]]>
My first pet was a beautiful black cat I found as a stray. I never bothered to get pet insurance for her because from the time she was a kitten she was never sick and never left the house so I figured it was a waste of money. Fast forward to 15 years later I'm in and out of the vet on a near monthly basis with bills continuously adding up. What could I do? Not get my cat the help she needed? Let her suffer? Put her down? Of course not. This cat was a part of me, I would do whatever it takes to help her and figure out the financial stuff later. Thousands of dollars and 2 years later my cat passed at the age of 17. Had I had pet insurance most of what I paid would have been covered.
When I adopted my chihuahua, Lucy the first thing I did was get pet insurance. I did my research and picked a policy with a deductible I could afford should something happen to her. It was the best decision I ever made. In 2016 Lucy we found a lump on her shoulder and took her to the vet. She was diagnosed with a Stage 2 soft cell sarcoma (cancer). She was given two options, they could do chemo but it would only have a 50% chance of working and she would only live about a year if it didn't work or they could amputate her leg and she would live a normal long life. No brainer, take the leg! From diagnosis to surgery I only had two weeks to wrap my brain around what was happening to my baby. I was a hot mess. I can't tell you how many times I called my pet Insurance hysterically crying asking if the surgery would be covered because she has had a benign tumor in the past and this surgery was going to cost me an estimated $10,000. Their customer service was so good and talked me down from the ledge so many times I couldn't be more grateful. They told me to just do whatever was needed, her health was most important and they would figure out the claim later. She had the surgery and the recovery was pretty intense. We had to teach her how to walk on 3 legs outside and how to get up on the couch. The hospital send the claim in for me and I had 90% of the money they pay for the claim back in my account within 2 days. It was that easy. When I needed more pain medication for her they paid that as well. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have the pet Insurance. I'm not a wealthy person and that bill would have really been a burden.
So let me get up on my soapbox and say GET PET INSURANCE! You may think I can't afford it or my pet is healthy he doesn't need it. You will. At some point inevitably your pet will need to see the vet, hopefully it won't be serious but what if it is? You don't want to be faced with the decision of having to put your beloved pet down because you have to make a choice between keeping a roof over your health and your pet. I have had a wonderful experience with Trupanion. They've always been willing to work with me and get my Lucy the care she needs. If you're thinking of getting pet insurance here is a link to them http://r.trupanion.com/Vn8CR with my referral code. Let's all have piece of mind knowing our pets will be taken care of.
]]>I often find myself wondering what if, what if I had known then what I know now would it have changed things? If I had started out feeding my little Lucy fresh food would she have gotten cancer and had to have her leg amputated? Did feeding her the commercial dog food do this to her? Am I to blame? I was the one that fed this to her. The guilt I have is incredible but the answer is I don't know. I can beat myself up about what happened all day long but at the end of the day I can only focus on the future. I am so lucky to have my best friend still with me even tho she is one leg short. I was fortunate enough to educate myself on pet nutrition and create a diet for my dogs that works. Yes, feeding fresh food is slightly more expensive than the burnt dry kibble you find in the stores but for years I went the cheap way and in the end I wound up spending THOUSANDS in vet bills. Handing my dog over to the surgeon that day was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. Since I made the change to fresh food my dogs are healthier, happier and have the energy they had as puppies. Both dogs have clean bills of health every time we go for a checkup and Pike's Pancreatitis has been pretty much cleared up. He went from throwing up everyday to now he throws up maybe once every couple of months. I'm not a doctor but here's what I know: I fed my dog whatever was on sale and the cheapest at the store and I ended up having to spend thousands at the vet when both dogs got sick. Now I spend a little more on their food feeding them fresh diets and now I am in and out at the vet with clean bills of health every time. All I can say to you is try it for yourself, make the change and see for yourself how much more energy your dog has, how excited they get for mealtime and how much happier you both will be.
]]>
Our dog Pike was rescued by my boyfriend Cory right outside the Holland Tunnel in New Jersey. He saw someone throw him out the window of the car and being the huge animal lover like myself he jumped out of the car and chased the frightened dog up and down the highway trying to catch him. Eventually he managed to catch him and get him to safety. My boyfriend took him to the Liberty Humane Society and told them he found him on the highway. He had a broken leg and bite marks all over him. They told Cory that they believed he was being used as a bait dog to train fight dogs. The shelter gave him the name Turnpike and sent my boyfriend home. The next day Cory called to check on the dog when he couldn't get the thought of him out of his head. No one came looking for him and he was the only small dog alone at the shelter. The big softy he is, my boyfriend returned to the shelter, adopted him and brought him home where he's been with us ever since. He got a new name too, Pike. Pike is by far the sweetest boy and has no residual issues stemming from his past life.
Lucy our 3 legged chihuahua was adopted from North Shore Animal League. The shelter freed her from a puppy mill in LA. She was over a year old so she was much less expensive than the puppies available. We lovingly refer to her as my clearance puppy.
Since our launch we have donated food and made donations to Liberty Humane Society, North Shore Animal League and Animal Haven Animal Shelter. We love giving back because every dog deserves good nutrition.
]]>Commercial dog food is a self regulated industry which means the big companies make the rules that they follow. All they are looking out for is their bottom line not your pets health.
Commercial dog food brands are allowed to use ingredients that can be rendered which are left over from the human food processing plants, leftovers from slaughter houses, dead farm animals, rotten meat and even euthanized pets from animal shelters.
]]>