Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Time to say good bye to Barnes

As you may know, my cat Barnes has dealing with his kidney disease for a while now - for nearly six years - and he has been doing pretty well all things considered. 

 

As with chronic illnesses like this, he's had his ups and downs but a couple of months ago, he was definitely on an up, galloping around the house with Lily, his little "sister", shaking off the winter blahs. 

 

But then in the last month, his appetite dropped off and he started to loose weight and things started to go down hill from there. I've been hydrating him with sub-Q fluids and we have been working on his food, trying to get him to eat, but to no avail.

 

Early Sunday morning (yesterday), he retired to the basement and only came up because I carried him. Then he couldn't jump up on the bed. Then last night I noticed he'd stopped drinking - a very bad sign for a cat with kidney problems.

 

This morning, when he could hardly walk, we knew it was time to say goodbye to the old fellow and I held him in my arms as he was put to sleep. He looked at me with his lovely green eyes just being with me as he passed on.  

 

Thank you Barnes for your friendship and love. We will sorely miss you.

Related Posts:
Lily and Barnes visit our new office
Update on Barnes
I Heart Barnes
Lily and Barnes at the vet

Pet loss - recent happenings

My blogging friend, Yvonne DiVita, told me the sad news that her dog and companion Carmel passed away last week. Yvonne guest blogged about Carmel amongst her other pets as part of my Me, My Pet, and I series.

Carmel came down with bloat, also known as gastric tortion, that was just too far gone to recover from.Yvonne blogged about Carmie's death here - it's a very touching read.

From all of us here at Embrace, we send Yvonne and her family many hugs and heartfelt thoughts and prayers through this difficult time.

[Tomorrow, I'll continue on the theme of pet loss and how you can support your friends and family who have lost a dear one]

For Pixie, A Cavalier King Charles sweetheart who died of Dry Drowning

[get out the Kleenex, this moving story is likely to get you going]

A month ago, we received this desperate phone call from Suzie who told us that Pixie, her beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel was hanging on to her life by a thread after experiencing "dry drowning" when playing with her daughter in a kiddy pool all afternoon.

She told us that after coming into the house from playing all afternoon, Pixie started coughing and wretching and became clearly in severe distress.

Suzie jumped into the car with her kids and drove to the emergency clinic 45 minutes away with Pixie in her lap and two minutes away from the hospital, Pixie's heart stopped and Suzie was administering CPR while driving with her.

Finally at the hospital, the veterinarians were able to revive Pixie but she died the next day on life support, not even 1 year old.

Suzie and her family have been struggling to make sense of what happened to Pixie and as part of their grieving, Suzie wrote a poem for Pixie that she shared with us. Here it is.

For Pixie by Suzie Vaughan

Your body held against my chest
long auburn ears fanned out in rest.
I look upon you long and deep
your image in my mind to keep,
and blink the tears that blur my view
of my last chance to gaze at you.

I long to feel you stir and wake
and watch you stretch and see you shake
and wag your tail and romp with me
but now you’ve gone where I can’t be.
I plant a kiss upon your head
and place you gently on your bed.

I do not want to lay you down
to dig the red clay Georgia ground,
my tears to loose the stubborn dirt
each spade-full filling me with hurt.
But you deserve a proper grave
and my children need to see me brave.

Now one last time I hold you close,
caress your fur and kiss your nose,
but your fading warmth says you’re not here
so with a sob and many a tear,
reluctantly I lay you down
with part of my heart, in the ground.

Thank you for your loving heart
your gentle soul, your happy bark.
When I, too, go beyond this place
I eagerly will seek your face.
Then I will hold you once again
my precious dog, my loyal friend.

Sometimes sharing the pain can mend the heart.

Update on Ski the Amazing Rottweiler

Some more outstanding news from Ski the Wonder Dog... (if you recall from my previous post about Ski, he had a ruptured cruciate ligament, which has healed with the aid of physical therapy, not surgery)

I thought I'd send an update on Ski's condition. Everyone who has read your blog about him has been touched by the story. Thank you.

During his re-evaluation a couple weeks ago, Dr. Mayer officially declared Ski out of Rehab and into the "Swim Club". She feels his muscle tone is exceptional. She can find no sign of scarring in his leg, though people have told me that is not possible. He has added 3 pounds (apparently all muscle) on his now grain-free diet. Ski has worked as hard as any dog they've ever seen, and can now "enjoy the fruits of his labor....it's time to let Ski be a dog once again". I am still cautious, but allow Ski to enjoy normal activities with his friends. He's back in Agility training and leading the class again, but not jumping above 16" just yet.

