Choosing a Pet Insurance Plan with #Figo

Mr. N has had pet insurance since we adopted him. It was a condition of his adoption actually. The thing to remember about pet insurance is you have it for your peace of mind and not because you expect to recoup the money you spent. If Mr. N needs to have a costly surgery or has an emergency, the bulk of the cost will be covered. If you break even, your pet has most likely had a lot of medical emergencies. Healthy pet makes for a happy life right?

No pet insurance company will cover pre-existing conditions so you want to buy insurance before something happens.

This post was sponsored by Figo Insurance. They are not responsible for the contents of this article. All opinions expressed are our own. 

We're comparison shopping for a new insurance plan and this is why Figo Pet Insurance, a new competitor in the market is worth considering for us:

• They cover veterinary exam fees for treatments. Our current plan does not and it is a consideration sometimes when we're debating if we should wait and see or take him in if it's not an emergency.
• Accessible customer service. You can tweet, text or chat. I like when companies have a chat feature so I can multi-task while chatting and not have to wait on hold.
• The claims process. You can file a claim from your phone, track the process and be paid electronically too. Right now, we have to have the vet's office fax the forms and it's not the most convenient. 
• Flexibility in plans. There's only one plan option with our current company.
• Copay and deductible waived for emergency life-saving treatment. Mr. N has never had a true emergency while we've had him (knocks on wood) but in the case that we did, it's nice to know that there would be fewer costs to pay.
• Holistic and alternative therapies are covered. We recently switched to a veterinary practice that does alternative and regular medicine so an insurance that covers both would be a plus. The company we are with does cover them but you have to purchase an additional rider.
• The cloud. Like most Millennials, I prefer doing everything online when possible. With Figo, you can manage documents electronically, share your pet's records with anyone and get shots and medical reminders as well. 

Practicing kawaii faces.

I plugged in Mr. N's stats into the online calculator and it is slightly more expensive (an additional six dollars/month) than our current plan. Figo does cover exam fees though so the end cost may be similar. I have some more questions to ask (like 24/7 customer service availability) and I need to sit down and run some figures but Figo is definitely on our short-list for consideration.

Do you have pet insurance? Which factors do you consider when choosing a plan?

Get Rid of Fleas and Tapeworms with #SentinelSpectrum

But have you known a dog to praise his fleas? - W.B. Yeats 

If Mr. N had to rank the world's evils, he would probably categorize them as one, not being able to go with me everywhere, two, fireworks and three, fleas. His flea allergy send him into a licking, biting frenzy and then we have to cone him and give him allergy medication. He shows his disapproval by using the cone as a weapon and jamming it into our legs. 

The fleas that you see on your dog are a tiny percentage of the actual population while the rest can survive in a home for up to a year before finding a host. Even in cold climates, they can survive as adults on dogs, cats, wild mammals or in a pupal casing in protected environments. 

And they breed like... fleas. Female fleas start egg production within 20 to 24 hours of their first blood meal and they can produce 40 to 50 eggs per day. And under normal circumstances, the majority of adult fleas generally live for two to three months. If you do the math, that's a lot of fleas crawling around your house and on your dog. 

Mr. N is bathed regularly due to having hair not fur. The payoff for barely shedding means high-maintenance grooming and frequent baths. It's a price we are willing to pay. Mr. N has his own opinion on the matter. Such regular water exposure can be a problem when using topical flea treatments. 

Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM® is a chew which means that it can't be washed off (which is good because it is long lasting but side effects may be harder to eradicate) and is evenly distributed. Sentinel brand products work through an unique ingredient, Lufenuron which prevents fleas from maturing. The majority of fleas are flea eggs and maggot-like flea larvae. By stopping them from developing into adults, you can prevent re-infestation and infestation before it becomes a problem. Prevention is the best medicine.

Mr. N has found dead fish, rats, a raccoon, birds and more. 

