Petsecure Pet Health Insurance

Petsecure pet insurance pays vet bill for a feline burn victim in British Columbia

A few weeks ago, it was brought to our attention that a cat in British Columbia needed some extra love and lots of special care.   

  
This is Binx and though she’s only 7 months old, she’s had an eventful few months and has already used up two of her nine lives!

Earlier this year, she was rescued from a dog’s mouth and though this may have been a traumatic event for her, she did not lose her respect for dogs. Unfortunately, her adventures didn’t end there.                                    

Fast forward to the end of March and now Binx was making headlines as the cat that saved herself from a burning building.

Stuck inside a burning building, Binx waited for help. With no help on the way, she took matters into her own paws and jumped from the burning building and lived to share her story.  

They say cats always land on their feet and Binx was true to form, though it’s not surprising that she injured herself when she landed. The tips of her ears were burned off, her faced was singed and she dislocated and fractured her leg. Lucky for her, a volunteer with Action for Animals in Distress Society found Binx and quickly took her to Norgate Animal Hospital in North Vacouver where she was well taken care of by Dr. Sidhu and his team.

 

Dr. Sidhu performed surgery to reset Binx’ leg and over the next few weeks, Binx would need a safe place to heal before she could be considered for adoption. The staff at Norgate Animal Hospital and the volunteers at Action for Animals in Distress Society spent that time caring for Binx and nursing her back to health. Lucky for Binx, she had all the love and care she needed, however she still needed a home and the clinic still had an outstanding vet bill just over $1600.  

 

Nikki Forbes, from Action for Animals in Distress Society, contacted her local community to collect donations for Binx’ surgery and find her a suitable home. Soon after, Binx found her forever home with a wonderful loving family. It was during this time that our Territory Manager Carli Barber stepped up.  She knew this was something Petsecure pet insurance would want to help with, after all, the shelter is a huge supporter of our Adoptsecure program.

With a quick email to our CEO explaining Binx’ story, Petsecure pet insurance covered the cost of Dr. Sidhu’s veterinary services! Binx had her home and the wonderful people at Action for Animals in Distress Society and Norgate Animal Hospital are on their way to saving more furry lives! 

It’s stories like this that make our Petsecure pet insurance team feel extremely fortunate to be working in the pet health community and most imporantly  with such amazing people with big hearts! Our relationships with our shelters, vet clinics and breeders are very important to us and we are grateful for all the wonderful (and hard) work they do. 

As we celebrate 'Feline Friday' today on Facebook and '2011 as the Year of the Cat', we encourage you to head down to your nearest shelter, humane society or clinic and meet the amazing staff and the furry friends they’re caring for. Donate some time or love or maybe you’ll discover you have the perfect forever home for a furry little friend. 

To learn more about:

Petsecure pet insurance’s coverage options, visit: www.petsecure.com 

Care of Cats – 2011 Year of the Cat, visit: www.careforcats.ca

Action for Animals in Distress Society, visit: www.actionforanimals.net

Ask-A-Vet with Petsecure pet insurance's Dr. Colleen Skavinsky

 
Meet a new member of our team - Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Colleen Skavinsky. She keeps Petsecure pet insurance connected to vet practices and the vet community. Her wealth of knowledge helps Petsecure pet insurance with products, ongoing claims and advice to members.

Every week we’re encouraging pet parents to send us an email with any pet health questions or concerns to Dr. Skavinsky at askavet@petsecure.com

 

This week’s question:

Dear Dr. Skavinsky, I have three Labrador Retrievers - one of each color, ranging in ages from 5 yrs to 9 months.

As you may be familiar, Labs love having things in their mouth. My younger two not only like to have things in their mouths, but occasionally like to swallow them. My middle Lab has already suffered from foreign body obstruction. Thank heavens for insurance.

Any suggestions to change or modify their mouthing behavior?? 

Dear Pet Parent:  Labrador Retrievers are terrific pets, but we can never forget that they have been bred to swim in cold water and retrieve ducks and geese. I’m sure many of them feel “naked” when they’re not carrying something in their mouths. As pet owners, we need to realize this fact about them (and lots of other dog breeds) and give them a proper outlet for this behaviour. 

