Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Claim example: orthoscopic surgery to fix cranial cruciate ligament rupture in Rottweiler

One of the conditions that is more prone to occur when your dog is overweight is the tear, or rupture, of your dog's cranial cruciate ligament, which is in your dog's knee.

I am not sure if weight was a factor in Bugsy's case, but I thought it a great example of how something that is very curable but very expensive could perhaps be prevented.

Details:

Bugsy is a 4 year old male neutered Rottweiler who lives in Darien IL. The surgery was done orthoscopically, meaning through a very small opening in the knee, very similar to what is performed on humans for the same condition. This procedure allows a shorter healing time and fewer infections and complications - always a good thing.

DATE	ITEM	BILLED AMOUNT	COVERED IN POLICY?	COVERED CHARGES
7/9/2010	Analgesic Inj	$             52.00	Y	$           52.00
7/9/2010	Epidural	$          103.50	Y	$         103.50
7/9/2010	Surg Tech	$             64.00	Y	$           64.00
7/9/2010	Inj-Anitbiotic	$             49.50	Y	$           49.50
7/9/2010	Referral Consult	$             91.50	Y	$           91.50
7/9/2010	Propofol Induct	$             36.25	Y	$           36.25
7/9/2010	Gas Anes	$          324.00	Y	$         324.00
7/9/2010	IV Cath & Fluids	$             88.00	Y	$           88.00
7/9/2010	X-ray	$          131.25	Y	$         131.25
7/9/2010	Arthoscopy	$          742.50	Y	$         742.50
7/9/2010	Tightrope Implant	$          275.00	Y	$         275.00
7/9/2010	Cranial Cruciate Repair	$          606.50	Y	$         606.50
7/9/2010	Cephalexin 84	$             51.71	N	$            0.00
7/9/2010	Tramadol 30	$             22.25	N	$            0.00
7/9/2010	Rimadyl 30	$             65.15	N	$            0.00
Total		$       2,703.11		$      2,564.00

Bugsy's policy has a $200 annual deductible, a 10% copayment, and a $10,000 annual maximum. The drugs and dental extension was not chosen for Bugsy's policy, which is why the take-home drug coverage was not included. Bugsy's monthly premium is $42.72.

The payout for this claim is $2,307.60, which is calculated below (taken from the Explanation of Benefits). The $200 annual deductible has already been taken care of in a prior claim.

STEP 1: Calculate Potential Refund
Billed Amount:								$          2,703.11
Covered Charges:	(see attached detail)							$          2,564.00
Annual deductible remaining								$                0.00
	subtotal							$          2,564.00
Copay 10%	(your copayment)							$             256.40
Potential Refund								$          2,307.60
STEP 2: Compare potential refund against your annual maximums
Annual Maximum								$        10,000.00
Prior refunds for this policy year								$             106.16
Coverage remaining								$          9,893.84
Your total refund is:								$         2,307.60

Related Posts:
August is Obesity Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Claim example: orthoscopic surgery to fix cranial cruciate ligament rupture in Rottweiler
Guest post: number one pet health problem is obesity
Measuring my cats' body mass index - the FBMI
Claim Example: Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Dachshund

Guest post: number one pet health problem is obesity

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 obesity issues from a small animal practioner's perspective.
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If you were to ask me what is the number one pet health problem I see in my practice, I would have to say obesity.

It is estimated that 35% of adults pets are overweight and up to 50% of the ones over 7 years of age. I would personally say these are conservative figures. I see so many overweight animals.

I think one of the problems is that the owners really do not view their pets as obese. If you think about it, dogs and cats spend at least 70% of their time laying down and doing nothing. I feel it is the vet’s jobs to educate the client on the dangers of obesity and just how deleterious it is on the pet’s lives.

DID YOU KNOW: a lean animal can live up to 30% longer with much less problems than an overweight animal? Multiple studies have shown that lean pets have up to 50% less orthopedic problems. Hip dysplasia is greatly reduced. One injury that is much more prevalent in fatter dogs is cranial cruciate rupture, the ligament in the knee. If you have an overweight Golden Retriever, chances are you will be paying $2500 to $3500 to repair at least one of the cruciate ligaments in the near future.

Obesity causes so many problems in our pets. Diabetes, especially in cats, is directly related to obesity. If your animal gets diabetes, that means often you need to catch your cat/dog twice daily to give insulin shots and then do regular vet check ups to make sure everything is in good control. It is much easier to prevent.

So what can we do to prevent it?

