Sheltie with a black eye.

I just started skimming through this thread. Awww poor Smudge! I really hope he starts getting better soon.

Besides what has already been said, my only recommendation for you is you might want to consider health insurance for him. Most insurances don't cover preexisting conditions. However, your breeder doesn't appear to do genetic testing, so who knows what could happen down the road.
 
take4roll10 said:
Besides what has already been said, my only recommendation for you is you might want to consider health insurance for him. Most insurances don't cover preexisting conditions.
Click to expand...

I have actually thought about this. I need more time to research dog insurance though. Like I wonder if it only covers the cost of the vet and not medication? This does concern me for what might turn up down the road though. The cost of the dips aren't that bad ($22 every two weeks), but if the dips don't work I could be looking at some hefty bills. :uhoh:
 
I did some research on it and I went with trupanion for my puppy. I pay $33 a month with a $0 deductible. It covers accidents and illnesses only. It doesn't cover routine care like their yearly shots, but I'm not worried about that. I was worried about what I'd do if she has an accident or gets sick and the bill is over $500. I'd rather not borrow money or charge it. They reimburse you 90% of your vet bill. I'm not sure 100% sure if they cover medication or preexisting conditions though.

Another one that people seem to like is VPI.
 
I have VPI which is what my vet recommended and one of the few available when I was looking. I'm not very happy with them. There are all sorts of exclusions (they refused to pay a penny for Pixie's $800 hernia surgery even though my vet wrote them a letter that it was spay-induced and not congenital) and the amount you recover on a claim is maybe half, usually less. Pogopup said on a thread about pet insurance that she has www.petsbest.com and I wish I could switch to that one, but now my dogs have what they would consider preexisting conditions so I'm stuck with VPI. Do look around before you sign...there are many more companies offering pet insurance now than a few years back, and it's worth paying a bit more to get a better return when you need it.
 
Yes I have heard that about VPI. That they give you back 80% of what they believe the average cost of the surgery / diagnosis is in your area. So if your bill for xrays is $300, but they say the average cost in your area is $150, they'll only give you back 80% of $150.
That is why I went with trupanion. They give back 90% of whatever your actual bill is. no matter how high it is. However, they don't cover routine care and your vet fee, which is usually $30-$70. Mine charges $55.

I'm not too sure about petsbest. I did look them up, but I don't remember what I didn't like about them.
 
I had VPI many years ago when it was the only option. I got it when Danny was 2 or 3. I eventually stopped renewing it because the price went up every year since it was age-based. I don't know if that's still the case but by the time Danny was 10, I couldn't afford it anymore. :(
 
How is smudge doing?

I keep checking to see if there are any more updates.
I've even been reading up on mange to see exactly what you 2 are facing.
He really is a lucky guy to have you to take care of him
 
Here is what Smudge's face looks like as of yesterday:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=8900086&l=29857c7b1e&id=611815429

I haven't been adding anything here, because there really have not been any changes. He face may look better, but he still has the mites. So if the mites are still there we're not quite out of the water yet. Also, I'm not sure if it looks better because the vet scraped the skin off. I'm trying to remain neutral about the whole thing, because I still have a lot to learn about mange! :smile2:

On the plus side, my vibrant pets showed up in the mail today. Since Smudge was choking on his vitamin I started grounding them up. I haven't noticed him choking since.

Pink is the actual color of what it looks like. Sometimes my camera makes it look purple, but it's a bubblegum pink color.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top