The unholy trifecta for contracting tapeworms include ingesting fleas during self grooming, chewing and licking at a flea bite, and eating dead animals. Mr. N rarely gets the chance to eat dead animals and he's more inclined to roll on them but he does enjoy a self-grooming session and flea bites mean lots of chewing and biting at the base of his tail where he tends to get bitten. 

If you see small white worms on your dog's rear end, in their feces or where they live and sleep (i.e your home), your dog may have a tapeworm infection. And who wants worms in their house or bed? Mr. N is on year round flea and parasite prevention for precisely this reason. As few bugs as possible in the house.

Last month's survey's results were turned into an infographic. The majority of people stated that heartworm and flea protection were a high or very high priority. 79 percent said their dog is on flea prevention all year long while 20 percent said they only apply protection during the spring and summer. Survey participants were well-informed on tapeworm infestation with 70 percent saying a dog can contract tapeworms from infesting just one infested flea and 90 percent saying tapeworm segments can be found near a dog's rear end, in feces and where the dogs lives and sleeps. 

Is your dog on a regular preventative? If you're looking for a reliable parasite prevention method, ask your vet if SENTINEL SPECTRUM is right for your dog. 

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® SENTINEL® SPECTRUM®. The opinions and text are all mine.

Year Round Parasite Prevention with #SentinelSpectrum

This post is sponsored by Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers.More information about Sentinel Spectrum. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article.

It's all fun and games until someone ends up in a cone. Mr. N has a flea allergy and even the tiniest flea crawling on him sends him into a licking, scratching, chewing frenzy. Then he ends up in a cone to prevent him from creating hot spots and chewing himself raw. 

You know how some people always seem to get bitten by bugs and some people almost never do? I have a theory that dogs are like that too. Bugs seem super attracted to Mr. N for some reason. That's why we keep him on year round prevention like Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® to protect him from fleas, heartworm and intestinal parasites such as roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworms. Mr. N sleeps in our bed and I definitely do not want him dragging bugs into bed with him. 

Oh no! I'm defenseless in a cone and a flea is biting me! 

Just because you kill the fleas that are on a dog doesn't mean your flea problem is eradicated. The fleas that you do find are only a small percentage of the flea population lurking in your house. The fleas that you don't see can survive up to a year in your house before latching onto a host (you or the dog). 

Even in cold climates, fleas can survive as adults on dogs, cats, wild mammals or in cocoons as pupae in protected environments like in soil, on vegetation, in carpets, under furniture and on animal bedding. Who else is feeling the urge to clean their house from top to bottom? It can take several months to get rid of flea infestations.

Adults began feeding immediately on your pet and female fleas start producing eggs within 20 to 24 hours after their first bite/blood meal. They can produce 40 to 50 eggs per day. Instead of saying breeding like rabbits, we should say breeding like fleas. Under normal conditions, most adult fleas generally survive two to three months. 

Fleas, like many other unwanted bugs, are super hardy and in their immature state can survive the most challenging conditions.  They have uncanny powers to infest hospitable environments like your pet's home, places protected from cold like crawl spaces and under porches, upholstered furniture and the inside of your car. I think a flea superhero's superpower would be being able to invade all lairs no matter the location (underwater, in a volcano) and  slowly driving their opponent crazy until they go mad. 

No matter if your dog is indoor or outdoor, they're at risk year-round no matter where you live. Especially in more temperate climates like Portland, we have bugs pretty much year-round.

Aside from fleas, you also have to worry about your dog contracting heartworm through mosquitoes. It's recommended to have  your dog screened for heartworm disease through a blood test annually. If the test shows signs of microfilaremia, the dog has been infected for a while and the adult worms have already started to reproduce. Dogs typically show signs of being infected by adult heartworms six to seven months after being bitten.

Sentinel targets the immature heartworms for the first three to four months after infection. After that there is a gap where drugs are not effective until the heartworm becomes an adult about six months after the mosquito bite. The best way to prevent your dog from getting heartworm is to not skip a dose because the medication is most effective against infections that have happened in the month prior to taking the medicine. I have a recurring calendar reminder to give Mr. N his monthly dose. 

