A recent survey by the AAA discovered that nearly two-thirds of drivers “fessed” up to petting or playing with their pets while they drive.  Some even admitted to feeding them and giving them water while they were driving!

What Happens To Your Pet In A Wreck?

I’m sure you’ve seen drivers with pets sitting on their laps (are you guilty?)  What do you think would happen if the air bag was deployed?  Your beloved pet will be slammed against you, possibly harming both you and your pet.

If your dog is traveling loose in your car and you have a wreck, what do you think will happen to your pet?  A large pet can become a virtual missile careening through the vehicle.  An 80 lb. dog, for instance, will exert 2400 pounds of force at just a 30 mph crash!  Not only can that be deadly for your dog, it puts other passengers at a great risk.

Likewise, if you have a wreck your dog can very well become agitated and territorial.  Especially when strangers arrive like police and emergency personnel.  This can be dangerous for those trying to make rescues and can be dangerous for your pet.  In some cases, dogs have been shot because of their aggressive behavior in such situations.

Dog Seat Belts Can Save Lives

AAA found in their survey that only 17% of us use any type of restraints for our dogs when we travel with them.  And we do love to take our pets with us!  Whether you’re just running errands or making a family outing to the pet store, it’s common to have the family dog jump in the back seat and ride along.

For the safety of your pet and others riding in your vehicle, you should consider getting a dog seat belt.   A good one is the Kurgo TruFit Harness.  It is easy to use and comfortable for your pet.

Here’s what others say:

“This product is well made and relatively inexpensive. It is very comfortable for my dog, and she can’t slip out of it like other harnesses…”

“I got this harness for my rambunctious Aussie and it has worked so well! He stays in the back seat but is able to move around a little and lie or sit. He twists and pulls on the harness but it is very sturdy and has held up well. I like the padded front piece–it seems to be more comfortable than a regular harness…”

Read full reviews on Amazon.com

Fortunately, research is on a fast track to develop more sophisticated treatments for canine cancer treatment as well as preventions for various types of canine cancers.

Several non-profit organizations exist like Morris Animal Foundation which has set up a Canine Cancer Campaign . There is also the National Canine Cancer Foundation and the Animal Cancer Foundation.

These organizations hold various fundraisers across the country to raise money for their research.

The Morris Animal Foundation has put out this list of breeds that are predisposed to certain types of cancer:

• Bernese mountain dog — Histiocytic sarcoma (soft tissue)
• Boxer — Lymphoma and brain cancer
• Cocker spaniel — Lymphoma
• Golden retriever — Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma (blood vessels/spleen)
• Labrador retriever — Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma
• English springer spaniel — Mammary gland cancer
• Pug — mast cell cancer (skin)
• Shar-Pei — Mast cell cancer
• Greyhound — Osteosarcoma (bone)
• Rottweiler — Osteosarcoma
• Collie — Nasal cancer
• Scottish terrier — Bladder cancer and skin/mouth melanoma
• Chow — Stomach cancer
• Flat-coated retriever — Bladder cancer and skin/mouth melanoma

As you can probably guess, treatments for dogs with cancer are quite expensive. The costs can often rival those of treating humans with cancer. And with new and improved methods of treatment becoming available the cost continue to rise.

To read more about animal cancer or how you can participate in fundraisers (or even organize your own event) visit these websites:

Morris Animal Foundation

National Canine Cancer Foundation

Animal Cancer Foundation

Losing a pet for any reason can be a devastating event to a family. Seeing your pet suffer from a terrible disease makes that loss even harder to endure.  Is your pet protected? You may want to consider a pet insurance plan to help you cover the costs of treating your pet.  Embrace Pet Insurance offers a wide range of coverage to treat cancer in dogs (and cats.)  Check them out today to see if their policies offer you the coverage you need.

Birds, rabbits, reptiles, exotic animals — insurance coverage is available for all kinds of small pets.

Why Small Pet Insurance?

These policies can cover you for things like theft as well as the high cost of veterinarian care.  You can be protected if your pet dies as the result of an illness or accident and some policies even cover you for taking your pets to shows and exhibitions.

If you have a collection of exotic or valuable small pets you might even qualify for special deals to help reduce the cost of your premiums.

Small Pets = Special Needs

Being the owner of a small pet, you already are aware that they can be very fragile.  Small dogs can be prone to broken bones from being accidentally dropped or even just falling.  A broken bone can lead to a very expensive vet visit!

If you have birds or other small animals you know that they too can be susceptible to illnesses and expensive vet care costs.  You can find a pet insurance plan that will cover these animals for treatments and surgeries that result from illnesses or accidents.

Birds can be covered for things like self-mutilation, feather-picking, and other bird related problems.  Shopping around for the best policy will allow you to cover not only serious illnesses and accidents but also routine wellness care.

Ferrets can have a host of medical issues like insulinorma, tumors, intestinal problems and they can even catch the flu from their owners!  Getting insurance for your ferret might make sense to help defray the costs of keeping your pet healthy.

If you own exotic pets, not only can they be more prone to illnesses, they can sometimes be worth thousands of dollars so it makes sense to have insurance for them.

What Pets Can Be Covered?

You can find pet insurance for a whole host of small pets like:
ferrets, geckos, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, iguanas, mice, rats, rabbits, snakes, turtles, potbellied pigs — just to name a few!

Again, these animals can be also be covered for treatments of serious illnesses or injuries and, if you choose, can also be covered for routine wellness care.

While the most prevalent pet insurance is for dogs and cats, there are companies that offer small pet insurance for other categories of pets.  As with any insurance policy you will want to be sure to comparison shop and read the fine print to make sure you are getting the appropriate coverage to suit your needs.

