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The costs of veterinary health care, much like those of human health care, are rising and many pet owners are turning to pet health insurance to help defray some of those costs. Unlike human health care, you don't need pet health insurance to ensure your vet treats your animal companion. For pets, insurance coverage is a choice, not a necessity. But as the pet insurance industry has changed in recent years, more options are available to pet owners for coverage levels and care options than before.

Pet insurance policies are largely similar to human insurance policies. There are annual premiums and deductibles, and plans are based on age, medical conditions, a pet's lifestyle and species. Some policies provide comprehensive coverage, and will reimburse owners for costs associated with annual wellness exams, vaccinations and other routine visits; other policies will cover only accidents or injuries. Depending on the policy you chose, there may be limits on coverage for pre-existing medical conditions for older pets.

Pet insurance plans differ from human insurance when it comes to filing claims. Following a procedure - a TPLO surgery, for example - the owner will pay the veterinarian directly and then submit a claim to the insurance provider for reimbursement. How much the insurance company pays all depends on the policy and the procedure. Some plans, such as the one offered by PetFirst Healthcare, do not cover "cosmetic or preventative surgeries" such as declawing procedures, anal sac removal and ear cropping and tail docking. Other plans, like the one offered by ShelterCare, cover cancer treatment but do not cover spay/neuter procedures. Other popular providers include Veterinary Pet Insurance and Pet's Best. Even organizations like the ASPCA and the American Kennel Club offer insurance plans.

The costs for pet insurance are small compared to human insurance, with monthly costs averaging about $30 and deductibles averaging about $100. Most plans begin enrolling pets at around 8 weeks of age and limit enrollment to pets under eight to 10 years of age (though if the pet was enrolled before this limit, he or she will remain covered).

What should you watch out for when purchasing pet insurance? First, make sure your veterinarian is approved by your provider. Some providers limit coverage to certain veterinarians in a network or provider list, though most pet insurance companies allow owners to use the veterinarian of their choice. Next, review the exclusions in the policy. Some plans will cover pre-existing medical conditions if they are stabilized, while others may exclude some conditions and procedures all together. Also look at the various caps (maximum amount paid) for each claim. In some cases, a provider will use an annual cap, limiting the amount of reimbursements paid out over a year, while in other cases, a lifetime cap may be applied.

Pet insurance is not the only option when it comes to covering health care costs for your pet. Some veterinary hospitals accept CareCredit, which reimburses veterinarians for expensive procedures and allows clients to set up extended payment plans. Meanwhile, some veterinary hospitals offer wellness packages for new kittens and puppies. These packages offer a combination of services (wellness exams, vaccinations, diagnostic tests, etc.) at a reduced rate for new pet owners.

How To Give Your Dog A Pill

So, the veterinarian has sent you and your not-so-well dog home with a bottle of pills and some instructions.

Don't worry. Giving pills to your dog is just a matter of know-how and plenty of praise. Here are the steps to follow. Note: Giving a pill to your dog is not the same as giving a pill to your cat.

Pilling a Dog

1. Gently take hold of the head from above, placing your thumb and fingers on either side of the muzzle. Squeeze firmly in and up just behind the canine teeth ("fangs"). The dog's mouth should open.
2. Use your free hand to hold on to the pill while lowering the animal's jaw. With the mouth open wide, place the pill as far back on the tongue as possible, pushing it even farther with your index finger.
3. Gently close and hold the muzzle while your dog swallows. You can encourage this by stroking the underside of the throat downward.
4. Finally, give your dog lots of praise and reinforcement each time he swallows a pill.

Here are additional helpful tips for pilling your dog:

The more quickly you perform the above steps, the better.

Film-coated pills are best. They go down more easily and don't dissolve as quickly, which is important if it takes you more than one try.

If you can't get the pill down, try disguising it in something your dog loves (example: peanut butter or cream cheese).

Check with your veterinarian, because some medication should not be given with food.

Abscesses in cats are serious conditions. Unlike abscesses in humans and dogs, for example, they function deep below the skin and like the legendary iceberg, this unseen portion does most of the damage. An abscess in a cat is not "just an abscess" as so many people offhandedly observe. It is a condition which requires medical attention and antibiotic therapy.

Despite the great natural resistance of cats to infection, abscesses are common and are caused by a break in the skin through which bacteria enter. All cats carry lethal bacteria in their mouths and these bacteria cause the vast majority of cat abscesses when they are left behind in a bite wound.

Bite wounds from fighting are the most common causes of cat abscesses. Young male cats often suffer from abscesses at the base of the tail. This location usually denotes a bite wound inflicted by a mature tomcat who has been defending his "territory" by attempting to bite off the testicles of inexperienced competitors. Mouth abscesses, especially in older cats, often come from lack of dental care.