Monitoring how your dogs chew their toys is key.  Do they just chew them up, shred them or do they like to eat what they’ve been working on, like your dogs have?  It’s important to get into the habit of removing smaller pieces or chunks before dogs get a chance to swallow them.  Every dog is different in their preferences; however, the larger hard rubber toys tend to be the best.  There are some other thick fabric-type stuffed toys that are difficult to shred and also offer a reasonable option.  Rawhide can be a reasonable choice for some dogs, although I usually recommend the strips so that it’s more difficult to swallow larger pieces.  I do not recommend the hard plastic toys or large cooked bones, even the ones from the pet store; because dogs who chew vigorously are more likely to fracture (break) their teeth. 

Two other things to consider for enthusiastic chewers are that some dogs will become territorial about their toys and may be more prone to swallowing them just to prevent somebody else (dog or person) from stealing their toys.  They can be really sneaky about it, so it can take a little observation to see if that is really what’s going on.  We also want to make sure that dogs are getting enough exercise and other kinds of stimulation.  We may see it more in single-dog homes, but we want to make sure that chewing doesn’t become a substitute for expending energy in bored or anxious dogs.

  

For more information about your pup's health, training or caring needs, visit Petsecure's Pet Healthipedia at: www.pethealthipedia.com

Petsecure pet insurance desktop wallpapers available for download!

Check out our desktop wallpapers for the month of May!

Choose from these fun styles - 'May Cat Calendar', 'All taken care of' or 'Let sleeping dogz lie.' and simply download them for free! Check back every month for new wallpaper designs!

 

 

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From Petsecure pet insurance's Chief Veterinary Officer: April 30th is World Veterinary Day

Happy World Veterinary Day to all of our friends and partners who love animals!  The World Veterinary Association (WVA) has marked Saturday, April 30^th this year as World Veterinary Day as a way to celebrate veterinary medicine and veterinary associations across the world.  In 2011, the WVA has selected the theme of “Rabies” to help educate people as to the importance this horrible disease still holds across our planet. 

Rabies is caused by a virus and may be spread between warm-blooded animals and humans.  The virus is usually spread through an animal bite, but any contact with the saliva of an affected animal may cause infection.  The virus travels along nerves to the brain and causes severe neurological damage, including inability to swallow with severe drooling, seizures, and eventually death.  Once there are clinical signs, rabies is considered always fatal in animals and humans. The one known world-wide exception was reported in the 2005 case of a young woman in Milwaukee who survived after intensive experimental therapy. 

Our Canadian history of strong rabies vaccination programs for our companion animals, responsible pet ownership (leash laws), and spaying and neutering of our pets has kept rabies largely under control.  Out of 123 cases reported in 2010, there were only three dogs and four cats diagnosed with rabies disease across the country.  The majority of positive cases occur in wildlife.  Depending on the area of Canada where you live, the major reservoir species of rabies are bats, skunks, raccoons, and foxes. 

Unfortunately, 99% of world-wide human cases are caused by bites from infected dogs.  One person, often a child, dies every ten minutes across the world from rabies disease today.  The World Veterinary Association wants to use 2011 to highlight the need in these affected communities for control of stray dog populations and aggressive vaccination programs in an effort to reduce the number of cases of rabies seen in both humans and animals.  There are many veterinary organizations involved in rabies control and eradication programs, including Veterinarians without Borders/Veterinaires sans Frontieres-Canada http://www.vwb-vsf.ca and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control http://www.rabiescontrol.net.

Petsecure pet insurance offers coverage for rabies vaccinations under our Secure 4 -Preventive Care plan.

Dr. Colleen Skavinsky - Chief Veterinary Officer, Petsecure pet insurance

To learn more about other pet health related issues, visit Petsecure pet insurance's Pet Healthipedia: www.pethealthipedia.com

 

Petsecure pet insurance explains Heartworm Disease - what you need to know

Heartworm is a potentially life threatening parasitic infection that affects both dogs and cats, among other animals.  It appears as thread-like worms that live in the pulmonary arteries and blood vessels that lead from the heart to the lungs.