If this is the type of pet insurance plan you’re hoping to get then you might want to take look at coverage known as “lifetime.”  This type of policy can offer coverage for your pet throughout it’s lifetime. 

Unlimited Pet Insurance Plans

Most lifetime pet insurance policies will cover any illness and will let you file claims as often as needed.  You will, however, usually have annual limits placed on the the total amount you can claim.

There are some plans available that will offer unlimited payouts for illness or injuries.  These plans will cover all diagnostic tests, surgeries and medications and some will even cover hereditary and congenital disorders.

Keep in mind that these policies are for catastrophic events and do not usually cover the cost of routine wellness care. By eliminating these costs they are able to keep the premiums at an affordable level.

Most of these policies will cover vet fees for illness or injuries, including the continuing cost of long term vet care.

Some will even cover things like:

emergency boarding fees (if you are hospitalized)
advertising and reward costs for lost pets
no age limit — start coverage as early as 8 weeks old
24/7 phone access to a vet nurse

Is This Pet Insurance Costly?

You can find companies that will offer discounts for multiple pet policies.  Some offer discounts for purchasing plans online. You can also choose deductible levels that will affect your premiums.

I have seen plans for as little as $20 per month to over $100 per month, depending on the coverage offered.
You will also want to be sure to renew your policy annually, especially as your pet ages.  Some companies have maximum age limits to enroll pets so if you should let your policy lapse and then try to reinstate it, you might find that your pet is too old to get the coverage.

Pet care is a lot like our own health care in that pets are living longer and more cures and treatments are available to keep our faithful companions around a lot longer.

And, like our health care, things get more expensive every year!  That’s why pet insurance may be something you should consider.

Of course you need to shop around for the policy that will best suit what you are looking for.  And, as with any insurance plan, unlimited pet insurance or another type of plan, be sure to read the fine print so there won’t be any surprises!

Things To Keep In Mind

Just like your own insurance, you can get cheaper premiums by choosing higher deductibles.  You might want to choose this option, especially if you’re mainly looking to cover those really catastrophic situations.

But keep in mind that you will most likely still be responsible for things like regular vet visits and annual vaccinations.

If you want to cover more of these types of expenses you’ll need to choose a plan with a more expensive premium.

You can find plans that cover all illnesses, accidents and injuries, surgeries, medications, xrays, cancer treatments, emergency vet care, hospitalization, and more.

You’ll even find plans that cover pregnancies, hereditary problems, burials and cremations.  You’ll want to read the policy carefully, as many exclude certain breeds and will likely have other exclusions and limitations.

In many cases you can get even cheaper pet insurance if you insure more than one pet.  A good policy will be one you can customize to fit your specific needs.  Whether your pet is young or old, pure bred or mutt, indoor or outdoor, all these factors can affect your insurance premiums.

Cheaper Pet Insurance May Not Be Better Pet Insurance

As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.”  This is also the case for your pet insurance.  You need to do comparison shopping and read the fine print.  If you’re only looking for a policy to cover the major problems, you’ll still be paying for the day to day needs of your pet and may never have a need for the insurance.

If you want to help cover the annual vet bills that come with raising a healthy pet you’ll want to make sure the policy covers wellness care.  Also be sure to look for senior care in a policy to make sure your pet will be covered for age related problems.

Even though you might consider the idea of pet insurance a luxury, just remember that as a responsible and caring pet owner it is vitally important that you take your pet to the vet for regular vaccinations, checkups and critical medications, like heartworm treatments for dogs.

Even though we all want to save money, just be smart when you’re shopping for cheaper pet insurance.  You need to come to a decision on what kind of coverage will best suit your situation and then try to find the best price available.  It won’t end up being cheaper if it doesn’t cover your needs.

The Loss Of My Beautiful Pet

A few years back our beloved dog (a beautiful mutt we rescued from the Humane Society) suddenly  became ill.  It was on a weekend and our vet agreed to check her out on a Sunday morning.

He wasn’t sure what was wrong but prescribed some medication.  She rapidly grew worse over the course of the day and he recommended we take her to an emergency pet care clinic about 45 minutes away from our home.

We had to leave her there while they ran tests to determine the cause of her illness.  Every day they would phone us and tell us where we were, cost wise,  and ask us if we wanted to continue.

What a terrible decision to have to make!  We were not ready to give up on her but the bills ballooned into the thousands of dollars very quickly. Every day we continued because we hoped it would be the day they would make her well.

This went on for several days until we finally had to give up and bring her home to die.  A few days later it came time to take her to our local vet and have her put to sleep.

We were left with a very substantial vet bill and we didn’t even have our cherished pet still with us!

My point here is not to be maudlin, but to point out the need for pet insurance.  The outcome might have been the same, but the stress could have been less had we had pet insurance.  And who’s to say whether or not they could have cured her if we had continued treatment?

Your pets are beloved members of your family.  Wouldn’t you like to have the peace of mind of knowing you could do everything possible to care for your them if they became ill or injured?

Healthy Pets’ Insurance

Just like insurance for yourself and your family, it is less expensive to get coverage while your pets are healthy. Many policies will not cover pre-existing conditions, some will not even cover specific breeds because of genetic tendencies for certain medical conditions.  But it is surprisingly affordable, you just need to do a little comparison shopping.

You might think that because you have healthy pets,  insurance is a luxury, not a necessity.  But believe me, if and when the time comes — and I hope for you it never does — you’ll be relieved that you made this choice.