Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Dining on rocks - not such a good idea actually

Continuing Accident Month at Embrace, here's a recipe for spending $1,000 without actually buying anything (except a few souvenir rocks at the end):

- put one flat-coated retriever in the vicinity of several small rocks;
- turn your back to go pack your bags for your weekend away;
- voila! One thousand buckeroos fly out the window.

It's magic! No weekend trip for you now. 

Dramatics aside, here's what happened. McKenzie, the gorgeous flat-coated retriever shown, decided one day to swallow a rock or two, and after this unfortunate event had been noticed, fingers and paws were crossed that she'd pass the rocks. She did.

The next weekend, it seemed such a good idea, she did it again.  And once again fingers and paws were crossed that she'd pass the rocks. She did, luckily.

In the meantime, there was that pesky $1,000 vet bill that needed to be taken care of. And that's without any surgery. Yes siree - one thousand dollars for a few x-rays to see the rocks were passing appropriately. Ouch (both ways).

Just in case you don't believe there were rocks involved, here are the x-rays just to prove it.

McKutie - no more rocks please! Mama needs to go on her trips away.

Related Posts:
How Much Did You Say Surgery to Remove a Swallowed Foreign Object Cost? 

Breed Focus: Labrador Retriever

Just under 10% of all our insured dogs are Labrador Retrievers . The next breed down on the list is the Golden Retriever, less than 5% of Embraced dogs. That's a big margin for the sweet-natured Labrador.

I suppose the Lab's popularity is not surprising since the Labrador Retriever has consistently ranked as the most popular purebred dog in the United States for more than 10 years, according to the American Kennel Club.

The AKC registers more than a hundred thousand new Labrador Retrievers each year, but when you take into account all the Labs never registered at all, or registered with another organization (such as the United Kennel Club), the popularity of this stable, family-friendly dog is truly staggering.

According to the Embrace health profile on the Labrador Retriever:

There are a couple of characteristics these large, solidly built dogs share: A love of swimming and of eating. Any body of water puddle-sized or larger is a magnet to these dogs, and mud is considered a fashion accessory. The short, drip-dry coat of the Lab sheds water and dirt easily, but that’s of little consolation if the debris lands on white carpeting.

As for eating, two problems: Too much food, and bad food choices. Veterinarians call these dogs “Flabradors,” because obesity is common once they hit their middle-age mellowing out stage.

Labradors are also prone to certain health conditions such as cardiomyopathy and patellar luxation.

 

You can learn more about the family-friendly labrador on the Embrace pet health page on labradors.

Help Rescue Shelters - Romeo the Cat and Wellness are having a competition

All my current cats came from local shelters (prior ones adopted from friends) so I love to see a competition that helps shelters with the one thing they need the most and spreads the word about one of my favorite cat food companies - Wellness Natural Foods.

Caroline, Romeo and Pugsley over at Romeo the Cat blog are holding a competition called "If Pets Made New Year's Resolutions". It's pretty simple to enter - send your pet's new year's resolution plus your details over to Romeo and the winner will be announced in early January.

What do you win? Well, you receive a fun Wellness Natural Food for Pets gift basket for either a cat or dog. But more importantly, Wellness will donate $300 AND a generous food donation to the animal shelter or rescue of your choice.

My cats' resolutions in no particular order except for this one are:

Lily: to teach those pesky kittens how to catch chipmunks if they'd ever just FOCUS
Rosie:  to get that big cat Lily to play with me and run around the house and teach me growd up cat stuff
Rocket:   to learn to bite my soft food instead of sucking it and to catch that funny snake-thing chasing me all the time

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Disclosure: I have no connection with Wellness Natural Food except that I feed it to Lily and Romeo the Cat is a new blogging friend based in Ohio - woohoo Ohioans :)

Embracing the holidays

While I run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to take care of all those things that seem to have snowballed in my email box, here are some seasonal Embraced pets for your viewing pleasure.

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Last minute holiday gift for pet and pet lover with everything

'Twas the Monday before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that an Embracer soon would be there;

The pups were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of yummy treats danced in their heads;

And kittens making mischief, and me in a flap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

Need a good idea for your pet or a friend or family member who has everything?

Don't be caught napping! Surprise him or her with an Embrace Pet Insurance policy. No delivery to worry about - just a few clicks of the mouse and you are all set.

If you'd like some help with your choice, call in to one of our friendly Embracers who have their dogs in to work today (as every day) 1-800-511-9172.

Happy Holidays! 

Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 3

The final part of a 3 part series of questions and answers we at Embrace put together for a 20 question pet insurance Q&A sheet
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The questionaire is for a mixed breed (Border Collie features & traits), born Feb. 3, 2008, adopted w/microchip.  

1. Are there restrictions on surgeries? (actually question 12 but my numbering likes to restart - bah!) 
   I do not understand this question. I apologize. Typically if the actual condition or accident is covered, then the treatment surrounding it is also covered, aka the whole surgery.
2. Are there restrictions on chronic conditions?
   The Continuing Care guidelines that I mentioned above would apply. AKA 25% of your annual maximum.
3. What are the bases for the insurer to cancel, or decline to renew the pet’s insurance?
   We can only cancel based on nonpayment of premium or fraud on the pet parent’s part. You can cancel at any time though without penalty or fee.
4. Are there lifetime payout limits? If so, explain.
   No, just the annual max each year.
5. Are there restrictions on selection of licensed veterinarians?
   No as long as the vet is licensed in the US.
6. Is our pet covered for life, as long as policy is renewed on time each year?
   Yes.
7. We would like to pay annually, by credit card. Is there a discount for annual payment?
   Yes, 5%.
8. Is there any other discount available, for retired citizens, or other?
   That would depend on if you belong to specific organizations that receive a discount from us. Just let us know what you’re a part of and we can see.

Extra info from Kate who wrote the answers: We are one of the few insurance companies that do offer coverage for hereditary, genetic and congenital conditions.

Please don’t hesitate to call me if you have any more questions at 800-511-9172.

Related posts:
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 1
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 2

In the meantime, got any questions of your own for us?

PS. The answers were written up by Kate, one of our Customer Care Embracers in our Contact Center. Kate is also tweeting over at @embracepetins if you'd like to ask her a question. 

Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 2

Part 2 of the series of questions and answers we at Embrace put together for a 20 question pet insurance Q&A sheet
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The questionaire is for a mixed breed (Border Collie features & traits), born Feb. 3, 2008, adopted w/microchip.  

1. Is there a “wellness/routine care” component? If so, is it separate or part of package? (actually question 6 but numbering insists on restarting)
   Yes. Our Wellness Rewards can cover up to $200 per year for routine care including office visits, routine vaccinations, flea/tick/heartworm medications, spaying/neutering, dental cleaning, routine diagnostic tests, microchipping and special offers for only an additional $14.95/month or $149.00/year. It is an optional, additional coverage and is not part of the insurance plan, nor does it apply to the deductible, copay or max.
   [further clarification]
   It is an add on that you can have for the routine care but it is not part of your actual insurance plan, which is just for Accidents & Illnesses. The annual max, deductible and copay apply only to the Accidents & Illnesses. The Wellness plan is basically like a health savings account, with a $200 allotment to use as you choose on the Wellness items I listed. So there’s no copay or deductible on Wellness items, just a straight reimbursement up to $200. You’re correct in thinking that it will cost $149.00 per year to have $200 in coverage. If you know that generally you spend at least $200 in routine care each year, then I think it’s worthwhile to have. The main benefit is that you can pay monthly $14.95 to know that you have $200 in coverage right away. So for example, you spend $90 on flea, tick and heartworm meds. You submit it to us and we reimburse you $90. It’s literally that simple and we’d keep doing that up to $200 each year.
2. If there is a “wellness/routine care” component, what is covered? E.g., vaccinations? Flea prevention? Heartworm prevention? Allergies? De-worming? If present, cost?
   Please see above.
3. If a wellness plan is available, does it cover prescription medications? If so, is it limited to veterinarian administered or would take-home medications be included? If there is a wellness plan, are there limits on wellness care?
   The Wellness can only cover flea, tick and heartworm medications. The standard insurance plan can cover medication given at the vet’s office (like pain shots, chemo, etc) but you would need the additional Drug & Dental plan to have coverage for prescription take home medications for covered accidents and illnesses.
4. Do procedures and conditions require “pre-certification?” What does “pre-certification” mean?
   You are not required to get something precertified, or preapproved prior to having it done. However, we strongly recommend it for the expensive and/or questionable procedures to ensure that you know ahead of time whether it is or is not covered, and if so, how much is coming in reimbursement.
5. In the breed section, is there a listing for “mixed breed” or “mutt?”
   Yes you would select Mixed Breed.
6. If there is a dental component, is it “accident only” or does it include dental disease?
   The standard plan can cover dental trauma associated with an accident (like getting hit by a car and that affecting the teeth) but for dental illness and disease you would need the additional Drug & Dental coverage mentioned above.
7. What is the significance of our dog already having a microchip. Will it still be functional? Is there a microchip discount?
   If your dog is already microchipped, then you can get a 5% discount on your insurance plan.

