kimigirl

I read on the medibank website that they only offer 5% for extra pets on the same cover? Maybe I read it wrong. Oops sorry you're right. I think it was 10% disc for being a health insurance member.

I've got the silver cover which covers accident & illness I think up to $12000 per year per condition (there are a few lower limits for certain illnesses, cruciate ligament may be one) The cost is $33 per month with 10% discount for more than one pet if insured at the same time. That's with a $100 excess. I found the gold cover wasn't cost effective for the extra inclusions.

We have pet friendly holiday accommodation available in Lancelin (1 hour from Perth). The beaches there are a great place for dogs... though be warned just about every one of them is off lead! Fully self contained 3 bedroom house with 2 secure yards, though one only has low fences. Sleeps 10. You can check the Stayz website for the full listing http://www.stayz.com.au/65451

Wow! That's great! I have PetPlan and need to lodge another claim. Hope mine is as easy and as speedy as yours was, this time around ;). Here's hoping the $5000 claim they will be receiving next week will be as easy! That was really my main concern when I rang, I wanted to make sure they were going to cover the initial costs of the condition before our JS has her patella ops next week. I could live without the $600 cheque they posted me yesterday if it came to it... but the $5000 is a different matter! They say on their website that claims are usually processed within 5 working dyas... but I sorta didn't believe them! :p

Just wanted to resurrect this thread to say a big 'thumbs up' to medibank. I posted 3 claims off on Monday, which were my first ever claims. I rang today just to confirm that they had received them and they let me know that not only had they been received, but they had been processed and the cheque was posted yesterday! The full amount minus the excess. Very pleased with their speedy service

I have a papillon puppy (6 mths) who unfortunately barks and growls in fear at dogs who are bigger than her, generally if they are off lead and approaching. (She is scared of everything including her own shadow!) It is something I am working on with her to try and overcome. I always have her on lead and will always ask to approach other dogs on lead who seem 'calm' to try and get her used to large dogs. I also always get the line 'don't worry they're friendly' as numerous large dog bounds up to us off lead. The problem is mine isn't! And I am conscious of the fact that her demeanour/aggression may trigger an unpleasant reaction in the larger dog. At 2.8kg she would have no hope of defending herself. It makes me really reluctant to walk her when I know that there is going to be other dogs around at the park, which I feel is compounding her socialisation problem. Much easier walking her after dark when the park is deserted, than trying to avoid all the offlead dogs.

Just wanted to mention I'm with medibank, I'm not sure if all the insurers work the same way.

That is exactly right. Get the pet insurance straight away. No vet inspection needed. If something arises within the 4 week waiting period (ie documented by a vet) then it is classed as 'pre existing'. Anything after the 4 weeks is usually fine. The first time you put a claim in the insurance company will request a full vet history to check for any 'pre existing' conditions. With the excess, even if the bill is for $250 and the excess is $250 it is still worth lodging in case it is an ongoing condition as you only pay the excess once per condition, not per vet visit. Eg my dog has unfortunately just been diagnosed with bilateral luxating patellas, the first visit was only $112. My excess is $100, so i will only get back $12 from my first visit, but all other future vet expenses (expected to be in excess of $5000) will be 100% covered.

I definately agree with the cutest puppies! But I am biased When we got our puppy we sent a pic to my 3 year old niece and she really thought it was a baby polar bear!! ;)

I just wanted to say I love this photo!!

Medibank Gold Cover will cover $70 of the dew claw removal but I doubt the xrays would be covered as the insurance only covers illness or accident. Just make sure you insure her before you get the xrays done, because if the vet finds any problems, the insurance company will class it as a pre existing conditon if you are not covered first. We covered our papillon puppy a week before she was speyed and they noticed whilst she was under that her baby teeth are not falling out so may need surgically removing. Thank goodness we covered her the week prior as the operation should now be covered if we have to go ahead. I have just been for a vet visit this morning with our JS and have been informed that she has a luxating patella, so I'm really hoping she is going to be covered by insurance. We had no idea as she has never shown any pain or discomfort from her hind leg, but the vet said it seems to be constantly dislocated. The vet could pop it back in but it was coming straight out again. I actually took her in for a sore foot (which turns out to be a cracked claw) and came away this news

Had a giggle at this... mine do the same thing chase the ball and then go "well are you gonna come get it and throw it again". Hehehehe Lol! That's just what kimi does. When she first learnt to fetch she used to bring it back every time. Now it's like 'meh, get it yourself!'

I'm sold! The more I find out about this breed, I really want one! I don't mind that they are busy and somewhat of a handful. I think the bad behaviour in the breed is lack of social skills, no firm leadership (or lack of knowleadge) and no training. I was going to put up a thread about getting an older and mature dog... just to see what other people thought. But, I think the boyfriend and I have our heart set on getting a puppy. A clean slate, no issues, the challenge of owning and training another puppy, and also Charlie likes puppies (I'm also keeping in my mind if he has his bad day and doesn't want any company... we will deal with that too, the boyfriend and I make a really good team.. both dogs needs will always be met). To be honest I'm a little surprised that a lot of them are known to be a handful, because ours is actually a bit of a slug! She's happy to spend the day lying at my feet whilst I work. Though she loves nothing more than getting out and about for a walk. We were first time dog owners when we got her, so were really lucky that she was so easy to train etc. I came to a rude awakening when we recently got our papillon... she's a maniac!! I had never realised how placid our JS was as a puppy until we got the papillon!

We have a 2 year old JS. From our experience I would highly recommend them. She is very intelligent and not much of a barker (unless someone knocks on the door, then she goes berserk, something we are working on stopping!) learnt all her basic tricks within the first 2 weeks of having her. I don't find grooming a big deal with her, she is pretty much a 'self cleaner', I brush her for about 10 mins once a week and bath her about every 3 months. She loses a large amount of hair once a year, but the rest of the time hairloss is not too bad, much better since I started grooming her with a furminator. She loves people and most other dogs, but not too keen on dogs smaller than her, she wants to be boss. We have recently got a new puppy ( a papillon because we couldn't find another js) and she is just starting to get on well with her after 3 months. There was no agression previously, kimi just preferred being in a one dog family I think! Not sure about flyball though, it has taken us ages to teach her to catch... I think she thInks it's beneath her hates water too, though does love the beach, as long as she doesn't get wet. Loves a wrestle with the OH and a game of tug. She is my 10 yr old daughters dog and is a great companion for her. Sleeps in her bed, loves to be cuddled and loves to go for a walk with her.

We too own a beautiful Japanese Spitz. We waited a very long time to welcome a dog into our home and I finally gave in after much harassing from my 3 daughters! We ended up with a Japanese Spitz quite by accident. I had never seen the breed before and then met a pregnant one... the rest is history We couldn't have asked for a better pet. She is the most loving, gentle dog I have ever met and has the most beautiful nature. At first I was a bit worried about the upkeep of her coat but as Miss B mentioned, it is surprisingly low maintenance, a brush once a week and a bath once every couple of months is all it requires. (she is an inside dog, so doesn't get dirty and they actually clean themselves like cats) We are now just about to bring a second dog into our home as a playmate for her, a papillon puppy and are hoping for the same affectionate dog that we have with Kimi.