Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Low Cost Spay/Neuter Programs

We pet parents are pretty much accustomed to getting our pets their regular puppy or kitten boosters and can schedule the spay or neuter as soon as the vet recommends it so that these costs are spread out over several months. 

But after a life out in the great unknown, Nugget had a bit of veterinary care catch up to do.  The costs of her vaccinations, heartworm test, health check and basic puppy necessities (crate, collar, toys) added up quickly.

Fortunately, there are samaritan groups like Valley Save a Pet available to help with the costs of a spay or neuter.  Lea was able to send Save a Pet a money order for just $65 (for a female dog under 50 pounds) in exchange for a voucher for a spay at her own veterinarian.  These discounted vouchers are made possible by donations raised by the 100% volunteer organization.

There are more details on spay and neuter programs through Spay USA for low income households or through voucher programs such as this.  Some programs are strictly cat or dog programs, and may have different criteria for qualification.  You may also want to check schedules for a mobile spay or neuter clinics through a group NeuterScooter.com, though national programs are not common.

Do you have a spay or neuter program experience to share?

Interesting thoughts on dog (and human) cancer

I recently came across an article in the Globe and Mail (Canada's national newspaper) about how the environment we live in might be affecting the rates of cancer in humans:

This month, the American Cancer Society's journal, Cancer, published a database identifying 216 chemicals that are known to cause breast cancer in animals. Many of the same chemicals are also present in consumer products, food contaminants, air pollutants, and in our places of work.

Until recently it was widely believed that cancer was caused mostly by our lifestyle and dietary choices, with a little bit of hereditary bad luck thrown in. It is not only humans, however, who are getting cancer. The evidence of cancer in the animal realm is one of many factors that are fuelling a sea change in public thinking about the causes of cancer.

I truly believe that the chemicals from the products we use and live with impact our health in ways we never suspected. My family had a very strange experience with chemicals from our bed frame a couple of years ago that opened my eyes to the environment we live in. Neither if my girls can't tolerate sulphites (aka sulfites) in foods (inherited from my dear mama) and so I now know more about that additive than I ever cared to (as an aside, it's rarely listed as a food ingredient but it's used in the processing of fruits and vegetables and remains in the food in small quantities).

The article goes on to talk specifically about dog cancer:

And then there is the disturbing evidence of cancer in dogs. A 1989 study of more than 8,000 dogs showed that canine bladder cancer was associated with their living in industrialized countries, mimicking the distribution of bladder cancer among humans.

Between 1975 and 1995 the incidence of bladder cancer in dogs examined at veterinary teaching schools in North America increased six-fold. Scottish terriers, Shetland sheepdogs, wirehaired fox terriers and West Highland white terriers had a higher risk than mixed breeds, suggesting a genetic susceptibility to cancer among the terriers, but not a reason for the increase.

When researchers interviewed the owners of Scottish terriers with bladder cancer, they found that dogs whose owners had used phenoxy acid herbicides on their lawns were four to seven times more likely to have cancer than dogs whose owners had not.

The "cancer in dogs" studies reveal the multi-factorial nature of cancer. Bladder cancer in dogs is linked to the use of insecticidal flea and tick dips, but more so if the dogs were obese, and lived near another source of pesticides. Dietary protection is important, too. In the terrier study, the researchers found that when the Scotties ate green leafy vegetables three times a week, there was a 90% reduction in their risk of cancer.

I think that last statement is key - cancer is multi-faceted. Your dog may be more prone to cancer but there are things you can do to reduce the risk. Perhaps using natural lawn treatments instead of the usual chemicals and feeding your dog leafy vegetables might be a good start?

What do you think?

Interesting blog on Veterinary Radiology

I've been browsing the Veterinary Radiology blog for a month or so now, fascinated by the art and science of interpreting X-rays and ultrasounds and a host of other amazing tools veterinary radiologists use to see inside a cat or dog.

For example, check out the classic case for a 9-month old labrador that was diagnosed with panosteitis (the X-ray you see to the right is from the case).

If you are interested in a general description of what veterinary radiology is, why use a veterinary radiologist, and so on, check out this post too. No matter what, you'll find interesting case studies in this blog that are pertinent to the every day health issues that cats and dogs face. Here's an excerpt:

What is a veterinary radiologist?

A veterinary radiologist is a veterinarian who has a veterinary degree, a year of internship, and a three or four year residency in radiology under their belt. Veterinary school is hard enough to get into, and attracts the best and the brightest. Those who want to specialize in radiology have to undergo another round of competitive applications, and years of training to attain specialist status. Someone who is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Radiology or the European College of Veterinary Diagnostic Imaging has had intensive training by other veterinary radiologists. Disciplines include radiology, ultrasound, Computed Tomography (CAT scan or CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MR or MRI), and nuclear medicine. A specialist also has to pass an intensive written and oral exam to become board certified. Veterinary Radiologists have extensive experience in obtaining and interpreting images of all types. Here is a link to a previous post on what a veterinary radiologist is.