Got any questions of your own for us?

Related Posts:
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 1
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 3

PS. The answers were written up by Kate, one of our Customer Care Embracers in our Contact Center. Kate is also tweeting over at @embracepetins if you'd like to ask her a question. 

Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 1

In which I'm delighted at a potential customer's thoroughness...

Occasionally, someone researching pet insurance does his or her homework in a big way. I love it when that happens as it shows me that this pet parent really wants to get the right pet insurance policy.

Recently, we had someone send us a 20 question Q&A sheet to fill in to help him with his homework and he graciously allowed me to post it for you so you can skip straight to the answer. Ive split it into 3 parts to keep each post reasonably short - more over the remainder of the week.
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The questionaire is for a mixed breed (Border Collie features & traits), born Feb. 3, 2008, adopted w/microchip.

1. Is there one or more waiting periods? If so, what are they?
   There is a 14 day waiting period for accidents and illnesses and a 6 month waiting period for dogs for Orthopedic Issues. The Orthopedic waiting period can be reduced down to 14 days if you have your pet examined by a vet with our Orthopedic Report Card anytime after you start your policy and then fax it back to us.
2. How is the deductible determined (per incident, per year, per life of pet, or ?)? Please clarify.
   The deductible is annual, so just once per policy period aka year.
3. Are reimbursements based on actual vet fees or on a “usual, scheduled or customary” amounts?
   We reimburse based on your actual vet bill.
4. Do premiums increase as the pet ages? At what rate? Is there a maximum age restriction?
   Yes premiums can increase each year due to age and veterinary inflation. Typically the increase can be 8%-15% each year. Currently there is no maximum but we are looking into that for the future.
   [further clarification]
   I definitely understand the concern regarding the premium increase but honestly the age increase usually starts at age 5, so you wouldn’t have to worry about it until then. And typically vet inflation has been 5%-7% each year. We don't cancel your insurance once you get to a certain age but we do have to account for the increased likelihood of claims as the pet ages and therefore increase premiums.
5. Is there a cap on “continuing care (chronic, recurring conditions)?” Is it possible for a chronic condition to be declared “pre-existing?” If so, please explain.
   Continuing Care is standard on all our policies. So if you have a condition, like diabetes, that is covered in 1 policy term and then requires more treatment in future policy terms, that is still covered. The only change is that instead of the full annual maximum to use, you’d have 25% of your annual max available for continuing conditions. If the chronic condition occurred prior to you getting the policy, then yes it’s considered preexisting and not covered… otherwise, you’re good to go for continuing care coverage.

You'll have to come back tomorrow and the next day for the remaining questions...

In the meantime, got any questions of your own for us?

Related Posts:
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 2
Pet Insurance Q&A from a potential policyholder, part 3

PS. The answers were written up by Kate, one of our Customer Care Embracers in our Contact Center. Kate is also tweeting over at @embracepetins if you'd like to ask her a question. 

Claim story: Squiggy the cat hit by a car, $12,170+ claim

I wanted to share with you the story of Squiggy the mixed breed cat who was hit by a car in September 2009. The words below are from Tracy, Squiggy's owner, who describes what happened:

We adopted squiggy from a shelter when he was 2 months old. He acted more like a puppy than a kitten. Likes to play fetch, hide and surprise you!!

The accident happened on 9/14/09 There was a knock at the door, a woman said she'd hit my cat and believed she had broken his leg, said sorry and promptly left. I found Squiggy in the bushes where he had dragged himself, could not get that image out of my head when I closed my eyes for weeks. It took 15 mins to get to the ER ( longest car ride ever) at which time he had already gone into shock and his breathing very labored.

The preliminary vet exam showed multible fractures & breaks. His back was broken in two places. He was bleeding internally. Initially we were told he'd be paralized with no neurologic function as they couldn't get any pulses in his lower extremities. They stabalized his breathing and were able to get faint pulses back. He was put on pain medication, made comfortable overnight.

Next day we saw Squiggy, he licked my hand and looked at me and I knew I had to do all I could to save him. He was operated on shortly after we saw him. The neurosurgeon told me it would be a long road to recovery with pins in his toes,leg & pelvis on one side of his body and no bowel or bladder function. We would not know if that would return for weeks or if he'd walk. He fought hard to get through this horrible ordeal.

