Paying For Pet Surgery Without Cutting Your Budget (NAPSA)—There’s good news for people and their pets, according to veterinarian Dr. Carol McConnell: “Veterinary medicine has made considerable advancements in recent years, providing pet owners surgical options that weren't available to them even five years ago.” The Problem “While this is certainly good treatment for one of the following commonconditions last year: 1. Benign skin mass SOON & 2. Skin abscess, inflammation often unaware of the cost of these surgeries. It’s not only important for pet ownersto realize the surgical choices open to them, but to take steps to be financially prepared should their pet require surgery.” One Dog’s Story Consider the case of George Millben, whofirst took his 10-yearold dog, Snowie, to the veterinar- ian thinking the bichon frise simply needed treatment for an upset stomach. Unfortunately, X-rays revealed that Snowie had a large cancerous mass on his spleen. Millben wasted no time seeking treatment. The surgery was costly—a little more than $2,000—but was successful and Snowie’s mass was eS news,” she added, “pet owners are or pressure ulcer Tooth extraction Torn ACL orcartilage Malignant skin mass Cancer of the spleen Cancerof the eyelid Bladder stones Cancerof the liver Auricular hematoma swollen, fluid-filled ear). Snowie, a bichon frise, recently beat cancerof the spleen. completely removed. Snowie’s story isn’t out of the ordinary for pet owners, report the experts at the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, Veterinary Pet Insur- ance Company (VPI). Top 10 Conditions Requiring Surgery To help pet owners understand the situation, the company recently analyzed its claim data to find the top 10 conditions that require surgery. One in 20 VPI- insured pets required surgical “The last thing I expected was that Snowie would get cancer,” said Millben, “but here weare.” What Insurance Can Do Pet owners with health insurance are free to visit any licensed veterinarian worldwide. After receiving treatment, they submit a claim to the insurance company andreceive reimbursementforeligible expenses in about two weeks. Most companies offer plans for accidents and illnesses as well as routine and preventive care. Learn More For more information about pet insurance, visit www.petinsur ance.com orcall (888) 899-4VPI.
