Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

By Dr. Dean Severidt | Oct 30, 2010

Is Pet Insurance Worth It or Is It Just a Waste of Money

These days you can insure virtually anything and everything. Folks can insure their lives, their body parts, their kit, their houses and yes, even their pets. Pet healthcare insurance has actually been making a statement during the last one or two years. Celebs, officeholders, entrepreneurs and regular people have been self insuring their pets to avoid finance chaos in the future, but is pet insurance worth it? Well, in short, it depends. There are many advantages to insuring your pet such as ridding yourself of future concerns that you can encounter about your pet in the future. However, you have to be careful to note any reasons that a particular pet insurance plan may not cover your pet. As always, due dilligence is required and you should never just jump in and get the 1st plan you may see.

Know the facts and get aid from people who understand how pet insurance works. Here are a couple of pointers on selecting what is good for your pet.

Is Pet Insurance Worth It?

Tips for selecting pet insurance coverage

To be certain that you’ll be getting the correct kind of insurance for your pet without putting so much toll on your finances, these are some helpful pointers to get by:

1. Comparing the different costs. The number one thing that you would need to consider when planning to enroll your pet in a pet insurance policy is the cost. Some firms may offer the exact same price as the other but the cover may alter seriously. There are some reduced cost all-inclusive policies that are wiser to get.

2. Excesses cost more than you can know. Some individuals that are amateurs to pet policies regularly become a victim of the surplus. The surplus is the amount you have to pay when making a certain claim. Some firms reduce their costs on claims by having high excesses. Now if you go for an inexpensive policy which has high excess pay you can finish up laying out more than what you plan to to start with.

3. Lifelong Coverage. Lifelong coverage is a term in insurance that could be a tiny tough to understand, but one thing is absolutely certain “lifelong coverage” doesn’t mean Covered for life. To grasp this idea better here are one or two general ideas of it.

- Time capped. These are frequently the lower cost plans, time capped means you are only covered for a certain condition for the 1st year and the rest is on your shoulders. Let’s imagine that your pet developed a heart condition, you can claim the quantity of money stated in your policy for your pet’s first year of treatment, but after a year no more. The treatment for your pet’s condition will be on your shoulders for the rest of its life.

- Financially capped. Some firms call financially capped lifelong cover but the reality is it truly is not. It is not even close to it. Financially capped is when the company consents to pay your claim for X number of  years but only for a precise amount that is fixed in the policy. For example, say your dog has developed dog diabetes and you made your claim from the company. They’re going to pay out a set amount, let’s imagine five thousand bucks. They paid two thousand bucks on the 1st year, another two thousand on the second year and one thousand greenbacks on the 3rd year but after that no more. After that, all the succeeding costs for your pet’s treatment will be on you.

- Lifelong cover. In pet health insurance, this occurs when the insurer pays you for your pet’s treatment with a precise amount, each year, for so long as the illness that it has plagues your pet.

Dog Worming Essentials

By Dr. Dean Severidt | Sep 29, 2010

Dog Worming and Puppy WormingRegular dog worming is essential to protect your dog against internal parasites. This usually involves taking your dog to the veterinarian and getting a dog worming solution to treat these parasites. Adult dogs should be wormed at least once a year. Dogs showing any signs of infection should be wormed immediately. It is also important to have your female dog that you plan to breed wormed before mating. It is important to understand that there are different types of parasites that can have an affect on your dogs well-being. Each of these parasites has different characteristics and dangers that you should look out for.

Roundworms: Dog Worming to Prevent the Dangers these Parasites Pose

Several of these parasites affect dogs but the most important are the ones that belong to the Ascarid family, and live in the small intestine. Other roundworms infest the large intestine, blood vessels and respiratory tract. Ascarids feed on digesting food in the dog’s gut, and are particularly harmful to puppies. They penetrate a puppies gut wall and pass via the blood to the liver and then to the lungs. From there they crawl up the trachea to be coughed up and swallowed, again ending up in the gut. Infected puppies may develop:

- Hepatitis;

- pneumonia;

- fits; and

- obstruction to the gut.

Needless to say, with these dangers present, it is essential to have your dog treated for roundworms with effective dog worming treatments.

As the puppy gets older most of the roundworms travel to the muscles, where they form cysts. These lie dormant until the puppy female becomes pregnant. They then migrate to the puppies lungs, and this is why virtually every puppy is born with roundworm, and why puppy worming is so vital for the health of young puppies.

How Roundworms Affect Humans.

Roundworms can infect humans, and in a very low number of cases, cause disease. Good hygiene and common sense concerning children and puppies should control the problem.

Tapeworms: Signs to Look for that Indicate a Dog Worming is Necessary

The tapeworm tickle the dog’s anus and make the dog drag it’s rear end along the floor. If you see any worm segments in your dog’s feces, take your dog to your veterinarian to have him/her treated.

Recommended Dog Worming Schedule

As a veterinarian and a dog owner myself, I recommend a dog worming once or twice a year depending on the individual health profile of your dog. Dog worming is something that I recommend you do during your annual visits to your veterinarian, perhaps when you get your dog vaccinations. This is important because they will use a high quality dog worming treatment and be able to determine if a dog with worms has any complications or issues from the parasites. Dog worming is a vital part of keeping your dog happy and healthy and doing so can save you a lot of heartache and money down the road.