Two Cats Fighting

The most common symptoms of an abscess are heat and swelling of the skin, at the site of the infection. The owner can usually feel a soft lump at this location and it is obvious (from the cat's reaction) that the area is painful. The cat's temperature rises, and he (or she) may refuse to eat. Often, the original bite wound can be seen.

Neglected abscesses may extend into the deeper body tissues, unnoticed by the cat's owner. The infection can enter the bloodstream causing a septicemia (blood poisoning) with subsequent damage to the heart, kidneys and other vital organs. Sometimes this damage can be detected clinically; however, it is usually not detected until later in the cat's life. It can also shorten the animal's lifespan by several years. Sometimes, such septicemias become overwhelming and actually cause the cat's death at the time of the abscess. Bite wounds in the tail or the limbs may set up a bone infection necessitating amputation unless early treatment is initiated. Bone infections are extremely difficult to treat. Ear abscesses often spread to the brain causing convulsions and a slow, painful death.

Cat Recovering from Extensive Bite Wound Abscess
Note the Elizabethan collar around the cat's neck.
This is necessary to keep him from licking the wound.

Abscess wounds on the flanks, or other areas where the skin is loose, may lead to what is called cellulitis. Instead of localizing in one lump, the infection spreads under the skin throughout the loose tissues. Very often, the cat is extremely toxic (suffering the effects of blood poisoning) and requires extensive medical treatment. If this infection is near the spinal column, it may even enter the spinal cord and lead to complex nerve damage. Advanced cellulitis can even kill a cat.

Treatment

Many cat abscesses break down, discharge a considerable volume of pus, then appear to heal spontaneously, only to flare up again. This recurrence is due to the unique tendency of a cat's skin to heal more rapidly than the tissues it covers. Since the skin has healed and the deep-seated infection has not drained adequately the infection returns.

Proper medical care of a cat's abscess involves local surgery (wide excision, debridement and drainage) in order to remove the deep infection, allow drainage, and promote complete healing. This must also be accompanied by supportive antibiotic therapy. Abscesses that are draining satisfactorily may only require antibiotic therapy.

Following surgery, three to ten days of continued treatment and observation are usually required. The period may be longer if complications are involved. Following veterinary hospital discharge of the cat, the owner should notice an improvement in the cat's health. If there are any signs of an abscess re-forming, the cat should be brought back immediately for further treatment.

The goal of allergy testing is to identify the specific allergen(s) to which your pet has an allergy. Allergy testing is done either with a blood test (sometimes also called 'ELISA' or 'RAST testing') or with intradermal testing (sometimes also called 'skin testing'). Following the identification of the allergen(s), your pet usually begins a series of injections of a dilute solution of the allergens, with the idea of "desensitizing" his or her immune system to future allergen exposure. This is termed immunotherapy. The exact schedule of injections is tailored to each individual case, but often begins as a once a week injection. The injections are usually carried out over the course of several months to years, and most patients require the injections for life.

Intradermal Skin Testing on a Dog

Skin problems (particularly itching) and ear problems are two of the most common reasons why veterinarians see pets. Unlike humans who react to allergens with nasal symptoms, dogs react with skin conditions. These problems may range from poor coat texture or length, to itching and chewing, to hot spots and eventually self-mutilation. Allergies may also play a part in chronic ear infections. To make matters more difficult to diagnose and treat, thyroid disease may add to the problem as well.

Many times, severe skin itching and inflammation is caused by allergies to fleas, foods, or environmental substances. If we can determine exactly what your pet is allergic to, it will allow us to provide more effective treatment. For pollen and dust allergies, it allows for the possibility of treatment with "allergy shots" (also called immunotherapy or hypo sensitization), which help to decrease the immune system's exaggerated response to these substances. Knowing exactly what the allergies are may also allow you to avoid things to which your pet is very sensitive...for example, fleas.

There are basically two types of allergy tests performed by veterinarians. The goal of allergy testing is to identify specific substances that are causing the allergic reaction, so that avoidance (if possible) and / or desensitization through allergy shots may be attempted.

As mentioned previously, allergy testing is done either by blood testing or by intradermal skin testing. The intradermal test involves clipping the fur from the side of the animal's chest and injecting very small amounts of pollens (from trees, weeds, and grasses), molds, and insect extracts into the superficial layers of the skin. Often, the test is administered under a light sedative/analgesic so that the pet (dog, cat) feels no discomfort. If the animal is allergic, a 'hive' forms at the site of one or more injections. This type of testing is more traditional, more involved, and more expensive than blood testing, but has very few false positive reactions.

For the blood test, a small amount of blood is taken and sent to a special laboratory. Generally, the test results come back in about 3 weeks. This type of testing is newer and less expensive; however, interpretation is more difficult.

