| Health Care For Labradors |
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| Written by Coleen Smith |
| Saturday, 07 August 2010 19:13 |
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You've welcomed your newest family member into your house, you've ordered all the needed items, like food and water bowls and dog toys, taken him to the veterinarian for immunizations and started obedience lessons. Now you're done and can just enjoy your new pet, right? Wrong.
You've adopted a puppy, or more likely, she has adopted you, you've obtained all the basic stuff, such as food and water bowls and dog toys, taken him to the veterinarian for immunizations and begun dog training classes. Now it's time to sit back and relax, right? Wrong. Most cats and almost all dogs will require more than just preventative medical treatment during their life. It could be something comparatively unimportant, such as an allergy or a broken bone, or it could be major, such as a car accident or cancer. It might take place when your dog is young and seemingly hale and hearty, or it might come with old age. Your beloved canine might go to the doctor only a few times over the years, or she might be one of those that your vet recognizes on sight. From a financial point of view, the uncertaintly is the trouble. If you could know in advance that your pet would experience the average amount of medical problems, you could find out what the average lifetime vet bill is for a Labrador Retriever, and put funds aside every month to pay for it. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. You find out suddenly when your pet needs pricey health care. At the same time you're wondering if your pet is going to pull through, you're also wondering how much this is going to cost. Then you feel bad because how can you possibly think of money at a time like this? If you make a plan to handle the veterinary expenses before your pet gets injured or sick, you'll greatly reduce the stress about your pocketbook when this type of situation occurs. Perform your own comparison of pet insurance policies to find the one that offers the best possible protection for the cost for your Labrador while she's still a baby. Be certain you take the time to do it before he has the opportunity to get into trouble! Purebred dogs like Labs are the most expensive to insure. There's a reasonable explanation for it. Dogs are more likely to require pricey medical care than cats, partly because they seem to get into more accidents. Cats have the uncanny ability to stay out all night, dodging cars and dogs without getting hurt. Dogs, especially young ones, are more likely to run out into the street or have some other accident. Because of inbreeding, purebreds are more likely than mixed breeds to develop certain diseases. Labradors are susceptible to dysplasia, cataracts and skin allergies. Hopefully you got your puppy from a reputable breeder who made sure that your dog's parents were free from these problems before they bred them. Even so, these sorts of problems keep cropping up for Labrador Retrievers, and they're often costly. Make sure to ask whether the pet insurance policy you're considering covers hereditary conditions. Those that do will obviously be more costly, but it's worth it. After all, the reason you need insurance at all is to protect against large unexpected expenses. If you choose insurance based only on price, you could discover at the worst possible time that you aren't covered as well as you thought you were. That defeats the purpose of getting veterinary insurance in the first place. Take the time you need to evaluate policies from several different companies. Don't settle on one unless it meets your needs. It's out there. DISCLAIMER: This article is provided as information only and is not to be taken as financial advice. Written by Coleen Smith VIP Pet Insurance Labrador Rescue |