By Project Your Bubble for LIPetPlace.com

In 2013 Teach Your Pet This One Life-Saving Thing

Protect Your Bubble identifies the most important command every dog (and dog parent) should know

Every year we set new goals for ourselves – lose weight, get healthy, land a promotion, find that special someone.  But what about our dogs – should we set goals for them?  The folks at Protect Your Bubble pet health insurance brand say yes!  And they’ve narrowed it down to one very important thing.  In fact, it’s one of the most important things you can ever teach your dog – it could save his or her life one day.

It’s called emergency recall and most pet loving families have neglected to teach Fido this command for a number of reasons – it can be tough to train, it can be boring (for your dog) to learn, and it’s not used very often.  But boy will your tail be wagging when you need to use it and your dog listens.

An ‘emergency recall’ command is very different from a ‘come when called’ command, according to pet behaviorist and certified dog trainer Kate Jackson with Jabula Dog Academy.  “Dogs are used to hearing the word ‘come’ and often there are strings attached – they’re in trouble, they’re leaving the dog park or they’re headed to the vet.  Because the ‘come here’ command is used so often, many dogs decide to ignore it to avoid the consequences it may bring.  That’s why teaching an emergency recall is so important – it’s the ‘drop everything you are doing and come running back to me immediately’ command.

Watch behaviorist Kate Jackson discuss this command.

This command should be reserved for emergencies ONLY – your dog is running into traffic or headed towards a dogfight or an aggressive or dangerous situation.  “It’s extremely important not to overuse this command so your dog doesn’t become conditioned to ignore it,” says Kate.  “He or she should come immediately when this command is used, no questions asked.  In the event of an emergency, it could be the difference between life and death.”

“As a pet health insurer, we see many injuries that could have been avoided,” says Stephen Ebbett, President of Protect Your Bubble.  “Believe it or not, ninety two percent of pets will experience a severe accident or emergency in their lifetime. We believe that an emergency recall command can save our pet-loving customers a lot of heartache.  It’s not a very well known command, so we want to spread the word.  It’s a great goal for 2013 – teach your pet this one life-saving thing.”

If you don’t already use an emergency recall command and you’ve trained your dog to do other tasks, this command can be taught by using positive reinforcement and repetition.  If you’re not comfortable training your dog, Protect Your Bubble recommends searching for a certified trainer in your area and finding one with whom you and your pooch are comfortable. And remember, for those with a Protect Your Bubble pet health insurance policy, behaviorists can be covered under certain policies, so give us a call to find out (toll free 1-855-792-7387). Training this command will help ensure a healthy and happy year with your beloved furry family members.

About Protect Your Bubble

Headquartered in Atlanta, GA, Protect Your Bubble is available online, via mobile app or phone, and allows consumers to understand, buy and protect what’s most important to them. The insurance company offers the following types of insurance plans: Pet, Car Rental Insurance, Travel and Gadget.  Pet plans provide up to 90 percent reimbursement for covered vet charges for eligible accidents, illnesses, hereditary conditions and behavioral treatments and alternative therapies. They allow owners to visit any licensed vet in the country. Additionally, annual deductible options start at $100 which only need to be met once per plan year.

This is a sponsored post for LIPetPlace.com to teach a life saving command to your dog.

by Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Mina’s Story

Margaret Norris was so excited last summer to bring home a new member of the family, Mina.  Adopted as a small kitten from Last Hope Animal Rescue last summer, Mina, a jet black cat who is now almost a year old cat had a very scary health problem just this past March.  After a visit to the vet for her rabies shot, Mina have such a very rare and uncommon reaction to the vaccination, it had doctor’s baffled.

“We adopted our kitty, Mina, from a shelter when she was two months old and she has been just the sweetest little girl – very affectionate, loves to be held and carried. Mina had been given vaccinations by the shelter vet before we got her, and got some additional vaccinations from our vet when she was four months old, with no problems.

A couple of weeks ago I took her in for her final vaccine, for rabies. She seemed fine for a day or so, and then gradually began to become very lethargic and stopped eating and drinking. Four days after the vaccine I took her back to the vet because she hadn’t had anything to eat or drink for more than 24 hours. She had begun hiding behind furniture and wouldn’t come out. When I took her in to the vet she could barely pick her head up off the examining table, and when the vet palpitated her abdomen she practically snarled at him.

He kept her at his clinic for four days and she seemed slightly better after she got some IV fluids and an antibiotic. Unfortunately, her blood tests came back showing that she was extremely anemic, and she would need blood transfusions. At this point he was stymied as to what was causing the symptoms because apparently it is highly unusual to have this kind of a reaction to the rabies vaccine. (There are some other very rare reactions, but anemia isn’t one of them.)

He sent her to a veterinary internal medicine specialist, who was also baffled. The specialist vet gave her two kitty blood transfusions, did ultrasound and discovered her spleen was enlarged, and did a whole bunch of other tests which ruled out feline leukemia and blood parasites. His final diagnosis was that the rabies vaccine somehow caused her immune system to attack her red blood cells, so he put her on steroids to suppress the immune response.

