Q. I'm thinking about getting pet insurance for my 2 chihuahuas and I'm unsure of what kind is good and how it works. I have found one online but I'm just tring to get some suggestions. Please no smart remakes.
A. Hi kimedwards0108,
Disclaimer: I work for Embrace Pet Insurance in Cleveland, Ohio.
There are at least a half dozen pet insurance companies operating in the US (I assume that's where you are). Let me see if I can help you make sense of pet insurance so that you can decide whether it's right for you and your two chihuahuas (btw, my mom had 2 chihuahuas as well, one was only as big as a Coke can as a full-grown adult!)
Pet insurance basically works like this: you sign up online or over the phone, the pet insurance company will then send you all the insurance stuff. If your pet gets sick then you visit any vet you like and you pay the bill. The pet insurance plan then reimburses you depending on what level of cover you had and the particulars of your plan (deductible, etc).
Now this is where things get tricky: what sort of coverage should you get? Many people expect pet insurance to act just like human health insurance but it doesn't really.
The "right" insurance protects you from an unexpected, expensive accident or illness. Insurance should not pay for day-to-day stuff that you know is going to happen, such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering. Why not?
Let me give you an analogy: let's say your car insurance paid for things like tire rotations every 15,000 miles and for repairing all the dings and scratches. Do you think your premium might be much, much higher than it already is?
So don't be lulled into thinking you need routine care and/or wellness visits with your insurance, these end up costing you more than you would by paying yourself.
Something else for you to think about is how claims are paid. Several pet insurance companies in the US pay claims only to the benefit schedule maximum. So if, for example, the benefit schedule limits payment for a broken leg to $855 or whatever, then no matter how much your vet visit cost, that's all you'll get back!
If you live in a big city, the benefit schedule can mean you get only a fraction back of what the veterinary visit actually cost you. A broken leg can cost several thousand dollars to fix and a benefit schedule may only reimburse a fraction of this amount.
You are wiser to go with a company that does not use benefit schedules.
The other main area where pet insurance companies disappoint pet parents is in genetic cover. Many, many pets are susceptible to genetic diseases of one type or another. This doesn't mean they'll ever actually get anything - sometimes these are apparent at birth, many times they are not. According to one book I have on canine genetic diseases, chihuahuas are more likely to have cardiovascular problems and neoplasia (cancer) than other dogs.
Some pet insurance companies look for an excuse not to pay something by calling it "genetic". But that's not how any of us expects health insurance to behave! You could argue that almost anything is genetic if you put your mind to it. This kind of thing doesn't exactly give pet parents a warm, comfy feeling about pet insurance.
There are a couple of companies that cover congenital conditions: our company (Embrace Pet Insurance) and Petplan USA. There may be others that I am not aware of. Obviously congenital or genetic conditions are only covered if they are not already visible; you cannot insure a pre-existing condition.
I hope this helps you find the right pet insurance for you. You can contact me directly if you have additional questions.
Alex
Embrace Pet Insurance
Disclaimer: I work for Embrace Pet Insurance in Cleveland, Ohio.
There are at least a half dozen pet insurance companies operating in the US (I assume that's where you are). Let me see if I can help you make sense of pet insurance so that you can decide whether it's right for you and your two chihuahuas (btw, my mom had 2 chihuahuas as well, one was only as big as a Coke can as a full-grown adult!)
Pet insurance basically works like this: you sign up online or over the phone, the pet insurance company will then send you all the insurance stuff. If your pet gets sick then you visit any vet you like and you pay the bill. The pet insurance plan then reimburses you depending on what level of cover you had and the particulars of your plan (deductible, etc).
Now this is where things get tricky: what sort of coverage should you get? Many people expect pet insurance to act just like human health insurance but it doesn't really.
The "right" insurance protects you from an unexpected, expensive accident or illness. Insurance should not pay for day-to-day stuff that you know is going to happen, such as vaccinations and spaying/neutering. Why not?
Let me give you an analogy: let's say your car insurance paid for things like tire rotations every 15,000 miles and for repairing all the dings and scratches. Do you think your premium might be much, much higher than it already is?
So don't be lulled into thinking you need routine care and/or wellness visits with your insurance, these end up costing you more than you would by paying yourself.
Something else for you to think about is how claims are paid. Several pet insurance companies in the US pay claims only to the benefit schedule maximum. So if, for example, the benefit schedule limits payment for a broken leg to $855 or whatever, then no matter how much your vet visit cost, that's all you'll get back!
If you live in a big city, the benefit schedule can mean you get only a fraction back of what the veterinary visit actually cost you. A broken leg can cost several thousand dollars to fix and a benefit schedule may only reimburse a fraction of this amount.
You are wiser to go with a company that does not use benefit schedules.
The other main area where pet insurance companies disappoint pet parents is in genetic cover. Many, many pets are susceptible to genetic diseases of one type or another. This doesn't mean they'll ever actually get anything - sometimes these are apparent at birth, many times they are not. According to one book I have on canine genetic diseases, chihuahuas are more likely to have cardiovascular problems and neoplasia (cancer) than other dogs.
