This post is brought to you by Pets Best. As always, we only publish posts that we believe you’ll enjoy, and all thoughts and opinions are strictly our own.
Although puppies should never be a surprise gift, many families who are experiencing a quiet holiday at home opt to adopt this time of year. While not a good fit for families with busy social schedules, excited children and a house full of activity and ornaments, the holidays can be a good time for couples and singles to adopt, taking advantage of their time off of work to bond and begin to housetrain a new family member.
Before you even settle on your new dog’s name, though, there’s another important decision that you need to make: deciding on pet insurance. You may think that you don’t need pet insurance–or don’t need it until your dog gets older. You may think that you can save up every month to create a savings account to handle veterinary emergencies as they arise.
Think again.
Puppies are notorious for getting into trouble. In Tiki’s first year, she and Irie were tussling when Tiki’s nail became caught in Irie’s collar–and ripped 2/3rds out. The nail bled like crazy, and we had to take her to the vet for nail removal, which involved anesthesia–and several hundred dollars of expense. (Her nail has since grown back!)
Just a few months after the nail incident, we were hiking with Tiki when suddenly she yelped and jumped back from a rock–when a large Texas Alligator Lizard chomped down on her nose! Although this incident didn’t require a vet visit, it made us realize just how easily she could have had a run-in — and a dangerous, expensive one, at that — with a rattlesnake or copperhead, both common in our area.
Both Irie and Tiki have pet insurance, and we always recommend that pet parents consider pet insurance. As veterinary treatments become more and more advanced, the potential cost of vet care rises, too. When Irie needed TPLO surgery for a torn ACL a couple of years ago, the cost approached $3,000.
With multiple pets, it’s really difficult to save enough money to cover the potential of more than one serious illness or accident within a year’s time. For the same amount of money you’d set aside for a veterinary savings account, you can purchase pet insurance for each pet that will then protect your dog in the event of an accident or illness.
If you’re bringing a new dog into your family this holiday season–or even if you’re just doing a little budgeting for the new year–we’d urge you to take a few minutes to get a pet insurance quote. It doesn’t cost anything, and you can do it all online. You can get a quote online from Pets Best in just a few minutes to help make your decision. You can also download a copy of their New Dog Owner’s Guide to help make the transition into your home happy and healthy for your new dog!
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