I Love My Dog…{And Why I’m Thankful for Pet Insurance}

Okay, he’s not just my dog… Toby is our family dog.

And we adore him.

Our miniature schnauzer is 2-1/2 years old and we fell in love the moment we held him in our arms at just 8 weeks old.  He is special to us for many reasons…

He is our sons’ first dog.

He makes us smile and laugh every single day.

Mornings are like a holiday when Toby meets us at the bottom of the staircase, or at the door after a long day. He greets us with squeals and jumps and demands for hugs and rub downs before we get two steps by him.

He never fails to lavish us with love.

And we didn’t think we would have him for long.

Because Toby was born with a liver shunt.

We found this out sometime after he turned one and had his first surgery to remove stones. Than months later, had a second surgery when stones returned due to a diagnosed liver anomaly — a shunt.

After his first surgery we thought all would be well, but then to see blood in his urine so soon after, and told he needed to have stones removed again, was shocking.

The second surgery to repair his liver was grueling for him, and for us. His surgeon warned us 70% of dog’s do not survive from possible blood pressure build-up on the heart and brain once the shunt is closed off. We feared for him and it was difficult to hand him over on surgery day.

But, Toby made it. 

And we were so thankful to the Lord when we saw him five days later trot from behind double doors at the animal hospital. Like always he greeted us with squeals and yelps and jumps trying to kiss our faces despite the zipper of staples running up from his groin to his belly.

And once he healed and regained strength he was back stronger and happier than ever.

We were so grateful for pet insurance we reluctantly acquired.

Having help to pay for the costly second surgery saved his life.  The bills came in at almost $6,000 and our insurance company took care of 80% — liver repair, pain medicines, antibiotics — and to this day they help with the cost of hepatic prescription dog food. Our monthly premiums will never add up to what the company has paid out for his medical expenses. And the premium did not change despite all those costs.

Without pet insurance, I’m not sure how we would have been able to afford his care. Initially, we didn’t want to take on the monthly bill, even though it was affordable. We felt our puppy was young and healthy and because he was born through a reputable breeder, and an AKC dame and sire, we never imagined health problems would crop up so soon.

I am more than happy to share with you who we have our plan through — just please send me a message and ask. I am not sponsored by the company, nor do I receive a commission — I would simply like to know your interest in insuring your pet, too. And if you have any questions about Toby’s journey, please ask. I will try to help — from a mom’s point of view of course.

(Update: Toby had a third surgery in October 2014. You can read more about that here.)