Pets

Paying For Pet Surgery Without Cutting Your Budget

Posted: 1/7/2011

Snowie, a bichon frise, recently beat cancer of the spleen.

(NAPSI) - There’s good news for people and their pets, according to veterinarian Dr. Carol McConnell: “Veterinary medicine has made considerable advancements in recent years, providing pet owners surgical options that weren’t available to them even five years ago.”

The Problem

“While this is certainly good news,” she added, “pet owners are often unaware of the cost of these surgeries. It’s not only important for pet owners to realize the surgical choices open to them, but to take steps to be financially prepared should their pet require surgery.”

One Dog’s Story

Consider the case of George Millben, who first took his 10-year-old dog, Snowie, to the veterinarian thinking the bichon frise simply needed treatment for an upset stomach. Unfortunately, X-rays revealed that Snowie had a large cancerous mass on his spleen. Millben wasted no time seeking treatment. The surgery was costly—a little more than $2,000--but was successful and Snowie’s mass was completely removed.

Snowie’s story isn’t out of the ordinary for pet owners, report the experts at the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, Veterinary Pet Insurance Company (VPI).

Top 10 Conditions Requiring Surgery

To help pet owners understand the situation, the company recently analyzed its claim data to find the top 10 conditions that require surgery. One in 20 VPI-insured pets required surgical treatment for one of the following common conditions last year:

1. Benign skin mass

2. Skin abscess, inflammation or pressure ulcer

3. Tooth extraction

4. Torn ACL or cartilage

5. Malignant skin mass

6. Cancer of the spleen

7. Cancer of the eyelid

8. Bladder stones

9. Cancer of the liver

10. Auricular hematoma (swollen, fluid-filled ear).

“The last thing I expected was that Snowie would get cancer,” said Millben, “but here we are.”

What Insurance Can Do

Pet owners with health insurance are free to visit any licensed veterinarian worldwide. After receiving treatment, they submit a claim to the insurance company and receive reimbursement for eligible expenses in about two weeks. Most companies offer plans for accidents and illnesses as well as routine and preventive care.

Learn More

For more information about pet insurance, visit www.petinsurance.com or call (888) 899-4VPI.

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