Joy at the end of the rainbow for a lucky pet owner!
With National Pet Week beginning on May 3rd 2003, leading pet insurance provider Pinnacle Pet Healthcare has revealed some startling statistics from a recent survey conducted in veterinary practices.
80% of the practices that participated in the survey said that in the last 12 months they had been asked to put to sleep curable pets rather than treat the condition because their owners could not afford the likely cost of the veterinary care needed. Moreover, 13% of the practices had been asked to do this more than 10 times over the same period!
Of course, with the caring nature of veterinary practices and the UK’s various pet charities, many of these pets will have received treatment – perhaps at a reduced cost, perhaps paying over several months, perhaps opting for a cheaper and possibly less effective course of treatment. However this inevitably puts added strain on charities and the goodwill of vets.
But nowadays, pet owners can easily plan for the unexpected and avoid such heart breaking decisions. Included in National Pet Weeks’ top 10 tips for responsible pet ownership are:
* Think carefully before getting a pet and learn about its special requirements
* Take out pet insurance for dogs and cats to protect against unexpected veterinary fees and third party liability (in the case of dogs)
Mrs Burke, from Keighley, West Yorkshire, was very relieved that she thought to take out a pet insurance policy through Pinnacle Pet Healthcare when Amber, her Yorkshire terrier, Chihuahua cross, developed gastric symptoms.
Amber was continually being sick so Mrs Burke’s veterinary surgeon suggested taking some x-rays of Amber’s abdomen. “I was devastated when I received the call from my veterinary surgeon,” recalls Mrs Burke. The x-rays showed a mass behind Amber’s stomach, the only option was to have Amber operated on to investigate and remove the lump.
“My family were inconsolable!” said Mrs Burke. “I agreed to the operation and took Amber home, she was to be taken back to the vet the following day to have it. My granddaughter sat holding Amber while we looked out over the valley and there appeared a huge double rainbow! My granddaughter was ecstatic and said that it was Amber’s rainbow and because we were at the end of it she would be all right!”
Amber was taken to the veterinary practice for her operation – Mrs Burke made the telephone call at the appointed time and received some amazing news – the mass that Amber’s vet had found on the x-ray was not a tumour but an unusual genetic defect that she may have had since birth. The defect was corrected and within 2 weeks Amber had fully recovered from her ordeal leaving Mrs Burke with a bill for £419.
Mrs Burke said, “I am just thankful that I took out the insurance plan for Amber and therefore I did not have to make any painful decisions about whether or not we could afford the operation.”
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