Better Safe than Sorry…How I Wish I Had Enrolled Jonah With Pet Insurance Much Sooner.

Having a pet, whether you prefer a dog or a cat, is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to you. They are the true definition of unconditional love. I can tell you from my own experience as I lived it the moment I saw Jonah for the first time. He stood out from all his littermates. As I sat down to enjoy their company, he approached me first as if we both felt the same connection; maybe I stood out for him from his siblings (of course I did, I was a human haha). There was no going back, I fell in love and made the best decision of my life, he was coming home with me.

Keep in mind, he was my first pet so my experience with having one was zero to none. I thought of all the things I could buy him; clothes, toys, treats, etc… but last thing I thought about getting him was without a doubt the most important. The first months were amazing. I saw him run around the house, I taught him a couple of tricks , trained him to be a “good boy” and do his “business” outside instead of all over my parent’s carpet. I also gave him all the treats he asked for, and he ask for a lot of them! Everything was going perfect until one day, almost a year after having him and with Christmas right around the corner, I noticed he wasn’t urinating more than a couple of drops, and some of those drops had blood mixed in. As anyone would, I panicked and took him straight to an animal hospital.

After taking his information down, the clerk asked me if Jonah had any insurance, and I told her I didn’t think he would need it so soon. She gave me the “you’re gonna regret that decision very soon” face, and it was very easy to read it. Jonah went inside, got examined, and less than half an hour after, the doctor came out to speak to me. Very calmly, she told me the dog was suffering from cysteine stones. These were stones that needed to be examined through ultrasound. He had so many stones they had completely covered his urinary tract, and these were stones that couldn’t be broken down with medicine or special food. As if that was not enough, these were stones that needed to be removed surgically. Very naively to the situation, I asked them how much would these procedures cost, and they said about $7000, especially because it was an emergency visit. There was no turning back; I had to pay out of pocket, and he got the procedure done. After that, I got him pet insurance and figured everything would be okay.

Remember I said I had zero to no experience with having a pet and making the proper decisions when getting one? Well, Jonah had to get another surgery less then 5 months after his first one and his insurance did not cover existing conditions, so again I had to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket. He was so full of stones again, they had to remove them, and this time make him a wider urinary tract so it could become easier for him to urinate them instead of having to remove them surgically every 5 months. I am still trying to recover from the amount of money I had to invest to help my friend get through his tough times. I don’t regret it for a second, but I am aware that things could have been different if I had someone to give me advise regarding the health of my pet and the importance of pet insurance.

That first year and a half with him I learned a valuable lesson; one that as a fellow pet owner I would like you to learn before you ever have to go through what me and Jonah went through. Yes, clothes, toys and treats are a sign of your love to your pet, but more than those things, is making sure your pet is covered in case thing go unexpectedly. We can’t always predict what lies ahead, but we can prepare for it. It’s a shame I didn’t have someone point me to the right direction before Jonah went through what he did. But that doesn’t have to happen to you. I recommend any new pet owner to check out TheInsuredPet.com, a pet insurance review and advisory site. Here, you can learn how pet insurance works, compare the top pet insurance offering the best plans, and from there, you will be able to confidently choose the one that best fits your pet’s needs and situation.

Having a pet is in fact one of the most wonderful things that can happen to you, so do it properly and enjoy!

Andres and Jonah