Ruffles

Oh Teebs!! I am so sorry for the passing of your beautiful girl. I am crying for you.

Putting the premium away in a bank account does not achieve anything. If I had done that for my cat, I would have the amount I'd received back from the insurance company so far, in 52 years... 52. He was 2 when I needed this money, and of course would never live to 52 years old!! Yes, you need to have the money up front, but it's easier to max out a credit card, get a loan from family or friends, or a personal loan when you know that most of the money will be coming back. Working in an ECC practice, I have seen so many - countless animals being PTS for perfectly treatable things because people did not have insurance. I remember posting a couple of years ago, that I pay less than the price of a cup of coffee once a day to insure 2 cats, and 2 dogs for $15,000 P.A. each. I dont see it as a luxury, I see it as a necessity if you aren't totally flushed with cash. One of our dogs got bitten by a snake almost 12 months ago. Her Vet bill was $30,000... THIRTY THOUSAND. That's not including the multiple MRI's, tech ultrasounds, blood tests, scans and medication she has needed since. She does not have insurance, as she was too old to insure by the time I came on the scene in her life. Had I had insurance for her, I would have received $15,000 back. A 15k debt, is more manageable than a $30k one, let me tell you. And if other people were in that situation, sure they may not have spent that money in the first place, but what if your Vet bill is $15,000, and you have insurance, and all you had to pay was $3000 - plus your premiums? That for many, many people would mean the difference between life and death for their pets. One of my cats that cannot get insurance has he has congenital heart problems, developed FLUTD, had to have an emergency Perineal Urethrostomy. This cost $7000 (including the ECC fees). Two months later, his had surgery failed, and he needed to have a revision - This cost $4000 (inc ECC costs, and staff discount at a specialist surgeon). You can't think of insurance as an investment for day to day care. It would never work out. You need to think of it in terms of emergencies, chronic illness etc. A normal FLUTD cat can cost upwards of $3000 in 48 hours just for catheterisation, fluids etc. A simple stitch up from a dog fight, or backyard injury can cost around $1500-$2000 at an after hours clinic. GDV - $5000 - $8000. Pyometra surgery - $4000 - $8000. We spent $5000 in 45 minutes with our dogs snake envenomation. I pay around $1500 per year to insure two cats, and two dogs. Plus, I put $120 a fortnight into a separate account to help actually pay for these things, plus routine care. In a 9 month period between late 2014, and early 2015 I spent almost $50,000 on vet bills for uninsured animals... before this, I'd basically never had a sick animal in my life (besides my cat that has now had 3 ex-laps for foreign bodies).

Yes this. I don't ever worry that it is too soon. What is too soon? It's just too soon for yourself, your pet doesn't know, because your pet is not on this earth anymore. But being too late - that haunts me.

I'm sorry for the loss of your adorable, Stella. What a grand old age for a little one

If the unthinkable happens, and you find yourself in that situation... Credit cards, a personal loan if necessary, loans from friends. All of that is much easier to ask for/manage when you know you'll probably be getting about 80% of your bill back through insurance. When I didnt have insurance, no one I knew would lend me money as I couldn't tell them when they would get it back, but when you have insurance, people are much more likely to help you out. I'm glad you're thinking about the big bills, and not just the small ones! I hear so many people say 'pet insurance isn't cost effective', well, no of course it isn't if you're betting your pet will only need the annual visit to the vet for a check-up. But let me tell you, after two years working in an Emergency clinic Vet bills can add up to thousands of dollars very, very quickly. I think I topped our clinics record with my own dog where I spent $6000 in 40 minutes

Oh, that is so very sad. I'm so sorry for the loss of your Perry

This is a very sad story, but a very noble cause. There is hope. The speed at which they identified a marker, and created test for Cerebellar Ataxia (NCL-A) in Amstaffs was amazing. Thank you for sharing!

I'm so sorry for your loss Maddy. Four is just far too young.

After having an incredibly expensive, and harrowing snake envenomation in january this year I too am constantly worried, and don't know how best to deal with it. Our plan of attack is to keep all grass very low, and make sure there is nothing laying around for snakes to hide in. We will also do a yard/dog run walk/check before letting any dogs out, and no dog will be allowed loose in the yard when we aren't around. We were incredibly lucky that we arrived home as the bite occurred as our girl was down and out in less than 5 mins, and unable to breath on her own in 20. Unfortunately as our neighbours have chickens and ducks, there is absolutely nothing more we can do because even Vermin mesh isn't a guarantee.

They are lovely, lovely photos. I'm glad Saffy is there to help distract you a little

Oh Boronia! Not Mac too? My heart is completely breaking for you. I'm so sorry for the loss of all of your lovely babies. At least, at least they are together and they are not fretting for each other. I cannot even begin to imagine what you feel right now. I'm just so very sorry.

I'm sorry for your loss DDD. I am here, thinking of you and sending you strength and love.

Without an MRI, you wont be able to make fully informed decisions about what to do/what is going on. They are expensive, so I guess if you're in a situation where funds are limited, all you can do is 'wait and see'.

The same with my old dog, Loki. I only wish I had done it years, and years before. As Kirty said though, if he's happy at home, leave him at home! He doesn't need to be walked if it's not benefiting him.

Oh this is so wonderful! And I'm so glad that they were able to find her owners.