Nine weeks later he's not only walking & climbing up on the bed, bowel & bladder function have returned. We hope Squiggy will be with us for a lot of years to come. He has of course used up about 7 of his 9 lives!!!! 

I was very distraught when Squiggy was injured and every person I spoke to at Embrace treated me like family with kind words of encouragement and lots of help submitting my claim. The claim was processed quickly. Thanks Embrace, you helped us to save Squiggy's life. 

Sadly, we got this update just 4 days later.

Unfortunately my story doesn't have a happy ending. Squiggy had a bladder infection that couldn't be controlled. He went from great one minute almost dead the next. He spent the last two weeks in the hospital where I thought he should stay till the infection was gone but no amount of medicine could fix him. I really thought if he stayed in the hospital he'd get better I'm heartbroken! I took him home and put a christmas collar on him wraped him in a christmas blanket and buryed him in a spot under the bay window in front of our house where he loved to hang out and watch the world go by. Thanks for everything.

Tracy's coverage included an annual maximum of $10,000, which Squiggy needed in totality.

RIP brave Squiggy.

Guest Post: Dr Dan's Holiday Season Precautions

Let's kick off the week with a very timely post from Dr. Dan on how to keep your pet well around the holidays.
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With how we are all so busy during the holiday season, one of the last visits any of us want to make is an emergency visit to the vets office. In order to avoid the dreaded visit, take these precautionary steps to keep your pet healthy and safe during the holidays.

Food

Overeating is not good for us but very common for humans during the season; however, it is even a worse idea for your dog. In order to prevent serious diseases such as pancreatitis or other gastrointestinal diseases, be sure to keep your dog eating only the food it normally receives.

Table scraps are not a good idea – most of the food we eat during the holidays has too much fat and can cause the pancreas to overreact and became inflamed. This will cause severe diarrhea and possibly vomiting and your beloved family member will most likely spend 3 days in an animal hospital fighting for its life - not a good gift for the holidays.

As for other eating problems, there are some items that are toxic to dogs such as chocolate, onions, and grapes. These food items, although OK for humans to eat, should never be fed to dogs, and even though you are reading this and now know you should not do this, be sure that if family comes over for a visit, they know that they should not feed the dog any table scraps especially these items.

Accidents

Injuries to dogs are not unique to the holiday season; however, there are specific accidents to try and avoid especially with the extra lights and electricity around.

The holiday lights are something new to your dog and especially if you have a puppy something they just need to investigate and check out. Electrical shock is very common to dogs that have a tendency to chew and discover that these new electric cords have a good texture to chew on. Be conscious of the placement of the lights and be sure that your dog can not reach them to chew on them or become entangled in them. You wouldn’t want your decorations being pulled down by your pup that just became caught up in them – some serious damage can be done to life and limb if the tree falls on your dog.

Chilly weather

Now if you live in the northern hemisphere, then with the holiday seasons comes snow and ice. Keep your walkways clear for you and for your dog - medium to little dogs can pull ligaments and big dogs can do that or even break bones by slipping and falling on the ice.

Frostbite can also occur in dogs so do not leave your dog outside with no protection for long periods of time. Even though they have a fur coat there is a limit to how long they can stay outside with no shelter.

And just as humans can, dogs can strain muscles by playing in deep snow. Now I am not saying to stop your dog from playing in the snow because most dogs absolutely love it but monitor how long they play. If you think your dog is getting tired, he probably is and the risk of injury dramatically rises when a dog is physically tired – a knee surgery would not help with the holiday spirit if your dog happens to blow a cruciate ligament because his quadriceps muscles are exhausted from playing in the snow.

As for keeping walkways clear for your pets be sure to use sand or at least a salt that is safe for pets. You would not want your dog to ingest some of the chemicals found in the ice melts after they come in and start licking and cleaning their paws.

Keep the holiday season safe and healthy for your dog. Remembering a couple of things will help you not visit your vet for the holidays - same food, keep electricity away, and keep your sidewalks clear.

Happy Holidays!
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Daniel Beatty, DVM (Dr Dan) is an infopreneur with a veterinary medicine degree. He specializes in animal chiropractic and sport medicine but loves to give out general medical information about dogs and horses on his blogs – http://healhtyasadog.com and http://horsekinetics.com. He practices in the Chicagoland area with a home base in Crown Point, IN.