The most important thing is to educate yourself on the foods you are feeding our pets. You need to understand that the pet food industry is estimated to be a $9 to 10 billion dollar industry - everyone is trying to get you to feed their foods, and lots of them.

TIP: Learn to read the labels and really see what is in the food and also the calorie content. Calories per cup can vary by 300% from food to food, so feeding two cups of one food compared to another can be a huge difference. Get in the habit of actually measuring out how much you give.

TIP: My suggestion is to feed ¾ of the amount that is recommended on the bag. If you feed the amount stated, it is a good bet you animal will become overweight.

Then there are the treats. Everyone wants to feed treats, and that is a problem. What might look to us to be a tiny portion is often a large % of the dog’s daily calorie need.

DID YOU KNOW: if you feed a small oatmeal cookie to a 20lb dog that is equivalent to us eating a cheeseburger? One ounce of cheddar cheese would be the same as us downing 2 and ½ hamburgers.

Commercial treats are no better.

DID YOU KNOW: one large original Busy Bone is 732 calories!!

The manufactures try to make the treats to resemble foods we like, such as bacon, beef or even pork chops.

TIP: if a treat looks good enough for you to eat… don’t give it to your dog. Try to use healthy treats such as green beans, cauliflower, cucumbers or rice cakes.

You really can give your pet live a longer happier life by paying attention to what and how much you are feeding them.

Related Posts:
August is Obesity Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Claim example: orthoscopic surgery to fix cranial cruciate ligament rupture in Rottweiler
Guest post: number one pet health problem is obesity
Measuring my cats' body mass index - the FBMI
Claim Example: Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Dachshund
Other posts by Dr Riggs

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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.

Breed Focus: West Highland White Terrier

I have a real soft spot for Westies from my childhood when we had a Labrador called Apple and a Westie called Blossom.

Those two would get up to no good, with their best trick being Apple opening the fridge door and dragging over a stool and Blossom getting up and into the fridge to root out the good stuff for both to share on the floor. So cleverly naughty! Us young children could not hope to compete with such audacity.

Apple and Blossom were best buddies and Apple even produced milk to help Blossom out when she had 6 overwhelmingly hungry puppies. Good memories...

But I digress. West Highland White Terriers are very fun if you have the energy for them. The write up over at the Embrace Pet Health site has this to say:

Few sights elicit more delighted comments than a well-groomed West Highland White Terrier in a well-fitted tartan-patterned raincoat, and that’s because few breeds “clean up” as stylishly as this one. The Westie is comfortable in the city, the suburb and the country, and at their best, they are energetic, happy, people-oriented dogs, beloved and admired for their bright white coats and shiny dark shoe-button eyes. They're also true terriers, which means they live to dig, chase and, if they can, to destroy small furry creatures.

They also have more than their fair share of hereditary conditions:

That's an awfully long list for such a small dog :( In the hopes of controlling the genetic diseases that already affect the breed and preventing any new ones from emerging, the West Highland White Terrier Club of America, which is the American Kennel Club parent organization for the breed in the United States, participates in a program operated by the Canine Health Information Center (CHIC).

Please see the breed profile for West Highland White Terriers for more details on how to find a healthy puppy.

Have you experienced health problems with your Westie?

August is Obesity Month at Embrace Pet Insurance

No, not us Embracers! (although the doughnuts in our new office today aren't helping)

I'm talking about cat and dog obesity and all the health problems being overweight can bring.

Just an example of the issues from a search on the Embrace Pet Insurance website:

• diabetes mellitus - obesity is considered to be a primary risk factor for diabetes in cats
• skin fold dermatitis - in pets already predisposed to skin fold dermatitis, obesity will exacerbate the condition (such as brachycephalic (short-nosed) breeds predisposed to facial folds (bulldogs, pugs, Shih-tzus, etc), “wrinkly” dogs like Shar-peis and bloodhounds, and dogs with corkscrew tails (English bulldogs)
• inguinal hernias - obesity is a predisposing factor as well

Is it possible that we are so used to seeing certain breeds a little bit plump, shall we say, that we don't know what a healthy weight looks like any more? What do you think?

These are all issues we'll be discussing this month. So grab your celery sticks and settle in for the month of August slender days...

Related Posts:
August is Obesity Month at Embrace Pet Insurance
Claim example: orthoscopic surgery to fix cranial cruciate ligament rupture in Rottweiler
Guest post: number one pet health problem is obesity
Measuring my cats' body mass index - the FBMI
Claim Example: Inguinal Hernia Repair in a Dachshund