How is Heartworm transmitted?

Heartworm is transmitted through mosquitoes. Therefore, pets living in humid climates with mosquitoes are more prone to this disease.

Heartworm Disease is caused by larva called Dirofilaria immitis. When a mosquito feeds on an infected animal, these baby worms (larva) migrate in the mosquito for 2-3 weeks. Once an infected mosquito bites another animal, the larva is transmitted to the animal’s skin, eventually making its way to the bloodstream.  Here, the larva will migrate for 3-4months making its way to the heart and lungs.  While in the heart and lungs the baby worms will grow into adult worms and will lay tiny larvae called microfilaria.

It takes approximately six months for the disease to appear. 

What kind of health damage does it cause?

Heartworm disease can be life threatening if not treated. The adult worms can obstruct large blood vessels which can result in heart failure, liver failure and ruptured blood vessels. 

Some pets will not show signs of the disease, while others will show signs, only after the damage has already affected the heart. 

Symptoms to look for are coughing, heavy breathing, lethargy, unwillingness to exercise, fluid distention of the belly, pulsation of the jugular vein and decreased appetite. 

How is Heartworm Disease diagnosed? 

Usually a veterinarian will perform blood tests to see if Heartworm Disease is present in the pet’s body, while further testing through EKG or Echocardiogram will determine how severe the disease has progressed. 

Forms of testing include: 

Heartworm Seroloy which tests for protein in the bloodstream, produced by the worms. 

Microfilaria screen detects the baby worms circulating in the bloodstream.

The severity of Heartworm disease can be determined by: 

A Complete Physical Exam will detect any signs of the disease. 

A Laboratory evaluation will determine how stable your pet’s health is to receive treatment. 

Chest X-Rays can also detect the severity of the disease by exposing the Heartworms in the bloodstream, heart and lungs. 

A Heart Evaluation includes an echocardiogram which detects enlargement in the heart caused by the worms. 

Treatment for your pet

The level of treatment is subject to the severity of the disease present in your pet. In cases where baby worms are found in your pet, the drug treatment is given on an out-patient basis for a 2-3 week period. 

In cases where adult worms are present, drug treatment must be done in the clinic as the potency to rid the adult worms can cause toxicity in your pet.  Therefore, it’s necessary that your pet is monitored while being treated.  

Repeated treatment may be required for both microfilaria and adult worms. 

Preventing Heartworm Disease

There are preventative medications to prevent your pet from catching Heartworm Disease, though this medication is usually given on a seasonal basis while testing for the disease should take place annually.

To learn more about Heartworm Disease, visit Petsecure’s Pet Healthipedia at: www.pethealthipedia.com

 

Petsecure Pet Insurance and VPI Pet Insurance Honouring Pet Parents with National Pet Parent's Day

Winnipeg, Manitoba – April 14, 2011: In honour of devoted pet parents across North America, Petsecure pet insurance, along with VPI Pet Insurance, is pleased to acknowledge April 17^th, 2011 as National Pet Parent’s Day. 

National Pet Parent’s Day was founded in 2008 by VPI Pet Insurance to recognize pet owners for the important role they play in their pets’ lives. From giving their pets love and appreciation, to caring for their pet’s health and providing them with a safe home, Petsecure pet insurance is applauding pet parents for continuing the trend of humanizing their relationship with their furry loved one.

"We’re pleased to see this strong human-animal bond with our members.” says Randy Valpy, President & CEO of Petsecure pet insurance. “It’s this type of bond that has contributed to the increased awareness of pet health insurance and shows the dedication pet parents have for their pet’s well-being. As 76% of pet owners have said they would spend any amount to keep their pet alive, we are proud to give pet parents the security and peace of mind they want, when it comes to their pets’ health.”   