Sentinel is conducting a survey to find out how much pet owners know about fleas, heartworm and parasites in order to create an infographic to help people protect their dogs from parasites. All answers are confidential. You can take the survey here.

If you would like to learn more about Sentinel Spectrum, you can find more information at their website about parasites, a monthly email or text reminder or rebates.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum®. The opinions and text are all mine.

A Quest to Defeat the Villainous Flea, Heartworms and Other Foes #SentinelSpectrum

Once upon a time, there was a canine knight who suffered from a terrible curse. The villainous flea and his brethren took great delight in biting his tender skin and sucking his blood without cease. No matter what Sir N tried and wherever he went, his torment never ended. He consulted the wise dogs of his village who counseled him to seek a magical elixir known as Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum®. 

This post is sponsored by Virbac® Sentinel® Spectrum® and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer NetworkTM. I am being compensated to help create awareness about protection against common parasites found in dogs but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. More information about Sentinel Spectrum. Virbac is not responsible for the content of this article. 

With a hopeful heart, the brave knight departed and trotted North for many a day. He crossed high mountains and wide rivers and went through dense forests. Eventually, he came upon the magical tree that hid the elixir. 

After many years of torment and agony, could it be? Was a cure really in sight? Sir N licked his lips in anticipation as he gazed upon the elixir.

He swallowed the beef and bacon flavored elixir and his foe was no more. Sir N immediately pounced upon the flea and gave him a good thrashing in the name of dogkind. The flea's dying squeaks were heard throughout all of the canine kingdom. And Sir N lived happily ever after.

Note the magical elixir must be taken monthly and is quite palatable. It protects against the following foes: Heartworm, Fleas, Hookworm, Roundworm, Tapeworm, and Whipworm. 

Sir N would like to advise his canine friends that even if you only see one flea foe, there can be hundreds more of their children lurking and waiting to hatch in the environment. They can survive up to a year before finding a host. Only five percent of fleas are adults and the remainder are eggs and immature fleas biding their time. 

It doesn't matter if you are sleeping outdoors and going on quests or living indoors in a castle, dogs are susceptible to this itchy curse. If your dog would like to save the effort of making a long and arduous quest, you should consult the wise dogs (veterinarians) of your village so you can get a blood test and a prescription for the elixir (parasiticide). 

 An even more deadly enemy is the horrible heartworm. Nearly 300,000 dogs in the US contract heartworms each year from infected mosquitoes. Dogs that are inflicted show lack of energy, weight loss, and breathing problems. Without treatment, dogs can have damaged hearts and lungs and even die. Annual screenings with a simple blood test can help detect heartworm disease. 

There are many other enemies just waiting to invade. Intestinal parasites (hookworms, whipworms, roundworms, and tapeworms) can make dogs very ill. 

Join Sir N on his quest to eradicate these pests and talk to your wise dogs today. 

If you would like to learn more about Sentinel Spectrum, you can find more information at their website about parasites, a monthly email or text reminder or rebates.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Virbac® Sentinel®. The opinions and text are all mine.

FitDog Friday #78 - Flea Allergy Dermatitis

I'm inclined to believe that much like humans, insects are just more attracted to certain dogs than others. Mr. N has been on Advantage, Revolution, Frontline and is currently wearing a Seresto collar but he inevitably picks up a flea here and there.

He has a flea allergy so even one flea crawling around on him drives him bananas. He is currently wearing the cone of shame because he keeps trying to lick and chew the base of his tail area. He has a few scabs but no hot spots or hair loss. Thus to prevent further problems; the dreaded cone. 

He is also taking a small dose of Benadryl and being bathed with medicated shampoo. All of the bedding has been thoroughly washed and the house vacuumed.  Mr. N is quite unhappy with us but at least he has stopped trying to ram the cone into our knees to express his displeasure.

This has been a horrible year so far for bugs because our winter has been so mild and we still have months of summer left to go. Between ticks, foxtails and fleas, I'm considering having a giant hamster ball commissioned for Mr. N for walks. 

