F E A T U R E
S T O R Y
Better Insured Than Sorry
WRIT TEN BY: JEANNE TAYLOR, Staff Writer
We all dread the unknown when it comes to our pets, but the reality is things happen that are out of our control. Maybe Fluffy escapes your yard and loses in an altercation with a neighbor dog, or worse, meets with the front-end of a vehicle on your street. Maybe there is a challenging diagnosis that comes out of nowhere during a routine vet visit. These unknowns are hard enough to consider – but what about the costs of emergency care or specialty services when our pets need them? On average, a car strike case can run into the thousands for the initial critical care and hospital stay time and medications, as well as the followup veterinary visits, cast changes, x-rays and other diagnostics if there were internal injuries, for example. Emergency surgery to clear an obstruction can cost several thousands of dollars as well. A surprise diagnosis of cancer in a young pet especially can create a huge financial hardship and in some cases will force pet guardians to make a decision about what they can and are willing to afford. In 2021, pet cancer treatment and therapies averaged several thousand dollars, according to Care Credit. It can be a staggering expense for the un- or underprepared.