Help raise $2.2 million to help cure canine cancer

Just a quick post to alert you to the National Canine Cancer Foundation's campaign to raise $2.2 million. The premise is that if you donate $25 and recruit 3 caring friends who also donate $25 and then they find 3 more caring friends each, etc. the NCCF will raise the $2.2 million.

I can think of 3 friends to ask - can you?

FluffyQuits.com - why you should quit smoking

We all know that second hand smoke hurts the people in the house but did you think about your pets too?

A consortium of veterinary organizations and stop-smoking organizations in the Niagara NY region have banded together to promote Fluffy Quits, which is a program to "educate smokers about the dangers and ramifications associated with smoking around household pets."

I spotted the program on a bill board on the I90 as I drove back and forth from Cleveland to Ontario recently and just love the grassroots activism to promote this little known benefit of quitting smoking.

The website has information of the impact of smoking on pets and encourages pet parents who have recently given up smoking to post pictures of their pets in their Hall of Fame. You can get 5 FluffyBucks certificate to your next visit to the vet and a very strange looking "Smoke Free and So Freakin' Happy" FluffyQuits.com T-shirt for free. Just make the pledge and add your pet to the Hall of Fame (only for NY residents, sorry)

Here are some of the facts on the site:

Q: Is Second Hand Smoke really a big deal in my home?
A: Studies show that the amount of air pollution is on average 8 times higher in homes where smoking is permitted.

Q: What could my pet experience from exposure to Second Hand Smoke?
A: Pets can develop respiratory infections, lung inflammation or asthma when breathing in Second Hand Smoke.

Q: What else should I know about keeping my pet safe from tobacco products?
A: Tobacco, cigarette butts, nicotine replacement products such as patches and gum, chew and other tobacco products are attractive to pets. If eaten, these items could be also be toxic to your pet. Tobacco products should be kept out of reach of pets and disposed of properly.

Update: sadly the website seems to be defunct for now. I'll let you know if it comes back up again :(

$4,825 Claim: Dachshund herniates a disc

A 4 year old female Dachshund, Tasha, was found one evening shaking and crying on the basement stairs. Her pet parents could not make her comfortable and her crying persisted, distressing everyone involved.  Over the next couple of days, Tasha showed symptoms of acute onset of pain and whining, she would not climb stairs, jump or play, and had a decreased appetite - she was not herself at all.

The first emergency visit resulted in a prescription for inflammation but this course of treatment did not help very much. Her pet parents knew something more serious was going on and a subsequent visit to her regular vet assured them that Tasha needed to see a specialist where she was diagnosed as having a Intervertebral Disk Herniation. The specialist performed at hemilaminectomy about a week later to resolve the disk herniation (this procedure creates a surgical "sunroof" out of the bone overlying the spinal cord and removes the herniated disc material, relieving pressure on the spinal cord.)

Since her surgery, Tasha has healed very well, and the long scar on her back is slowly being covered by soft, shiny, long black hair again. She was in a lot of pain when she first came home, but she is a happy, frolicking camper now.

Cost of surgery and the related care to date: $4,825.51
Reimbursement: $3,700.42 The annual deductible and co-pay percentage make up the pet owner’s out of pocket expenses.

Policy details:
Annual Premium: $348.70 including a spay/neuter discount of 5% and microchip discount of 5%.
Policy choices made: $200 per year deductible; 20% copay; $10,000 annual maximum; the drugs and dental extension was selected; continuing care extension was selected

Quote from Tasha's pet parents:

Thanks so much for your prompt attention to our claim. She is our baby, and to see her suffer, or to lose her prematurely would have devastated us. Tell the world what a sweet-tempered and loving little creature she is.

Embrace Note: Apart from her wonderful temperament, we have it on good authority that Tasha has the fastest tongue in the West when it comes to kissing. We're glad to bring the kisses back, Tasha.

Other Embrace Pet Insurance claims case studies here.

Pet food recall update 2

For information about the latest pet food recalls, I have put a number of links to the left.

It's certainly going to be a while before the dust settles on this awful topic. The latest news is that thousands of pets appear to have died from the tainted food as per Gina Spadafori summarizing the Veterinary Information Network findings. More on that here.

Pet food recall update

  As you likely know by now, the massive pet food recall initiated by Menufoods has been expanded.

Now, they have recalled all cans of the brands on the list (53 brands on the dog list, 42 brands on the cat list), not just the date codes originally listed.

You may have heard some conflicting stories about the recall in the media - given the large impact of the story on pet owners, it's hard for the media not to fall over themselves to get a story out first even if it's a little light on facts.

So, I did a little patrol on the blogs I read and Gina Spadafori's website, Pet Connection stands out at being value added on the topic. If you don't know Gina, she's a syndicated columnist and author who is a passionate pet parent and writes very eloquently and to the point about pets, amongst other things.

Gina has been collecting information from pet owners on possible deaths related to the recall and reports that nearly 2,000 pets have been reported as deceased to the PetConnection database. Holy cow! That's a lot of sad families :(

So please, check out her site for the latest information and commentary on the pet food recall.

And if you suspect your pet has been affected by eating tainted food, please take her to the vet immediately.

Update: I just read an email update from Tracie Hotchner (pet expert and author too) on her take on the pet food recall - it certainly brings up some very interesting questions and you can read the whole article here.

