Here at Wags & Wiggles, we highly recommend our Waggers have dog health insurance.

 

Leo's Story

Having dog health insurance saved one of our Wagger’s lives. Leo the Golden Doodle has been coming to Wags & Wiggles since he was a puppy and is now 7 years old. During his boarding stay back in April, our team noticed that Leo was not acting like himself at all. He was sitting in a corner in daycare and acting very unusual.

We brought him inside and felt his stomach, which was very hard. This is a classic symptom of gastric torsion, also known as bloat, a life-threatening condition common in larger dogs. A few of our team members drove him over to Ladera Ranch Animal Hospital to get him checked out.

The veterinarian gave him a sonogram and an X-ray and discovered his body cavity was filled with blood due to his stomach perforating in two places. The vet thinks that gastric torsion was what caused his stomach to perforate. He had an emergency surgery to correct that issue – then had a second emergency surgery to repair the margins from his first surgery and tack his stomach so it would not flip again.

While he was in the hospital recovering from surgery, he developed an antibiotic-resistant infection, causing him to be under 24-hour vet care for 3 weeks straight. In two days poor Leo dropped 20% of his body weight. He went from an 80 pound dog to a 60 pound dog. When all was said and done, their vet bill was $40,000!

 

What Dog Health Insurance is Right for my Dog?

Without dog health insurance, the family might have had to make a very difficult, heart-wrenching decision based purely on financial reasons. For many families, this can be a choice between sending their children off to college and saving their dog’s life. No one wants to make that decision.

Luckily, Leo’s dad’s company offers dog health insurance. Leo is insured by Trupanion. Leo's family did have to pay upfront, however they were reimbursed $36,000 by Trupanion.

While dog health insurance policies usually don’t cover regular exams or pre-existing conditions, having it can literally save your dog’s life. Most policies are relatively affordable and the peace of mind having insurance provides is priceless. Leo’s family says we saved his life, and if our team was not so observant he would have had only a couple of hours more to live. We take pride in thoroughly training our team to recognize early warning signs of major health issues.

There are many different dog health insurance companies. Leo was insured by Trupanion, but there are dozens more! Below is a chart comparing some of the most popular plans in the nation, including Healthy Paws, Trupanion, Pets Best, and Petplan.

For a full comparison table, visit Canine Journal.

 

Ask your veterinarian about dog health insurance today! It could save your dog's life.