As far as the "Swim Club" is concerned, that refers to the fact that he no longer requires the land-base physical therapy, and can focus on the hydrotherapy he loves so much. We will continue with the land-based circuit training only once or twice a month, to keep him familiar with the routines. Truthfully, we're actively working on making him a good swimmer. Over the last few weeks, we've ended his underwater treadmill sessions by raising the water with the jets full force toward him, while helping him to swim (he wears a life jacket, as he is still uncomfortable when the water level rises). This came in handy last Saturday at my Farm, when our nesting Canadian Geese distracted him and he fell off the bridge. Don't worry, it was a 2' drop into 4' water, and I was ready to jump in, but the water was 45 degrees, so I was happy to see him paddle straight to shore on his own.

Tonight on the treadmill he ran for 20 minutes at speeds up to 2mph into the full power jets. One of the therapists remarked that he is easily the strongest dog they have there, even though there are many larger than him, and several outweigh him by more than 50 pounds. He did have a good nap when we got home. (Time for me to write this note.) Yes, I believe with all my heart that he will not revisit the CCL issue.

Related Posts:

Ski - a dog who recovered from a cruciate ligament injury without surgery
What happens when my dog's cruciate ligament tears?
How much did you say a ruptured cruciate ligament cost to treat in my dog?
My Dog or Cat is limping

Ski - a dog who recovered from a cruciate ligament injury without surgery

Ski is a remarkable dog. In fact, a remarkable 3 year old Rottweiler who recovered from a cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) injury without surgery. Can you believe it?!

For those not up on their doggie sports injuries, the cruciate ligament is one of the ligaments that holds the knee in place and most veterinarians recommend surgery if a cruciate ligament is torn.

At Embrace, we see a lot of cruciate ligament claims and every single one of them has involved surgery until Rich told us the story about his remarkable dog and I just had to share it with you.

Ski's injury occurred before Ski was covered by an Embrace policy so let this be a lesson to you - get your dog insurance before you have the CL injury, not after!

So, in Rich's words, here is Ski's story:

Ski is a very good dog with remarkable energy. He obtained his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) award at just over one year old. At that time I looked for something to challenge his intelligence and energy, ultimately deciding on Agility competition.

His injury was not due to Agility, but rather a stupid accident on our nightly walk in which I stepped on his foot and he pulled away with all his strength because of the pain, resulting in torn ligaments in his knee. This was sudden extreme trauma to the knee of a dog in the very best physical condition.

While waiting for an MRI before surgery, I remembered that at the Agility camp, he had a mini consultation with an individual listed as one of the "Ten Top Veterinarians in the Chicago Area". Chicago has a lot of vets, so that accolade is not insignificant.

After her examination of Ski, X-rays, and other data, Dr. Mayer of Integrative Pet Care (IPC) felt that because of his strength, stamina, drive, and overall physical condition, he was an excellent candidate of recovery through therapy, rather than surgery, though she mentioned that reasonable doctors could disagree on the prognosis. However, she's the best and this is her specialty, so we took a chance. Thus, we began a strenuous regime of physical therapy, both at IPC and at home every single night.

Since that day, Ski has worked harder than any dog they've ever seen. His recovery has been called "nothing short of remarkable". He now runs weekly on the land treadmill at 35 or 40mph (according to the gauge, though that still seems impossible to me), in addition to more than a dozen other land-based exercises. He is master of the underwater treadmill. He has progressed to the point that not only is he walking on a inclined underwater treadmill to the maximum time they allow any dog, but we've started putting the jets toward him at full force, so it's like he's walking upstream with the salmon against a raging current. He also has more fun than any other dog they see (see the video below.)

Three months ago Dr. Mayer gave her approval for Ski to re-enter Agility training, to challenge him further and give him an outlet for his limitless energy. The restriction is that he now jumps hurdles at 8" rather than 24", though I think he easily could.

Since his injury, I've talked to at least a hundred people with dogs with CCL injuries, as well as vets and medical professionals. I understand how common it is for the other leg to go out within a year. That's why our goal is to make each leg strong enough to do the work of two, when it is needed. I think we're getting close, judging from his bulging muscles.

His recovery is so impressive that one of the doctors at IPC has asked for permission to use Ski in a case study of what can be accomplished after a CCL injury. Obviously, many CCL injuries have a degenerative soft tissue disease playing a part, but that is clearly not the case with Ski. So, my hope, and my belief, is that he WILL beat the odds. That all the hard work of Ski, Dr. Mayer, IPC Staff, and myself will be rewarded with Ski living a healthy and active life until the age of 15 or 20. Sounds crazy, perhaps, but my last Rottie lived to 14, and he wasn't in this good shape.

Related Posts:
What happens when my dog's cruciate ligament tears?
How much did you say a ruptured cruciate ligament costs to treat in my dog?
My dog or cat is limping

Customer reviews for Embrace Pet Insurance

When we email out every claim decision at Embrace, we ask our policyholders to go to PetInsuranceReview.com and review their experience with Embrace.