But the one thing I wanted to note was that she mentions the following:

"There is now a place where pet owners can go to register information if they believe their animals have been affected. Go to the Food and Drug Administration from this link. Up until now, a number of pet websites and communities have been trying to function as clearing houses but ultimately there will not be much credibility for locations in which people “self-report” incidents. We hope this will provide some impact. But I wouldn’t hold my breath – we’re all waiting to exhale here."

Many well known cat and dog food brands recalled

I've been posting lightly lately as I've been travelling quite a bit in our efforts to raise our next round of financing and I've also been helping out with the big release of our website coming up (keep an eye out for later in the week - fingers crossed).

Which is why I'm a tad late with the story of the huge cat and dog food recall that covers 50 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food that was announced last Friday, March 16, 2006.

The short of it is GO CHECK YOUR CAT AND DOG FOOD TINS NOW. There are a lot of common brands on that list that you might be feeding your pets.

Sadly, it seems that a few cats and dogs died from kidney failure after eating certain pet foods with gravy. Symptoms of kidney failure include loss of appetite, vomiting and lethargy. Go immediately to your vet if your cat or dog shows these symptoms.

As per the press release from Menufoods Income Fund (an odd name for a pet food company, isn't it), the company that manufactures the food:

Shortly after receipt of the first complaint, the Fund initiated a substantial battery of technical tests, conducted by both internal and external specialists, but has failed to identify any issues with the products in question. The Fund has, however, discovered that timing of the production associated with these complaints, coincides with the introduction of an ingredient from a new supplier. The Fund stopped using this ingredient shortly after this discovery and production since then has been undertaken using ingredients from another source.

So, I went off and checked Barnes and Lily's food and it was OK. We just got some Iams Cat Slices with Beef in Gravy 3oz tins for Lily (which she absolutely loves) as we hadn't been able to get to our local pet food store to get the Solid Gold tinned tuna (which she also would die for).

Quick digression: I also think that since the Solid Gold tinned tuna is literally just tuna, we have to be careful of high mercury content in the fish. I figure it is better to switch up her food every now and then than just give her the tuna.

Anyway, while the Iams tins are on the recall list, Lily's particular cans are not part of the recall. Phew! Barnes's food was not on the list.

NY Times article: The Modern Kennel Conundrum by Jon Mooallem

Pets are everywhere, it's official.

As I was sitting in the waiting room at our local Subaru dealership, waiting for the endless amounts of paperwork required to buy a car, I was drawn to an article in the NY Times magazine on the rise of and controversy around the hybrid dog in the US, The Modern Kennel Conundrum by Jon Mooallem, Feb 4, 2007

Still, past canine fads, like the run on purebred Dalmatians after the movie “101 Dalmatians,” have ramped up production at inhumane, large-scale “puppy mills.” And fickle owners often end up abandoning those dogs once the trend passes. Thus, for show breeders who have spent much of their lives studying and refining a single pure breed — like the men and women congregating next week at Madison Square Garden for the 131st annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show — the rise of mutts as commodities has been bewildering and embittering. Many traditionalists see mixing breeds as somehow irresponsible in and of itself. As one pug breeder with a two-time, No. 1 show bitch to her credit told me: “There was only one really perfect thing on the face of this earth, and he was crucified. To us, the pug is pure.”

It's an excellent article putting forward many facets of the issues surrounding breeding dogs for looks, both purebred and hybrid.

For example, considering the Puggle (a Beagle mixed with a Pug):

• mixing breeds is a good thing as it reduces the incidents of genetic conditions that any one breed might have
  (Beagles are susceptible to cleft palates, demodectic mange, dwarfism, epilepsy, eye problems, hip displasia, hypothyroidism, intervertebral disc disease, luxating patella's, and reproductive disorders, and Pugs are prone to deformities of the mouth and nose, eye and eyelid problems, heatstroke, hip displasia, Legg-Perthes disease, luxating patella's, Pug dog encephalitis, brachycephalic airway disease, democidosis, skin fold dermatitis, and corneal disease)

Given the roughly 350 inherited disorders littering the dog genome, crossing two purebreds and expanding their gene pools can be “a phenomenally good idea,” according to one canine geneticist — if it is done conscientiously.

• on the other hand, taking traits from two breeds and mixing them might make things worse.

While designer-dog sellers often claim to combine only the most functional and lovable qualities of each breed, here I was being told just the opposite: that mixing breeds would create an intractable slop house of each breed’s most problematic traits. “A pug has no doggie sense whatsoever,” said Jutta Beard, who had driven to Oconomowoc from Maryland in her motor home with one husband and 13 pugs. “You put this dog out on the next street over, and it will never find its way home. Now a beagle has wanderlust. It’s a little hound breed. It puts its nose to the ground and just goes. So now you’ve got a dog with wanderlust and no doggie sense.”

There's a whole lot more to the article than this about world of the purebred dog and the new hybrid dogs and I highly recommend you read it (you'll need a subscription in a few weeks unfortunately - or go to your local library and read it from the archives). It really is a fascinating window into a world you might not have seen into before.