The Importance Of Pet Insurance
Having been a rottweiler owner for several years
, I have experienced the highs and utter lows of a very ill pet. Those experiences although very distressing at the time, allowed me to truely understand the importance of Pet Insurance for absolute peace of mind concerning your pets health. As pet owners we can do our best to minimise health concerns such as joint problems for example, by stopping your puppy from over exerting themselves at a extremely young age. This is due to the rapid growth that occurs right up to the age of around 2 years , as activities such as leaping in and out of the back of a ute can damage the joints severely ie knees , elbows and hips .We can also make sure our pets are all properly vaccinated to try and stop them catching any diseases, some of which possibly could be fatal.
Making sure you brush your rottweiler, clip their nails and check their teeth and ears at regular intervals can all assist to prevent illnesses and infection before they become a painful and "expensive" concern .
Countless peoples opinion is that you very rarely need treatment for your pets and that its better to put a modest amount of money aside, perhaps in a savings account incase the unspeakable might happen. In certain cases that can work but I dont believe people truly appreciate and understand how expensive just one visit to the vet can be, never mind if your pet needs on going treatment or surgery of any type.
I got my lovely boy Max when he was only 5 weeks old ( back then I didnt know the right and wrongs in caring for a pet other than give them lots of love!). Puppies should not be taken from their litter earlier than 8 weeks of age as this period teaches them important social skills which they can only acquire from their mother and siblings.
At just 6 weeks old Max was still suckling as young pups do and some how managed to consume a 30cm long branch which then got stuck in his throat and stomach. I rushed him to my family vet and after a examination Max was sent immediately into surgery to have the branch removed. This was just the start of a lot of unforseen and unfortunate things that occured throughout Max's life.
Back then I didnt truly understand the importance of Pet Insurance and what was on offer, but once the vet explained what was available I straightaway did some research and purchased full insurance cover for Max. That was the best decision I ever made.
At about 12 months of age I noticed a wart like lump the size of a pea underneath his anus. When I took him in for his scheduled vaccination it was looked at by the vet and I was told to keep a close eye out for any changes of its shape or size. At about 2 years of age it suddenly changed and looked quite ugly. This was then checked again by my vet and tests were done to determine exactly what it was. The news was'nt good at all, as they found nasty cells which told us it was a mastcell tumour (cancerous malignant tumour ). Our only choice was surgery to have the mass taken out and to hope and pray that the vet got all the cancerous cells. The news was good and thankfully the surgery was successful.
A year later Max injured his cruciate ligament ( located in the knee joint) chasing rabbits in the paddock. This was something else that required surgery to give Max back his mobility and releave him of the pain from an unsound joint. Again the surgery was successful and recuperation took about 6 to 8 weeks. Due to the excess stress on his opposite knee joint, soon after he had the all clear from the vet his good cruciate ligament ruptured. So once again surgery was needed and strict rest and only on lead walks for 6 to 8 weeks were allowed.
At 6 years of age I noticed a small growth on his lower gumline next to his back tooth. Due to his history we took a biopsy of the lump and the results came back as a gingival fibrosarcoma which is another nasty cancerous tumour. Due to the type of cancer, it was necessary to have a CT scan performed as this would show us if the tumour had advanced. Max had to go through yet another surgery which involved removing almost half of his jaw on the left side. Yet again the surgery was successful and even though he was missing half of his jaw he coped unbelievably well and was still a happy beautiful boy.
When he was around nine we were on a road trip and travelled from north WA down to Perth (12-13 hour drive). Due to the heat and excitement of the journey , within minutes of him eating his dry biscuits, his belly had swollen up like a balloon and I knew straightaway that he had bloat (GDV- Gastric Dilation Volvulus). This condition is common in large breed dogs, it is when the stomach is so full of food,water and air that it twists on its self. We rushed Max to the vet were he had emergency surgery and was in a serious condition for the next few days. Even after everything that he went through Max again fully recovered and always had a happy, bubbly attitude towards life.
Only a few months later Max had slight lameness in his back leg and within days could'nt use it at all and was in alot of pain. Once again we were off to the vet thinking he may have flaired up an old knee injury as he still ran around like a puppy even though he was now nine years old . After x-rays we were absolutely destraught to learn that his leg was broken due to a bone cancer (Osteosarcoma). Our only options were either to put Max to sleep or to remove his leg and see if he would be able to cope with this major operation. After more tests to see if the cancer had spread ( metastasized ) we decided to go ahead with the amputation and an intensive course of chemotheraphy. Within only one day of having his leg amputated Max was up and about and so happy to be free of pain and mobile again.
For the next few months he underwent his chemotheraphy treatment and then had x-rays which gave us the all clear. As you you can imagine we were hugely relieved and happy that Max had survived yet another life threatening illness.
He was now nearly 11 and due to everything he had been through ie treatment, drugs etc his liver had started to fail and he lost his beautiful spark. We did more tests but unfortunately there was nothing we could do for him as the liver damage was too advanced and we faced the awful reality of doing the right thing by him and letting him go. Saying farewell to Max was the hardest thing I have ever had to go through as he was my best mate. He taught me so much about love and how not to be selfish, he was a very exceptional boy who will always be with me .
Now I understand that Max's situation was not common and that thankfully most pets will not have to experience any of those illnesses but without good pet insurance Max would never have reached his tenth birthday. Max's treatment over the years cost well into the tens of thousands and luckily for me my Pet insurance gave me the peace of mind to know that what ever occured I could always provide him with the care he needed. I truly think that being a responsible pet owner means we not only provide them with a loving home but also guarantee their health is taken care of properly.
The Importance Of Pet Insurance
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