We ask this no matter what the decision might be, even if we didn't pay anything out, even if we declined a claim. That's how confident we are in our service at Embrace. And it shows in our reviews.

Here are the most recent examples of what our customers are saying about us (some spelling corrected for readability):

You are Incredible
A little over a year ago our new 3 month old pup "STORM" had a horrible accident when he was attack by a neighbor's malamute. The dog grabbed Storm's leg by getting his head under our fence . The leg was just barley hanging on. We rushed him to the emergency vet.clinic where they we able to save his life and with 4 surgeries they were able to save his leg.We had only taken Embrace out a few days before this happened.You were there from the beginning and followed us through the entire process...not only paying our claims; but also encouraging us as we went through the ups and downs of Storm's recovery. A couple of month ago he started having problems with his left back leg. He had a luxation of the patella and had surgery to keep it in place and is now recovering form that surgery. EMBRACE has been right there for us. In less than a month after the surgery,the claims have been paid to our satisfaction. It would be great if our our health insurance would be as efficient. As long has we have dogs ,we'll have EMBRACE! Norma & Rich Kern

Caring, warm, involved staff!
I wish that my own health insurance personnel were as caring as the Embrace staff. They kept up communication with me throughout the whole process and repeatedly reminded me to call if I had any concerns or questions. When I called, I was connected to someone who immediately knew who I was without needing to know my policy number, name, social security number, date of birth, mother's maiden name, grandfather's nickname, shoe size, favorite color, etc., as does my own health insurance. She even asked how my little missy was. How's that for amazing? Real people really caring. I say, G-D bless them with the same kindness they ALL show to us! Thank you, thank you, thank you. Charlotte Miskin

Embrace is the best for your Pets!
I investigated all of the Pet Insurance Policies on the market & Embrace is the best & way above the others for coverage & flexibility. They give you control over your deductible & out of pocket you pay. The maximum is per year, not per incident, & they cover any hereditary issues your pet may develop. The premiums are very reasonable also & less than some others companies who offer less coverage. I have made my first two claims & they do exactly what they say they will & the claims process is very informative & easy. If they cannot process on time they let you know & keep you updated. I am sooooo happy with Embrace & have already recommended them time & time again. I do not want my babies to be without them - I can have our large dogs covered alleviating the fear I cannot afford to, medically, take care of them. This is an absolute must for anyone with a pet!!! Debbie Singer

Professional, great customer service, no surprises
My experience with Embrace was very positive. No "small print".. WYSIWYG...very knowledgeable and professional staff.. refreshing in this day.. Bev McEvoy

Great company!
I just received a payment on my first claim with Embrace. They decided that ALL the charges that I submitted were coverable, including tax, and the claims payment was exactly what I hoped for. The claim was for charges associated with a lower back injury that my dog suffered. I was concerned that the claim would be denied as a preexisting condition because he had had trouble with his lower back once before we bought the Embrace policy--most insurance companies would find any excuse to call that a preexisting condition. But not Embrace. They contacted me to ask for details about the two injuries, and I appreciated the opportunity to explain why the two injuries were unrelated. Communication with customer service was easy, and they kept me posted on the status of my claim. I was a longtime customer of VPI prior to switching to Embrace, and I'll never look back! Janette

(blush)

Yes, we've had a couple of disgruntled reviews, there's no pleasing everyone, but with a top-tier score well over 9 (at the time of writing, we're at 9.34) with over 40 reviews (more than any other pet insurance company apart from one), we're pretty pleased that our customer service speaks for itself - at least our customers do anyway!

Thanks Embraced pet parents - we love you too!

Related Posts:
Who or What is PetInsuranceReview.com Anyway?
Evangelism at its best
Invisible Voices blog entries on pet insurance
"Mo’s How-to guide on getting the most out of pet insurance" on Invisible Voices

How much did you say patella luxation cost to treat in my dog?

Anywhere from $1,300 all the way up to $3,300 per knee.

Patella luxation is a hereditary condition that affects the position of the knee. It is generally found in smaller breeds such as Spaniels, Pugs, Chihuahuas, and Poodles and is often bilateral (occurs in both knees.) It can also occur from trauma to the knee such as jumping off the couch or going down the stairs too fast.

The variations in cost come mainly from the type of procedure performed but the location also has some part in the price with the most expensive being on the east or west coasts (no surprise if you live there!)

Here's a sample invoice for a Chihuahua in Plantation, Florida for a $1,569 bill.

