A few months ago, I made what can only be described as a rookie dog owner's mistake (which is a little sad considering I've owned dogs for many years). I left a plate of cooked bone-in chicken on the counter. And sure enough, my meat-loving dog jumped on it and devoured the contents in less than a minute.
The chicken itself was fine. However, swallowing cooked bones can be very bad news for your dog. Bone fragments can fracture and cause problems such as intestinal perforation. So, after realizing my mistake, I went to the emergency vet.
After several hours of waiting and detailed x-rays, the veterinarian determined that my dog was probably OK to have the bone pass through his digestive system without surgery, but surgery would be dangerous and expensive. It will take a while. Needless to say, I was relieved.
On the way home, I received instructions on how to care for the dog (a special diet to get the bones through the dog's body) and put $500 on my credit card. The clinic was also kind enough to note down my pet insurance details and submit a bill to the company on my behalf, saving me the paperwork.
A few weeks later, I received a check from my insurance company for $250. But apparently that was only 50% of my total bill. There's a reason for that.
Don't forget your deductible
If you have health insurance, auto insurance, or homeowners insurance, you may be familiar with the concept of a deductible. This is the amount you must pay before your insurance company will cover the cost of your treatment.
My pet insurance has a $250 deductible. So I had to pay half of the dog's $500 treatment bill, and the insurance company covered the other half.
Deductibles of that amount are not that unusual now. Nationwide, a major pet insurance company, says most pet owners choose a policy with a $250 annual deductible.
But when I paid my bill at the clinic, I didn't think about insurance deductibles. So I thought I would get a full refund of the $500 I paid, but I was disappointed to find out that wasn't the case.
always save money
The good news in all of this (aside from my dog being okay, of course) was that I had $250 left in my savings account to cover my share of pet care. That's it. I didn't have to roll over my credit card balance and pay it off over time.
In fact, even if you have pet insurance, you may run into a situation where your insurance company won't pay 100% of the medical costs you incur, apart from deductibles, so I always make sure to be prepared for dog-related emergencies. I try to save money. If you have pet insurance, we recommend that you do the same.
Make sure you have at least enough money to cover your entire deductible. But go beyond that for added protection.
If your insurance company only pays 80% after your deductible is met, you never know when you might end up with a $6,000 pet care bill. And you never want to be in a situation where you have to take a financial hit in order to give your beloved pet the care it needs.