Although serum allergy testing can give meaningful results, intradermal skin testing is considered to be more accurate and is the preferred method of allergy testing.

If you have questions regarding your pet's skin problem(s), do not hesitate to call your veterinarian.

The staff at our hospital would like to develop a close relationship with you and your pet. You will find that among the members of our staff, we have interest and expertise in many species and specialties. Hopefully, your pet will never require more than routine care, but sometimes more complex issues arise.

In many cases, early detection and monitoring can help prevent problems and provide long-term management of existing conditions. We have found great satisfaction in keeping our patients comfortable and happy! Because some health conditions have a genetic basis, we know that puppies of certain breeds are more likely than average to show specific problems. We would like to offer you help with early detection of these, so that their effects, if present, can be minimized. Please scan the list below; it is an illustration of how pervasive genetic diseases are. If your breed is listed, please ask a member of our staff about the linked disease, screening test(s), and recommendations.

German Shepherd

This list is just a sample and is not exhaustive; ask us if your pet is pre-disposed to something so that we can discuss how to help. Some problems, such as heart valve disease, dental/periodontal disease, and skin allergies are seen in many breeds. Some of our suggestions may be hospital-oriented (lab-work, X-rays, etc.) while some may relate to home management. For example: a large breed puppy that is checked for hip dysplasia may have a long, relatively comfortable life if he/she avoids games of Frisbee and long runs; a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel placed on cardiac drugs pre-emptively may significantly increase its life expectancy.

King Charles Cavalier Spaniel

When should these problems be addressed? Before the problem is so severe that your pet is showing symptoms. More often than not, a few simple tests can give a diagnosis. From there, we work with you to keep your pet comfortable and symptom-free.

Boxer

The first five reasons for barking are rarely the cause of "excessive" or "annoying" barking. They are usually specific to certain situations and are short-lived. The sixth and seventh reasons are those most likely to be considered problem barking, and they are not unrelated. Barking for companionship can turn into barking for reward: The dog barks to get its owner’s attention, the owner comes to the dog to tell it to be quiet, perhaps petting it or playing with it, and goes away again. The dog is quiet while the owner is there, but has learned that barking will bring the owner back. Thus the system of barking and reward is established.

A solution, again, is to spend more time with your dog and have it near you rather than tied up somewhere separate from you. However, if your dog is separated from you and it begins to bark to get your attention, do not immediately go to the dog. It must learn that barking will not guarantee your presence. By spending more time with the dog at regular intervals not instigated by barking, your dog will feel more assured that it will get sufficient attention from you and will not have as much inclination to bark for companionship.

Teach Your Dog to Distinguish Friends

How do you teach a barking dog to distinguish between friends and strangers?
The solution is to show the dog that certain individuals (garbage collectors, mailmen, milkmen) are, indeed, friends. To accomplish this, the dog has to be introduced to these people and given an opportunity to get to know them. While this is not always practical, it is nonetheless a potential solution. As you restrain your dog, stop delivery people and have a short conversation with them, letting them meet the dog for a brief period. Repeat and lengthen the process over the next few weeks. Eventually, your dog should accept these individuals and all should be well until your regular mailman is sick and another person takes his place.

What do you do with a dog that barks at guests in your house?
One solution is to take the dog to another room and give it something to do. Or, if the guest comes to your home often and you don’t want to have to lock up the dog every time, work to gradually introduce one to the other. Have the guest get on his knees, pet the dog, offer it a treat, and more or less become part of the family. Let your dog establish the speed at which this relationship develops: Don’t force it, or your dog may become alarmed by a "pushy" guest.

How do you deal with a dog that barks at the phone?
This is simply a case of a dog that has been rewarded for barking at a ringing phone. When the dog barks, someone eventually answers the phone and it stops ringing. To stop your dog from doing this, have a friend call and let the phone ring until the dog loses interest. Continue over a period of days, and in time, the dog will learn that barking at the phone accomplishes nothing.

Teach Your Dog To Stop Barking By Understanding Prevention Steps

Finally, what do you do with the dog that barks while you are away from home?
There are several possible solutions. One is to act as if you are leaving, then stand outside the door until the dog barks. When it does, return and scold verbally. Another is to get your dog a companion—but you might end up with two barkers! A third is to use a sound-activated tape recorder. When the dog barks, the sound switch turns on the tape recorder for a minute. The tape plays your voice scolding the dog. Some systems can repeat as many as 45 times while you are away.

The best way to reduce your dog’s barking is to pay attention to the reasons for the barking. If you can satisfy the dog’s needs, barking will automatically be reduced. By the same token, learned barking can be extremely persistent. Internal rewards can cause the cycle to go on for years.

The best solution to barking is prevention, so be aware of the possibilities and work to stop problem barking before it starts.