in kitchen here.

As per a previous press release, it looks like we'll be seeing some informercials from First Pet Life in the not too distant future. Keep your eyes open.