Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Guest post: veterinary thoughts on dog and cat cancer

Today, we have a guest post from Dr. Rex Riggs, owner of Best Friends Veterinary Hospital in Powell, Ohio. He is a veterinarian, and an Advisory Board member of Embrace Pet Insurance. Dr. Riggs writes about what cancer and its causes.

 

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Cancer is one of the scariest words a person can hear, whether it is about you, your family, friends, or your pet.  We all have been touched by cancer, someway in our lives. 

 

Cancer by definition is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body.  Cancerous cells are sometimes called malignant cells.  Cancer sometimes stays in one place and just grows locally or in other cases will spread, or metastases, to distant areas of the body. 

 

What causes cancer?  That is the million dollar question.  It is a multifactorial answer - meaning there are many components that contribute. 

 

We know that hereditary can play a big factor.  Certain breeds of dogs and cats are predisposed to certain cancers.  Golden and Labrador Retrievers are prone to hemangiosarcomas, a tumor of the spleen and heart.  Large breed dogs such as Great Danes and Irish Wolf often get tumors of their long bones, a cancer called osteosarcoma. The list goes on.

 

We also know that environmental factors play a role in cancers in our pets, just as they do in us. Animals in households where people smoke have more respiratory tumors, just like people. Studies have show that Scottish Terriers have an increased incidence of bladder tumors when exposed to lawn chemicals.  Viruses such as Feline Leukemia Virus, and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus, are known to be associated with a variety of cancers in cats. So you can see it is not a simple answer, which makes preventing some types of cancers so difficult. 

 

Cancers can present in a number of ways depending on the type and location of the mass.  Some cancers will show in obvious ways such as coughing, limping or swellings in the affected area of the body.  Others will show no signs until it is late in the course of the disease.  That is why at least, an annual physical exam by your veterinarian is so important.  Animals by nature (cats more so then dogs) will hide illnesses.  The thought is if they show signs of weakness they will become preyed upon in the wild.  The veterinarian is trained to detect abnormalities the owner would not find.  Sometimes bloodwork and x-rays will be use to detect cancer.  We even will use CAT scans and MRIs in certain cases. Human and veterinary medicine has become very advanced in our ability to image our bodies.  We now have the technology to do things that we could never dream of before.  If there is a will there is a way.  This is true not only of our ability to detect cancers, but also for the many treatments we have available. 

 

Luckily, a lot of the tumors we deal with can be cured with surgery. Some are treated with radiation therapy, others we need to use chemotherapy.  Chemotherapy is another word that stakes fear in people. Chemotherapy just means a drug against a disease.  So by definition, antibiotics are “chemo” against an infection.  So try not to let the word scare you. We all know of stories of people that have undergone chemo and have had some pretty bad side effects.  Typically in our pets we do not see the bad side effects because we tend to use lower doses of the drugs.  In people we can justify make a person sick, if our end goal of cure is attained.  Dr Guillermo Couto, my oncology professor at Ohio State University and one of the most compassionate person I have met, always said “we don’t make dogs or cats sicker with chemo”. This is because due to the shorter lifespan, we don’t need to cure many of our pets, as long as we can get remission of the signs.  We are looking at a quality of life in our pets. 

 

This brings up a good point.  We have more ways to diagnose and treat cancer in our pets then ever before.  This brings ethical issues. Just because we have these great tools and drugs, it does not mean we need to use them just for the sake of using them.  We need to evaluate each patient and decide if we are treating the animal in his best interest or are we treating the animal because we don’t want to lose our beloved pet.  These are tough questions.  We need to always be sure we are giving the animal the best quality of life, and making the decision with him/her in mind.