He is spared the indignity of the cone for walks because he gets so entranced with sniffing and prancing about that he forgets about being itchy. Not to mention, it takes him forever to sniff anything with the cone on because it's over-sized and he has to tip the cone over in order to reach the grass. 

We've mostly stopped laughing at his cone antics but I'm pretty sure he's secretly plotting our demise. Mostly the boyfriend's demise. Mr. N likes to blame him for everything.

ACVO National Service Animal Eye Exam

This year Mr. N participated in the ACVO National Service Animal Eye Exam. The event provides a free screening-wellness eye exam to Service Animals including those provide the following services: guide, hearing assistance, drug detection, police/military, search and rescue, therapy, and those assisting people with disabilities other than blindness. Registration begins in April and the examinations take place in May. 

I'd like to thank the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists for hosting the event, VCA Northwest Veterinary Specialists for examining Mr. N and Stokes Pharmacy and the other sponsors. Having good eyesight is essential for his therapy dog responsibilities. 

It was a really quick visit. I filled out a form and presented our paperwork and we were in and out in about ten minutes. The vet came in and waved his hands in front of Mr. N's eyes, then shone a light into them and examined them through a scope. Mr. N's eyes were declared normal.  

Mr. N hates going to the vet but he is very stoic and tolerant of everything they do to him there. He was obviously miffed at me for making him endure said torment. I tried to take this photo of him in front of the building afterwards and he refused to cooperate unlike his normal photo loving self. 

The American Veterinary Dental College offers free oral health exams for service dogs but they're not offering it this year. 

FitDog Friday #59 - Allergies

Mr. N is allergic to chicken, fleas and bee stings. Chicken is the easiest one to avoid because most things are labeled and he can have it in small doses without becoming too itchy.

He is on flea medication pretty much year-round though because the weather is mild here and we have bugs pretty much all the time. Even one flea bite drives him crazy for weeks and then we have to cone him and he uses that cone as a weapon to show his displeasure (who says dogs can't use tools?).

I have tried various holistic measures and several different flea medications. Right now, he's wearing a Seresto collar and I spray him with the Pet Naturals Flea + Tick spray if we're going hiking or somewhere with a lot of dogs.

My biggest concern though is his bee allergy because the last time he got stung by a bee (which was before we had him), he had to go to the ER. At his last vet visit, I got a prescription for juvenile EpiPens for Mr. N. I didn't know this was a thing for dogs until I went to a canine first-aid workshop a few months ago.

The vet told me to stab Mr. N in the thigh muscle with the EpiPen. The boyfriend said what muscle to which I replied that Mr. N has very nice hind muscles... the vet said so! I can see his point though, it's not exactly a large target area.

Now we'll have to see if his insurance will cover the cost.

What kind of allergies do your dog(s) have and what do you do to combat them?

Smaller Vaccine Doses for Smaller Dogs?

Image: http://www.ahvmf.org/

Small dogs are more likely to have vaccine reactions than larger dogs. Is this because they're receiving the same dose as their much larger brethren? Should a Great Dane and a Chihuahua get the same size vaccine?

I've heard of people asking their vets for smaller doses of vaccines for their toy breed dogs. I asked our vet what she thought and she replied that all dogs should receive the same dose. I worry about Mr. N potentially having a reaction but I'm not yet sure about him receiving a smaller dose.

I already take preventative measures and try not to have Mr. N overvaccinated. He actually hasn't needed any core vaccines updated since we got him (he'll need rabies later this year). If he needs more than one vaccine, I'll have them staggered. I turn down non-core vaccines like bordetella and lepto and I'm considering getting him titered at some point (test that measures protective antibody levels for diseases). 

This is why I was glad to to hear about a group of concerned Maltese owners who got together and asked the AHVMA foundation (American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association) about studying the "efficacy of body-mass based vaccinations." Dr. Jean Dodds agreed to conduct a small study exploring this topic and the AHVMA is collecting donations (the pilot stage is estimated to cost $5500).

Should dogs receive vaccine doses that correspond to their size?