Insurance For Those Who Value Their Pets (NAPS)—Moast people insure the things they value the most: T 7 their health, car, home..and sow manyare insuringtheir pets. There are special health insurance policies that cover accidents and Unesses. One particular pet insurance plan, has covered some extraordi- nary cases, “While some of these cases may seem humorous in retrospect, we have to remember that, at the time, they were real emergencies for the pets and their owners,” says dack Stephens, DVM, founder and CEO of Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPD. “The lesson to be learned is that pets can get themselves into an amazing vari- ety of dangerous predicaments. From what we can tell so far, 2001 is going moore smoothly for this group.” Here are a few examples frora “Every dog has his day.” se does every cat—pet insurance may take care of that. fromcrashing through the window. Nailed Enu, a Yorkshire Terrier, took “sleeping at the feet of his master” a step too far.He chmbedinto his the Veterinary Pet Insurance owner’s work boot for a little Chilly Dog With holiday meal preparation in high gear, no one noticed Rex, the wily Yorkshire Terrier, climb inte the refrigerator. By the time he was discovered, the well-chilled here, the owner tried to pull on his boot. Diagnosis: Seratched cornea from owner’s toenail. Stick-to-it-tiveness inle chasing a rabbit through the desert, one hapless Border Collie named Jesse, zigged when he should have zagged. Diagnosis: Severe lacerations on nose, face and body from an encounterof the cactus kind. Getting a Seasonal Glow Every year, a brighthy lit tree stands in the living room of one particular home. Electrical cords from the strings of lights are mighty tempting to dogs and cats alike. But curiosity nearly got the best of one insured cat—Honey, an orange Tabby. Her shocking discovery nearly dimmed everyone’s holiday. Diagnosis: Severe burns. Near diagnosis: Electrocution. Sheer Madness Most dogs will eat anything says the insurance company and company: pooch had managed to nosh half the family’s holiday ham. Diagnosis: Pancreatitis from overindulgence. Hypothermia from excess refrigeration. Dream Kitty Stuffie, a Himalayan cat, napping on a windowledge, woke sudderdy (bad dreara?) and jumped straight up in the air. As gravity kicked in, she hurtled to the floor, and her back paws smacked against the ledge. Diagnosis: Two broken paws. Pane and Suffering Cora, an Alaskan Malamute was walking along when she saw acat sunning itself in a house window. To any normal, redblooded American pup, this is an invitation to playtime. Diagnosis: S lacerations snooze. Not realizing Enu was in it has proof. One Italian Greyhound, Max, hit a snag when he ate an entire pair of pantyhose. Max’s owner was relieved to have Veterinary Pet Insurance because, just a few months later, Max ate another pair of pantyhose. Will he ever learn? Diagnosis: Gastrointestinal obstruction. Other likely, but ruled-out, diagnoses: Intestinal perforation, indigestion. “The dogs and cats we share our homes with are intelligent, playful and sometimes obedient. But theyre always mischievous,” notes VPPs Dr. Stephens. “The fact is, most claims we receive are frora pets doing what comes naturally.” Veterinarian Pet Insurance covers more than 6,400 medical conditions related to accidents and illnesses. Coverage is also available for vaceinations androutine care. “Pet owners can’t possibly predict the predicaments their pets will get themselves into,” Stephens said, “but knowing their pet is protected provides peace of mind.” For more information on insur- ing your pets, call 800-USA-PETS (806-872-7387) or visit the Web site at petinsurance.com.