Fortunately, all of this treatment saved the kitty’s life, but it came at a cost of almost $4000. Luckily for us, we decided to buy Trupanion Pet Health Insurance a few months ago, so we will only end up paying $400 instead. When we signed up for the policy I kind of thought it was a waste of money, but not any more. While the insurance is relatively inexpensive- $20 a month for Mina – for young animals, I’ve decided to add our two older animals to the policy too. Pet health insurance – $20 a month – not having to watch our beloved kitty die because the treatment is too expensive – priceless.”

Margaret initially knew a friend that had pet health insurance and heard about Trupanion through her veterinarian’s office.  She said they are very happy with Trupanion, the plan, policies and customer service.  For Mina her future prognosis is good, she does have to go for follow up blood count at the vet soon – but Margaret said she is back to her old happy, sweet, playful self.  Margaret also said, although Mina had this ordeal, she will still always vaccinate her other pets with the rabies vaccination – as this was such a rare thing to happen – that the doctor’s never heard of this before.  The rabies vaccination is also required by New York State Law – and since we have had outbreaks in raccoons over the last few years in our area – it would be irresponsible and unlawful not to vaccinate.

By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

National Pet Health Insurance Month

Did you know that September is National Pet Health Insurance Month?
It seems we have a month, day or week for nearly everything these days, but pet health insurance is more important now than ever. Founded in 2007, the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) was formed and works collaboratively with its members to establish and maintain universal and professional standards for terminology, best practices, quality, and ethics in the pet health industry.

One company, Trupanion who is a member of NAPHIA recently announced a “No Dollar Limit” provision for their policy, which is really breaking the mold when it comes to pet health insurance companies.  Trupanion announced that they will no longer have a dollar limit on policies, per year incidents, year or lifetime.  Thomas Russo, Territory Partner of Long Island and Queens said, “This is an industry first.  I am thrilled to be part of a company that focuses more on the actual pet’s health care, than restrictions and stringent polices.”  This change will make other pet insurance companies wake up and take notice.

Limits are one way that pet insurance companies protect themselves from large benefit payouts and the potential of an expanding cost of claims. Many times, caps in benefit payments are not thoroughly understood and can place a company in an adversarial position with the policyholder. By removing the cap, Trupanion streamlines their policy and can focus more on resources on service.

Trupanion is also an industry leader in more ways than their no limit policy, they also cover 90% of claims, and pet owners can select any deductible from 0 to 1,000 dollars and find the premium that best suits them.  The company also offers a 30-day free trial certificate for new pet owners of pets under a year old.  So if you are looking for a company for your new pet, or old pet’s health insurance, do your research and check out Trupanion (www.trupanion.com).

Contact Thomas Russo: thomas.russo@trupanion.com
NAPHIA: www.naphia.org

June 20, 2010
By Nancy E. Hassel, LIPetPlace.com

Pet Insurance Company help saves cats life, owners wallet.

People often ask me about pet insurance, should they get it, what company is best and how it works. Pet owners hesitating on getting pet insurance or looking for a great company need to read the amazing testimonial below about how Trupanion Pet Medical insurance saved this cat’s life and the owner’s wallet.

“A few months ago we adopted brother and sister twin kittens. Being a new pet owner I was new to the idea of pet insurance. I was offered a free 30 day trial of Trupanion and decided to give it a try. Not even two weeks later, I came home to find one of my cats, Roku, extremely sick. He had vomited and barely had enough energy to lift his head from where he was lying. Our vet recommended bringing him into the clinic immediately. After being examined, Roku’s blood pressure was dangerously low and the vet was concerned. To complicate matters it was Friday and the vet clinic was closed for the weekend. At my vet’s recommendation I took Roku to an emergency clinic where they had to perform emergency surgery for a possible blocked intestine. They had strong suspicions that he might have swallowed a foreign object or that he had contracted FIP (feline intestinal paracytosis) which is a deadly disease in cats. So one surgery and multiple tests later, the clinic bill had skyrocketed to over $4000. Not exactly the kind of money you keep lying around. I was freaked out by the bill but knew that I had the Trupanion trial. After submitting my claim, I was reimbursed for 90% of the entire bill, no questions asked. I had the check in my hands before the charge was even printed on my credit card statement. All of this and I hadn’t even made my first monthly payment to Trupanion.

Roku completely recovered from his surgery and is totally healthy today. Who knows how things would have gone if I was reluctant to get the procedures he needed to get better because I couldn’t afford them. Needless to say I have kept my monthly Trupanion service and would recommend their insurance to anyone. I’ve never experienced an insurance company that was easier to deal with. They truly care about pets and pet owners.” Sincerely, Tara Minogue

To find out more about Trupanion and the 30-day trial go to www.trupanion.com, or contact our local Long Island Territory Partner, Thomas Russo via email at thomas.russo@trupanion.com.

Roku & Ikka