ITEM	MODE	STRENGTH	QUANTITY	BILLED AMOUNT
Clavamox	Oral	62.5 mg	20	$19.00
Baytril Tablets	Oral	22.7 mg	20	$32.00
Rimadyl Chewables	Oral	25 mg	2.5	$10.00
Tramadol Tablets	Oral	50 mg	7	$14.00
Complete Blood Count w/ Differential			1	$40.00
General Health Profile in House			1	$75.00
Electrocardiogram Pre-anesthetic			1	$55.00
IV Catheter			1	$42.00
Fluid Intravenous per day			1	$35.00
Infusion Pump Daily			1	$5.00
Anesthesia General			1	$100.00
Anesthesia 1/2 Hour			1	$47.00
Anesthesia Electronic Monitoring			1	$25.00
Patella Surgery			1	$950.00
Buprinex	Inj.		1	$22.00
Baytril	Inj.		1	$35.00
Hospitalization per night	Inj.		1	$38.00
Daily Dr. Exam			1	$20.00
Infectious Control Fee			1	$5.00
				$1,569.00

Every veterinarian is different in how she/he charges but this invoice gives you an idea of the range of procedures, drugs, and services needed for a surgery such as this. And of course, there will likely be at least one follow up visit to check the surgery went well.

If your dog (or cat - cat's can have this too) has had this surgery, do share - how did it happen, how much did cost, and where are you located? We'd love to hear your experience.

Related Posts: Pet health story: Bronte, a Cocker Spaniel

$2,456 claim: 1 year old mixed breed cat with bacterial sepsis with reactive lymph node

The following is the story of Termyte, a one year old mixed breed cat, that occured in September 2007 in Belmont, California. Read on for a totally unexpected but stressful situation for all involved.

About a month after Termyte was insured by Embrace, he was rushed to an emergency vet with an unexplained high fever on Labor Day and treated with antibiotics. After his treatment, something was still wrong and he continued to decline.

Termyte spent 4 days in critical care at another facility where they finally determined he had bacterial sepsis with reactive lymph node in his stomach. He almost died from the condition but after treating him with some heavy duty intraveneous antibiotics, they were able to turn things around and Termyte pulled through.

Costs: The initial visit to the vet cost $259.08. The visit to the critical care unit cost $2,142.00 with a follow up visit of $55. Total = $2,456.08

Reimbursement: $1,973.77 The policy had a $200 yearly deductible, an annual maximum of $10,000 plus a co-pay of 10%. The drugs and dental option was not selected, causing $47 of take-home drugs not to be covered. Annual premiums were $246.10 (including a 5% microchip discount).

Who would have thought a one year old mixed breed cat could get into so much trouble? Termyte's mom, W. Wilcox, copied us in on some comments she wrote about us later:

"I am so impressed with Embrace, I hope to work for them someday and provide other pet owner’s with the same quality and care and affordable pet insurance. It was reassuring to think only of my pets needs and not have to make monetary decisions in a moment of crisis. Termyte fully recovered, gained his weight back, and will live a long life now."

Ms. Wilcox, we're delighted to hear Termyte is doing so well and maybe you will come work for us some day - now wouldn't that be another great story.

Do you have a pet insurance story you'd like to share with us - good or bad. Feel free to add to the comments or email me.

Millie's Million: center of learning for canine cancer

We recently received a new claim for lymphoma in a female 3 year old mixed breed dog called Red. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes, which can be treated successfully with chemotherapy.

Red's care, spread over 3 months, has cost $4,300 so far, paying for initial symptoms of panting and overheating to her chemotherapy treatments. There will be further follow up care, likely putting the total vet bill for her lymphoma over $5,000.

In cases like this though, while the cost is incredibly high, the emotional toll cannot be underestimated. In my post on Coping With Your Dog's Cancer, I mentioned Millie's Million, an organization that helps pet parents learn about and cope with their dog's cancer. 

Debbie Celli, the force behind Millie's Million, knows from person experience with her dog Millie how difficult it can be to comprehend what is happening and to connect with people who have gone through the same thing.

For example, check out the video section as a great resource from veterinarians and pet parents alike on the realities of canine cancer.

There, veterinarians from the Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital talk about:

• the various forms of cancer and treatments
• cancer from a surgical standpoint
• what you can do if you can't afford traditional cancer treatment or what you can do in addition to them

In addition, there are videos from pet parents sharing their stories:

• a dog's amputation due to cancer
• a successful journey with Lymphoma
• mentoring people through their dogs' cancer

As well as the video center, you can sign up for canine cancer mentorship and delve into other canine cancer resources online.

If you are going through cancer with your dog or know someone who is, Millie's Million is a great resource during a very emotional time.

Related Posts:
What is Osteosarcoma in dogs and cats?
Toe tumors;
My cat or dog is limping;
And a beautiful story of dog cancer, friendship and caring in Grace's story and Grace's eulogy.

$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.