Choosing a Puppy

By severidt | Sep 14, 2010

Choosing a PuppyThere are many things to think about when you are choosing a puppy. Choosing the right canine for your household is very important. Will the dog get along with kids? Will the dog get along with other animals in the household? Does the dog have a good disposition? These are some of the questions you might ask when deciding what kind of dog you want.

Some Questions to Start Asking When Choosing a Puppy

When you are choosing a puppy before you start looking it is important to start thinking about some important questions. Are you looking for a purebred or mixed breed or just a plan old mutt? Mixed breeds can be more affordable, whereas purebred can be quite expensive. Don’t dismiss the mixed breed option either from the local pound. Mixed breeds  can be just as lovable, energetic, and loyal as the other breeds.

Size Matters when Choosing a Puppy

Think about how big or small the dog is that you want. Do you have room for the pup to run and play or will it be cooped up because you don’t go outside a lot. If so, do you have a room where the pup can run free?

When you are choosing a puppy it is important to remember that personality for a puppy develops around seven weeks of age. Spend a little time picking and choosing your dog, and you both will reap the rewards. Make sure you can hold the puppy and cuddle him. Drop a book during a quiet moment and see if the pup runs and hides. Get on your hands and knees and play with the puppy to see if he responds in kind or is aggressive toward you.

Places to Start When Choosing a Puppy

There are several places to start your search when you are choosing a puppy. Asking friends or your vet are good places to start. Also, you can contact your local shelter or ASPCA for their selection of animals. There is also a website that can help in your search at www.petfinder.com. Choosing a puppy can be difficult but the rewards will be well worth it in the end!

The Best Dog Names

By Dr. Dean Severidt | Sep 6, 2010

As you are about to see, choosing from the best dog names might take on a new meaning after you are done reading this. They say that dog is man’s best friend, something that thousands and thousands of people would readily and wholeheartedly agree with. Why is it that we love dogs so much?  It is because dogs are loyal, loving, and non-judgmental. They cheer you up when you are sad, are always ready to go anywhere with you, and have an innocence that is reassuring in a world that isn’t always innocent.  We love dogs for all of these reasons, and for as many more reasons as there are dog owners. Dogs give us their all, and in return we try to give them our very best, including giving them the very best dog names.

Dr. Severidt Discusses How to Choose from the Best Dog Names

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So what should go into choosing a name for a companion as loyal and wonderful as a dog? The best dog names reflect the personality of the dog, and the personality of his or her owner. They sound good when spoken (or yelled) out loud, and are short enough to be quickly learned by a dog, which makes training easier.  For example, a rancher who names his cowdog Cash, after Johnny Cash, has made a good decision; the name is short and easy to say, reflects the personality of the rancher, and makes you think about good country music when you hear the dog’s name.

Narrowing Down The Best Dog Names and Making a Decision

When choosing a name for your dog, it’s a good idea to take your time and choose from the best dog names, so that you can use it right from the beginning. It makes training more difficult for you and your dog when you start with one name, and then decide you don’t like it and switch to a different name. Training takes up enough time without needlessly confusing your dog! It’s also a good idea to give your dog a name that isn’t already being used in your home. If your girlfriend’s name is Brit, you probably shouldn’t name your new Brittany Retriever “Brit”. That will confuse your dog, and probably get you in trouble with your girlfriend!

Which of the Best Dog Names is Right for You

Taking all of that into consideration, there are many resources available online to help you choose among the best dog names. Pick a few that you like, and then try saying them to your dog to see if he or she responds to a particular one. If your dog responds, that is the right name. If not, you’ll have to pick the right one on your own keeping in mind the best dog names may not be your favorite!

Dog Not Eating? Things to Consider When Your Dog Wont Seem to Eat

By Dr. Dean Severidt | Sep 1, 2010

A dog not eating is assumed to be not feeling well or actually ill by most pet owners causing them great concern, creating alarm.  However, we humans never stop and think that we may eat less, skip meals or even go a day without eating for other reasons than being ill.  The same goes for our dogs, except we worry about them more than we do ourselves most of the time.  Dr. Dean Severidt, has a different view about a dog not eating and what it may mean for your four legged friend, even if he or she is feeling a little under the weather.

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The dog not eating is not necessarily a sign of not feeling well or actually being desperately ill. However, Dr. Severidt feels that not eating for a day or so gives the dog a chance to have an empty stomach, and have time for his body to recuperate without having to work hard though the digestive process of food.  The dog not eating, is actually going through a natural process of self-healing.  It is believed that the dog eating while feeling badly may actually take longer to get the zip to return by feeling better.

Dr. Severidt also acknowledges that research has shown fasting our dogs for 24 hours, once a week is provides several advantages for them. There is a lot of information available, found in medical articles about dogs.  He also says that the fasting will not harm our dogs.  A dog not eating, even for several days, is fine since most dogs are overweight to begin with.
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