According to a recent survey by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA):

• 90% of pet owners consider their pets as part of the family;
• 83% of pet parents consider themselves as their pet’s mom or dad;
• 87% of committed pet parents include their pets in holiday celebrations;
• 62%  celebrate their pet’s birthday
• 67% of pet parents travel with their pet

In celebration of National Pet Parent’s Day, Petsecure pet insurance has designed complimentary e-cards available for download. Visit www.petsecure.com/ecards , until the end of April, to send an e-greeting to the pet parents in your life.

About Petsecure pet health insurance:

Petsecure pet insurance, the core brand of Western Financial Insurance Company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Western Financial Group (TSX: WES). Petsecure is Canada’s oldest and largest pet insurance provider with over 20 years of offering innovative pet insurance to Canadian pet parents. Petsecure has 2 unique pet insurance options to choose from; Petset which offers basic, value-priced coverage or Secure For Life™ which offers the most comprehensive coverage in Canada. Petsecure also offers dental coverage and special coverage including alternative treatments, behavioural therapy and medical devices. Petsecure is the only pet health insurance provider in Canada to offer their exclusive Secure For Life™ guarantee. 

For more information, please contact:

Mika Sanson, Manager, Marketing & Communications

Petsecure pet health insurance

Phone: (204) 942-2999 ext. 7297 E-mail: msanson@petsecure.com

 

Petsecure pet insurance's Top 10 Claims for March 2011

We love our pets and no matter how much love and care we provide, we can't protect them against accident or illness. That's why Petsecure pet insurance is committed to ensuring you and your pet are...All taken care of.

Check out last months' Petsecure dog and cat members who made the Petsecure pet insurance Top 10 Claims list.

Petsecure pet insurance is happy to have been able to help these pets get back on their feet!

   Name:            DOG Breed:                           Suffered from:                        Claim amount:

1.)Tucker          Bulldog                                 Pneumonia, Aspiration              $10,313.13

2.)Kiko              Shih Tzu                                Vomiting & Diarrhea                   $6,891.46

3.)Kodi             Retriever (Labrador)            Gastric Ulcer                                $4,874.12

4.)Kalypso        Bernese Mountain Dog       Cruciate Rupture                        $4,698.12

5.)Ben                Poodle Cross                       Hip Dysplasia                             $3,833.59

 

 Name:            CAT Breed:                           Suffered from:                        Claim amount:

1.)Ricky          Domestic Shorthair               Urolithiasis                                 $3,026.25

2.)Kano          Domestic Shorthair               Neoplasia                                   $2,613.39

3.)Roland      Domestic Shorthair              Cardiomyopathy                         $2,193.91

4.)Alex            Domestic Shorthair        Foreign Body, Gastrointestinal      $2,146.29

5.)Scooter II   Domestic Medium Hair        Lethargy                                      $1,721.06

Petsecure pet insurance launches new desktop wallpapers for complimentary download!

Our creative team has been busy designing three unique Petsecure pet insurance desktop wallpapers just for you!

Choose from these fun styles - 'Be worry free', 'Time for a break' or 'All taken care of' and simply download them for free! Check back every month for new wallpaper designs!

 

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Why pet insurance is a benefit to you and your pet - featuring Petsecure pet insurance's President & CEO

Insurance for Fido and Fluffy

By: Kate McCaffery 

I would love to have been in the room the first time someone tried to sell pet medical insurance. I can picture it... "You want me to insure my dog??"

In truth though, it's a good idea. (In my opinion, anyway.) There are certain expenses that are a given when you take on the responsibility of pet ownership. Food is one. Veterinary fees (vaccinations and annual doses of flea and heartworm meds) are another. Both are part of the cost of doing business.

When you own a pet too, unless you're wealthy with absolutely solid sources of excess cash flow, I'd add pet insurance to that list as well.

Now some people will say you should take the $20 or $40 each month you'd spend on premiums and put it into a bank account instead. If you're flush enough that a sudden vet bill won't hurt you, this might make sense.

