Summer Holds Special Hazards for PetsSummer Holds Special Hazards for PetsPets Best, veterinarian, dog, cat, surgery, summer, claim, insurance, reimbursement, petPets Best Insurance processes some bizarre summertime claims on behalf of its four-legged clientele.Pets Best Insurance reveals cautionary tales from its database.newsline, pet-health-newsPosted: June 27, 2013, 3:15 p.m. EDTAgents who field calls for Pets Best Insurance of Boise, Idaho, have heard it all. Since it first began offering pet insurance nationwide in 2005, Pets Best, the only veterinarian-founded pet insurance company in the United States, has processed some bizarre summertime claims on behalf of its four-legged clientele. And if summers past are any indication, the insurer is sure to have a few doozies by the time fall rolls around. Eating golf balls can be painful for dogs and costly to their bill-paying owners. Pets Best revealed these cautionary tales from its database in the hope they won’t be repeated in the summer of 2013: • Tango, a German shorthaired pointer, consumed a beach towel. After the dog regurgitated parts of the towel, the remaining portion had to be surgically removed. • A Labrador retriever named Copper wolfed down two golf balls, both of which had to be surgically removed. • A Weimaraner named Max ingested fertilizer and required close monitoring and treatment with intravenous fluids. • Bailey, a Labrador retriever, required two trips to the vet after downing nectarine pits. • Zoie, a Maltese, swallowed beach sand. She ended up at a vet’s office twice for monitoring and treatment with intravenous fluids. All the patients ran up veterinary bills ranging from $1,600 to $3,300. Insured by Pets Best, their owners were reimbursed a large percentage of the amount. "Pets will always be curious and adventurous,” said Jack Stephens, DVM, founder and president of Pets Best. "The summer months pose many risks for accidents, especially when families include their pets in vacations, yard work and outdoor activities.” According to a competitor, Veterinary Pet Insurance, "intestinal upset/diarrhea” and "upset stomach/vomiting” were among the top 10 reasons dogs and cats ended up at a veterinarian’s office in 2012. The Brea, Calif., insurer cited "dietary indiscretion” and poisoning as two of the causes of intestinal and stomach problems in dogs and cats. <HOME>http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/images/vpn-tab-image/xray-contest-winner2011-250px.jpg6/27/2013 12:43 PM