 

Related Posts: other posts by Dr Riggs

Related Articles:
April is Cancer Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Guest post: veterinary thoughts on dog and cat cancer
Cancer claim example: Grade III Mast Cell Tumor
Cancer Claim Example: Anal Sac Apocrine Gland Adenocarcinoma
Rates of Cancer by Dog Breed

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Dr. Rex Riggs grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio, near Akron. Dr Riggs is co-owner of Best Friends Veterinary Hospital in Powell, Ohio. He is also on the board of the North Central Region of Canine Companions of Independence, a board member of The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Society and Small Animal Practitioner Advancement Board at The Ohio State College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Riggs lives in Lewis Center with his wife Nancy, their two dogs Boo and Maggie, and two cats Franklin and Speeder. Outside of work, Dr. Riggs is an avid golfer and enjoys travel and photography.

Getting smarter on the topic of insurance

The Ohio Department of Insurance put out a very interesting press release today (yes, I actually do read these things!) on the topic of the general level of understanding of insurance.

The conclusion?

 We don't feel confident about our insurance choices (only 45% do feel confident) and

we do not fully understand terms used in current health care reform discussions (86% of us - that's like pretty well everyone out there that doesn't work for a health insurer!).

I think the pet insurance customers we talk to on the phone have a better idea than most but I still see a few people having trouble with the concept of deductibles and pre-existing conditions in general, let alone the nuances between the different pet insurers so these statistics do not surprise me at all.

More from the press release:

more than 60 percent failed to correctly answer basic questions about insurance coverage, including:

1. Does auto insurance cover personal property stolen from your car?
2. At what age do most people become eligible for Medicare?
3. Can credit scores affect your auto insurance premium?

(the answers are at the end of this article)

....

Other key findings related to knowledge of health care and insurance coverage include:

• More than half (55 percent) of all Americans do not understand what a pre-existing condition is, which is critical when selecting health care coverage. A pre-existing condition is any health problem that existed before someone applies for a health insurance policy or enrolled in a new health plan.
• Forty percent do not know the age (65 years of age) at which most people become eligible for Medicare.
• More than half of Americans (53 percent) think that they can only make changes to their group health insurance coverage during the open enrollment period provided by their employer, and 16 percent admit they have no idea when changes can be made. In actuality, certain exceptions apply for new employees or employees with life-changing events such as pregnancies or marriage.

How would  you rate your insurance IQ - a pass or a fail?

For some tips on how to improve your insurance knowledge, check out the rest of the press release on the ODOI website.

The answers to the questions above:

1. no,
2. 65 years of age and
3. yes

These answers eluded the majority of the 1,000 American adults who took the survey, which was comprised of two sections—one section gauging broader consumer perceptions on insurance and a second 10-question IQ component that tested specific knowledge. In fact, most respondents only answered four out of 10 questions correctly on the IQ component. That’s an average score of only 40 percent—a failing grade by most U.S. educational grading standards.

Ouch!

April is Cancer Month at Embrace Pet Insurance

The C-word - Cancer - is one of the most dreaded words in the English language. Whether it be someone you know, yourself or even your cat or dog, it is never welcome.

Putting the emotional aspect of cancer aside (as if that is at all possible), the financial cost of cancer treatment is very high.

Looking back on all the cancer claims we have had in the last few years, the costs range from a very low end of $3,000 to the high end of $17,000 and vary on the type of cancer, the aggressiveness of the treatment and the location of the treatment (California and New York city are particularly expensive).

Embrace policies cover cancer up to your annual maximum as long as your pet has not had cancer before you bought your policy nor shown any clinical signs of cancer.

This month, we are going to explore the health topic of cancer in cats and dogs.

While this could be all doom and gloom, we will include some survivor stories to uplift our spirits.

Do you have any stories to share?

Related Articles:
April is Cancer Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Guest post: veterinary thoughts on dog and cat cancer
Cancer claim example: Grade III Mast Cell Tumor
Cancer Claim Example: Anal Sac Apocrine Gland Adenocarcinoma
Rates of Cancer by Dog Breed

Happy Easter from Embrace

As many of you celebrate Easter this weekend, I wanted to share best wishes from all the Embrace team. We hope you have a thoughtful time surrounded by family and fun.