That said, even the healthiest animals eventually run into problems. Those people I know who are actually long time buyers of pet insurance say the product is worth it – in almost every case nearly all of their fees have come back to them at some point.

"With the advances in veterinary medicine today, anything that can be done to a human can be done to your pet," says Randy Valpy, president and CEO of Pet Secure. "Of course, with that comes associated costs and those costs have been increasing."

When you have insurance too, it can cover more than one claim. (By comparison, that reserve bank account – if it hasn't already been drawn on to fix the roof or replace the car's transmission – can be drawn down pretty quickly and once the funds are gone, that's it.) A healthy large dog, for example, is prone to getting hip dysplasia as it gets older. The surgery for each hip costs around $3,000. After the first goes, the second usually follows within a year.

Like cars too, some animals are just absolute lemons. My last pet, Oscar the ferret, was probably the smartest of all the critters I've owned but he was definitely the sickest, coming close to death at least four times during his rather short life. (We think he may have been a cat in his past life that got ripped off – he brought his extra nine lives with him into this one.)

In addition to accidents or ailments, pets swallow things. "A lot of the foreign body cases we get are quite interesting. We've had a boxer that swallowed a 12-inch ruler and it got stuck sideways. You could see it pushing on the skin on either side," says Valpy. "You should see some of these x-rays. Dogs have swallowed knives. Fortunately they swallow them with the handle first so it doesn't do a lot of damage." Stones, golf balls and car keys are other favorites.

Given the anecdotal evidence I have about pet insurance payouts and my own firsthand knowledge of how tremendously expensive vet bills can be, I was really interested in speaking with Valpy. (Insurance companies are rarely in the business of doing anything that doesn't somehow turn a profit.)

It turns out that Pet Secure, formerly known as Pet Plan in Canada – a name they licensed from one of the world's largest pet insurance companies in the UK – has been in business since 1989. The company didn't turn a profit until 2003.

At the time, he says the company's owners were looking at the European model – pet insurance has been around in the UK since 1947. Roughly 20 per cent of pets there are insured. In Canada, only one per cent of animals are covered.

Fun fact: The first pet insurance policy was issued for a horse in Sweden in 1898. (Today, although Pet Plan in the UK has an eqUANINE XXX, most horses are covered in the agricultural market.) In Sweden, more than 40 per cent of the population's two or three million pets are insured.

So why only cats and dogs? Again, thinking like an insurance writer, I assumed it was simply not profitable to insure my pet ferrets. (My vet once joked that they are probably the most expensive animals to keep if you were measuring on a cost per pound basis.)

As usual though, the answer was a little more nuanced. In order to adjudicate claims, the company needs to have animal health technologists and veterinarians on staff. To cover other pets or animals, it needs to add additional staff with more specialized knowledge to process claims.

There are no hard figures but Valpy says thousands of pets are put to sleep every year unnecessarily. Many could go on to live a healthy life if their owners could afford treatment.

Not having insurance can mean racking up large credit card bills or the need to dip into savings for other goals such as a house downpayment.

Not having the funds for a vet bill "can really prevent you from reaching other goals," agrees Valpy. "None of us wants to make an insurance claim. It's the same with your pet. You don't want your pet to get sick or hit by a car but we sure like to have the insurance when something does happen because it eases financial strain."


Kate McCaffery is a freelance writer in Toronto, Ontario. Visit mccaffery.ca/kate2.0/ for more information.

Petsecure pet insurance was in full force at the 2011 AAHA/OVMA conference in Toronto.

Our Petscure pet insurance team attended the 2011 AAHA/OVMA conference in Toronto, last week.

Our Territory Managers, our Business Development Representatives, our Chief Veterinarian Dr. Lynn Webster and our President & CEO, Randy Valpy were all in attendance, to learn about the advancements in veterinary medicine and in the vet community.

 

The tradeshow hosted over 200 exhibitors showcasing products and services, including our friends Dr. Liz O'Brien and Judi Cannon promoting Care for Cats - 2011 Year of the Cat, sponsored by Petsecure pet insurance. (www.careforcats.ca)