The cost of loving a pet

July 08--There's no question we make an emotional investment in our pets. But let's face it, we also make a financial one.

And when it comes to a major health event with them, it's tough to have to deal with some difficult $$$ choices on top of all the other stress.

In Hank's and my case, we learned a lesson the hard way. Kessy, our aging yellow Lab and the fourth dog of our married life, suffered a seizure and I brought her to an emergency vet. They tried hard to save her but barely a half day later, we had to have her euthanized.

The bill for her care for about 16 hours was more than $2,000 and while we didn't regret a penny, I realized it was time to look into pet insurance.

When we adopted our next dog, Koli, in 2012, I immediately decided to get insurance for her and our two cats. While there are quite a few decent plans out there, I checked around with our vets and online and ultimately opted for Trupanion. Koli was about 3 and as with people, younger means cheaper so for her ($40) and the kits ($25 each) it totaled about $90 a month.

While Trupanion doesn't cover routine vet visits, it does cover the bigger stuff. Which I unexpectedly -- and sadly -- needed with Koli. Out of the blue at age 6 she was diagnosed with lymphoma. Except for a $500 deductible and the cost of office visits, Trupanion reimbursed me 90 percent of more than $6,000 in chemo and cancer treatments and tests. And gave us five more good months with Koli.

So when we adopted Kandee three years ago, there was no question I would insure her. Because she was younger (18 months to age 2) it cost even less than Koli, about $35 per month. While the price has increased slightly, I have no complaints. Again, while I never expected to need it, Trupanion has been great in helping to pay for Kandee's pacemaker costs.

Just to give you an idea, the actual surgery was around $4,500 and the ongoing testing.... echocardiograms, EKGs, pacemaker tweaks and the like ... climbs into the hundreds of dollars.

Then there are Kandee's heart meds. The blood thinner isn't a big deal but the heart pills run about $100 a month

We'd do it anyway but for all these things, a 90 percent reimbursement definitely is nice to have.

Now I realize that not all of you who love your pets can afford pet insurance. Believe me, I count my blessings. But I hope it helps to know that many vets, locally and beyond, offer plans where you can borrow money for your furry one's care interest-free over a specified payback period.

Check with your vet for more information.

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