Some pet insurance companies look for an excuse not to pay something by calling it "genetic". But that's not how any of us expects health insurance to behave! You could argue that almost anything is genetic if you put your mind to it. This kind of thing doesn't exactly give pet parents a warm, comfy feeling about pet insurance.
There are a couple of companies that cover congenital conditions: our company (Embrace Pet Insurance) and Petplan USA. There may be others that I am not aware of. Obviously congenital or genetic conditions are only covered if they are not already visible; you cannot insure a pre-existing condition.
I hope this helps you find the right pet insurance for you. You can contact me directly if you have additional questions.
Alex
Embrace Pet Insurance
What are zoo keeper's working conditions, and employment?
Q. I'm doing a project for my ROP class for Animal Health Care. My questions are What are working conditions for zoo keepers, how do you seek and find a job? Also some more questions Are there any programs that you can get involve, are there any education programs, and schools? My project is do on the 8th so I will need to know it right away.
A. Alrighty approaching this one at a time.
Conditions: 90% of your time is spent outdoors, regardless of the weather, even when the zoo closes due to weather conditions keepers still have to feed animals and do routine maintenance/cleaning which involves work outside. Usually there is a large amount of physical labor (movement of feed/heavy wheelbarrows/trashcans/hay bales) You are always exposed to the rare though present sometimes unpredictable behavior of the animals.
Basically, it's a physical labor job (pretty much 50lb everything and the endurance to do that all day), that stresses a good memory, observational skills and ability to work under exposure of weather and allergens/disease vectors. A zookeeper learns how to keep what needs to be clean, clean, to not risk infections and that kind of risk.
Often you will also handle a limited amount of contact with people attending the zoo, giving rides or doing small educational shows. This entirely depends on the zoo, mine required I drive a few kinds of agro vehicles as well.
Seeking a job: If the zoo has online applications and job listings use those, otherwise contact the zoo directly to look for openings and meet with the manager if they do. Often they will suggest you leave an application with them in case a position becomes available.
Educational/Volunteer/Internship programs are offered by most large zoos and can be used for college credit as an elective.
Education fields related at college: Zoology, Animal Science, Biology, Marine Biology, Veterinary Technician, Parks and Recreation Management. There are others, those are the main priorities.
Specific Educations: There are a few colleges in the country which offer specifically zookeeping associates degrees. I would suggest just going one of the many other paths, a zookeeping degree is not worth a whole lot compared to say a vet tech degree, unless you simply lack the ability to complete the necessary coursework. However, Zookeeping degrees do raise the likelihood of becoming a zookeeper MANAGER.
Conditions: 90% of your time is spent outdoors, regardless of the weather, even when the zoo closes due to weather conditions keepers still have to feed animals and do routine maintenance/cleaning which involves work outside. Usually there is a large amount of physical labor (movement of feed/heavy wheelbarrows/trashcans/hay bales) You are always exposed to the rare though present sometimes unpredictable behavior of the animals.
Basically, it's a physical labor job (pretty much 50lb everything and the endurance to do that all day), that stresses a good memory, observational skills and ability to work under exposure of weather and allergens/disease vectors. A zookeeper learns how to keep what needs to be clean, clean, to not risk infections and that kind of risk.
Often you will also handle a limited amount of contact with people attending the zoo, giving rides or doing small educational shows. This entirely depends on the zoo, mine required I drive a few kinds of agro vehicles as well.
Seeking a job: If the zoo has online applications and job listings use those, otherwise contact the zoo directly to look for openings and meet with the manager if they do. Often they will suggest you leave an application with them in case a position becomes available.
Educational/Volunteer/Internship programs are offered by most large zoos and can be used for college credit as an elective.
Education fields related at college: Zoology, Animal Science, Biology, Marine Biology, Veterinary Technician, Parks and Recreation Management. There are others, those are the main priorities.
Specific Educations: There are a few colleges in the country which offer specifically zookeeping associates degrees. I would suggest just going one of the many other paths, a zookeeping degree is not worth a whole lot compared to say a vet tech degree, unless you simply lack the ability to complete the necessary coursework. However, Zookeeping degrees do raise the likelihood of becoming a zookeeper MANAGER.
Any vet techs out there that can help me with this question?
Q. I am doing vet tech classes online. Should i intern while doing the courses or should i wait and intern after i get certified. I need hands on expierence. Please only seriuos answers. Thanks!! =)
A. If I were you I would get as much experience as possible. I would try to intern somewhere now, or try to find a job as a veterinary assistant. Most of your learning is going to be hands on learning. And sometimes when you learn something out of a book, it doesn't really click until you see it done, or do it yourself. And it will also look good on your resume when you are looking for a job. Good Luck! You are going to love working with animals!
Why do people own cats but cannot care for them?
Q. I see an alarming number of questions from people who cannot afford basic veterinary care for their cat. They come online here, expecting us to be able to treat their cat, even asking advice for how to put a dying cat out of its misery. Is it too much to ask to assess the cost of care before taking on a pet? Doesn't anyone realize how irresponsible it is to not properly care for an animal?
A. AMEN TO THAT! I don't understand how people can be so selfish and cruel. It also comes down to laziness. If you are resourceful, you can find a way to get your cat veterinary care...get a 2nd job, beg, borrow, and barter. Research rescue organizations that will help you. This is why I like my cats more than most people.
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