Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

PawNation talks pet insurance

2009-11-06T05:23:00-05:00

AOL's Paw Nation blog recently ran an article on pet insurance, with a nice mention of Embrace.

Pet insurance covers your pet's accidents, injuries, and illnesses; sometimes it will even take care of chronic conditions, dental care or check-ups. Depending on the type of care your pet needs, pet health insurance can help your four-legged friend maintain a healthy lifestyle without the build up of vet bills.

It's not a bad little article but needs a little clarification in some areas:

Article: ...Unlike most human health insurance, many pet insurance plans let you keep your vet, so your pooch or kitty won't have to leave his or her favorite doctor.

Fact: currently, ALL pet insurance plans let you keep going to your veterinarian. Quite frankly, your veterinarian doesn't even have to know you have pet insurance because you pay your vet bill and then claim from the pet insurer directly.

Article: ...On the other end of the spectrum, Embrace Pet Insurance covers cancer treatments and chronic illnesses, but not pre-existing conditions, like respiratory infections.

Fact: it's true, Embrace does not cover pre-existing conditions - but then, neither does any other pet insurer. Having said that, we do cover pre-existing conditions if the condition is curable, like a respiratory infection, after goes away for 12 months or more. And just to be absolutely clear, we cover respiratory infections if they aren't pre-existing conditions, just in case you were wondering :)

Article: Pet insurance isn't for everyone. Talk to your vet about what type of pet health insurance plan would be best for you and your furry companion.

Fact: there's no doubt that there are many veterinarians who understand pet insurance and would be able and willing help you decide what plan is best for you - but not as many as you might think. Vets focus on loving care and veterinary medicine - that's their job. They may feel pet insurance comes under that purview; they may not. Would you ask your own doctor which health insurance plan is right for you?

When looking into pet insurance, I recommend you research in many places to find the plan that works for you - by all means, ask your veterinarian what he or she thinks, but also...

read pet blogs on the topic,
talk to other pet parents about their pet insurance experience,
read online reviews (www.petinsurancereview.com is a good place to start),
go to the companies' websites and call them with your questions.

Then you'll be in a good place to make the right decision for you.

Heimdall, the Gentle Giant Wins 2009 NAPHIA Favorite Pet Story Award

2009-11-05T08:31:00-05:00

Heimdall was an Embraced Great Dane whom everyone at Embrace was very fond of. Poor Heimdall contracted a severe case of pneumonia that became resistant to all drugs and he eventually succumbed to his condition in September 2009.

Meg, who rescued him through the Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue Group based out of Denver CO, was selected as winner of the NAPHIA pet story competition as part of National Pet Health Insurance Month in September with Heimdall's story. She highlighted the importance of pet insurance in caring for Heimdall in her story:

We'd done the usual paying of premiums for years without actually needing the insurance, not that I'm complaining. It's how we all wish it will go forever. However, within the space of six months, all our expense and effort was repaid in ways we'd never imagined. After two courses of antibiotics failed to keep the cough away, our vet referred us to Wheat Ridge Animal Hospital, staffed with specialists in all areas of veterinarian medicine. The vet we saw there is one of the best respiratory doctors in the country and we waltzed in, confident we'd have this thing licked in no time. Our optimism became months of trying one antibiotic after another, included countless lung x-rays and three bronchoscopies. At one point, we were paying over $300 a day for the "big guns" antibiotic, fighting both staph and e-coli bacterias which had settled in Heimdall's lungs. It was at this point that we realized the value of not only having pet insurance, but the added drug and dental benefit we'd decided to purchase with it. The vet visits and procedures were high enough. But, it was the prescriptions required to keep Heimdall healthy that really ran the bill up. Between November 2008 and May 2009 our pet insurance company had paid our maximum annual benefit of $10,000.

Heimdall's life and Meg's award are being celebrated this coming Saturday, November 7 at The “Cocktails for Tails” event taking place from 5:30 to 8:30PM at the Rembrandt Art Gallery, 1301 Spruce St., Boulder, for the general public; tickets are $30 per person and $55 per couple.

You are more than welcome to attend - give Meg a hug for Heimdall would you?

Guest post: A General Discussion of Orthopedic Issues in Dogs

2009-11-04T08:44:00-05:00

In the Embrace Pet Insurance policy terms and conditions, and orthopedic condition is defined as:
"related to the musculosketal system, which is made up of the body’s bones (the skeleton), muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue (the tissue that supports and binds tissues and organs together)."

So, with that rather unwieldy definition at the top of our mind, let's talk turkey about ortho conditions.

Today we have a guest post from Dr Susan Wright, Electric Dog Fence DIY's staff veterinarian, on the different types of orthopedic conditions.
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Orthopedic issues are a very common reason for dogs to visit their veterinarian. They relate to problems with the bones, muscles, joints and ligaments of his body. These problems can be as simple as a strained ligament, or as complicated as a fracture of the pelvis.

There are several causes of orthopedic problems in our dogs. Firstly, they may be congenital, where your dog is actually born with the condition. One example is patellar luxation, where his kneecap freely moves out of its groove in his thigh bone. If not treated appropriately, it leads to lameness and arthritis in your dog's knee joint.

Orthopedic conditions can also be developmental, where the condition develops more slowly, and is influenced by other factors as your dog matures. The best example is hip dysplasia. Whether or not your dog becomes affected by hip dysplasia depends not only on genetics, but also on his nutrition as he grows, and how much exercise he gets when he's young.

Lastly, they can be acquired, when your dog injures his musculoskeletal system while playing, or in an accident. Fractures associated with motor vehicle accidents, or cruciate ligament ruptures while playing ball are both examples of acquired orthopedic conditions.

When you take your dog to your vet with an orthopedic problem, there are times when it's easy to obtain a diagnosis. She will usually be able to feel a fractured bone in his leg, or recognize the abnormal movement of his knee joint when a ligament is torn. In every case of an orthopedic condition, x rays will be taken to firstly confirm the diagnosis, and secondly to assess if there is any further damage to surrounding tissues. In the case of a bone fracture, an x ray will also help your vet decide on the best technique for repairing the break.

When it comes to treatment, there are several options for your dog. There are many conditions that your regular vet is very qualified to manage, such as straightforward limb fractures; however, she may recommend that you take your dog to a board certified orthopedist for further treatment. These specialists have undergone specific training in orthopedics, and can perform difficult procedures such as total hip replacements.

In some cases, surgery is the best way of managing your dog's orthopedic problem; however other modes of treatment may also offer some relief. Anti-inflammatory pain relieving medication can be used in acute injuries, as well as for more chronic conditions such as arthritis. Those who are interested in alternative therapies are often very interested in trying acupuncture to treat their dogs. Many vets are recommending physical therapy and hydrotherapy in conjunction with more conventional treatments. Many times, our dogs must endure a period of restricted exercise while they recover.

We are very fortunate in that most orthopedic conditions in our dogs can be treated, bringing them pain relief and allowing them to return to normal mobility and function.
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This guest post is brought to you by Electric Dog Fence DIY's staff veterinarian Dr. Susan Wright. Dog Fence DIY takes you through all the steps of using an electric fence for dogs including installation, training, and how to find the best system for you and your pet. Electric Dog Fence offers a wide variety of different pet containment systems at the best available price to you.