And as part of that celebration, watch out for 2 things for your pets - chocolate and easter grass (you know, the kind you find in Easter baskets). Neither are good for pets, and dogs particularly have a penchant for eating them when you aren't looking. Our local vet emergency room says it's quite predictable to see dogs who need surgery because of the Easter grass and treatment for heart issues for the chocolate. Who knew!

So, have a safe and joyful Easter weekend without any visits to the emergency room.

Your Chief Embracer,

Laura

Press Release: Embrace Pet Insurance Swims Upstream To Add Goldfish Coverage to Its Product Range

Embrace is tapping into the world of fish parents who care for the 75 million goldfish in America

Mayfield Village, OH – Embrace Pet Insurance swims against the tide, adding goldfish health insurance coverage to its customizable product range.

 

Now that Embrace Pet Insurance is intimately familiar with the cat and dog health insurance market in the US, the company is leveraging its actuarial and insurance knowledge and is announcing its new customizable goldfish insurance product.

 

Laura Bennett, Embrace co-founder and the only goldfish insurance actuary in the US, explains the rational for such a move. “Goldfish might seem to be one dimensional and unfeeling pets to the uninitiated, but underneath their scaly exterior, they really have a heart of gold. Those who welcome goldfish into their family reap a lifetime of emotion from these loving pets.”

 

Bennett developed goldfish mortality and morbidity actuarial tables based on her own lifetime of experience raising the domesticated fish. “Yes, there’s a large drop off when you bring them home from the fair, but if they survive the initial shock, they settle in quite well. I loved many goldfish in our house growing up. I particularly remember my third goldfish, Jonathan, who lived to the ripe old age of 12 years. I’m sure he would have lived several years longer if our cat Lily hadn’t finally found out that cats aren’t actually allergic to water. That was a very sad day in our household.”

 

Embrace goldfish insurance covers hereditary conditions such as swim bladder and telescopic eye problem (as long as they aren’t showing clinical signs before you purchase your insurance). The insurance also covers a variety of treatments for goldfish illnesses, from antibiotics for dropsy, to weight reduction programs for overfeeding, to amputation surgery for fin rot.

 

Bennett says “Most people have no idea how expensive it can be to treat some of these every-day conditions. Fin amputation surgeries can range anywhere from $500 using aquarium sedatives, a fish net, and a pair of nail scissors, to $15,000 for a board certified specialist using a specialized breathing table developed for fish. Gone are the days of flushing a goldfish down the toilet (also known as economic euthanasia). Veterinarians can do so much more for goldfish than they used to, even 5 years ago.”

 

Goldfish premium rates range from as little as $2 up to $56 a month and are based on a number of factors such as fish age (have your veterinarian give you an estimate if you aren’t sure of your goldfish’s exact date of birth), location (fish vets in NY city are so much more expensive than those in Fargo MN); and breed (the overbred Ekoj hybrid is particularly sickly) all affect the premium. You can also get a multi-pet discount, although having a family cat dramatically increases the rate.

 

If you love your goldfish as much as we do, Embrace Pet Insurance recommends goldfish insurance for your finned friends. It’s the one thing you can’t buy when you need it. To explore your goldfish insurance options, call 800-511-9172, or go to www.embracepetinsurance.com for a customized quote.

 

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About Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace Pet Insurance Agency LLC is a specialist insurance agency headquartered in Mayfield Village, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Embrace was founded by Laura Bennett and Alex Krooglik, pet parents who also happen to be insurance experts, and offers self-serve, customizable pet health insurance for dogs and cats, and now goldfish. All goldfish policies are underwritten by Carp Health Assurance Company. Embrace is based on the core values of innovation and not taking oneself too seriously. On the web at Embrace Pet Insurance and the Embrace Pet Insurance blog.  

 

Addendum: if you didn't notice by now, this was posted on April Fool's Day. Just a little pet insurance humor for the day :)