Tips When Choosing Your Veterinary Pet Insurance

By MIKE SELVON

It should come as no surprise to learn that veterinary pet treatments and procedures are becoming more expensive. This increase in veterinarian costs has led many mammal owners to inquire about the availability and cost of veterinary pet insurance. Even though it is not as well-known or talked about as much as health care coverage for humans, pet health insurance has been available to cover family pets for the better part of two decades.

Insurance for pets has been available in some form or another for about twenty years now. However, many people even today are surprised to learn that animal health cover can be obtained to protect the animal welfare of beloved four-legged family members. As the cost of veterinary pet office visits and various procedures have increased, along with the cost of human health care in this country, more and more people are looking at this option as a financially viable and wise way to assure the best mammal care is provided when needed.

Veterinary pet insurance is very similar to the type of health care coverage that you would seek out for your family. With pet health insurance, the cost of veterinary care is covered when you purchase such a policy. The cost of the premiums will vary depending on how extensive the coverage is, but most families find the premiums to be quite affordable and easy to fit into the monthly household budget.

For many people, they want to purchase the best mammal cover that they can so that they feel confident in the level of care that their animal will receive. Animal cover policies that cover preventative measures or wellness care, in addition to the veterinary pet services that are needed in case of illness or emergency, are considered to be the premier type. Most of these policies will also cover on-going care and long-term treatments in the instance of chronic problems or conditions of disease.

However, you will find that these types of mammal cover plans, which are quite comprehensive in their coverage, come at a cost. You will pay the most in its insurance premiums for coverage that pays for routine health screening visits to your vet and for the regular vaccinations, immunizations and booster shots. Devoted animal lovers find a great deal of comfort in knowing that their family pets are covered under this type of animal health cover and are willing to pay extra for this coverage.

There are a few ways to reduce the cost of your animal cover premiums and still have very good coverage. One way to do this is to choose a higher deductible for your policy. Another is to choose to purchase a policy that has a co-payment option.

You also might be able to get a discount if you pay your premiums quarterly or annually, as opposed to monthly. Most pet insurance companies offer a variety of plans so that you can find the coverage you are comfortable with and still stay within your budget.

Before making a commitment on a specific veterinary pet insurance plan, be sure to learn about optional benefits and coverage that an individual pet plan will provide. In addition, it is a good idea to find out about the track record and the reputation of the various mammal cover companies before sending them your hard earned money. One last thing you can do in your search is to check with your veterinarian to see if they have ever encountered any payment problems or claim issues with the particular company you are considering.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/tips-when-choosing-your-veterinary-pet-insurance-301362.html

About the Author:Visit Mike Selvon pets portal for more information on veterinary pet insurance , and leave a comment at our veterinary pet insurance blog. Dont forget to claim your FREE gift.

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Cleaning Your Dogs Ears

By Matthew Homfray

Just like humans, dogs produce ear wax (cerumen). If there are factors present which increase production of this ear wax, or if the normal clearance mechanism is compromised, then manual removal might be necessary.

Why clean the ears?

1. So that your veterinarian can visualize the ear drum. Waxy debris obstructs the view, so the integrity of the ear drum cannot be ascertained.

2. To remove debris prior to applying topical ear medication to treat an infection.

3. As part of a preventative ear care programme, to minimize the chance of an ear infection occurring.

When performing a general clinical examination, for example during a yearly check up at the time of vaccination, a veterinarian will usually look at the inside of the ear for excessive wax or inflammation. A vet will only want to look further into the canal with an otoscope if the dog is showing symptoms of an ear problem, such as scratching at its head, rubbing its head along the floor or head shaking. Otoscopic examination of the ear canal is usually performed to check for the presence of ear mites, foreign bodies (e.g. grass seeds), polyps, tumors and middle ear disease.

If the ears are waxy, but there is no evidence of an infection and no itchiness, then regular cleaning with a dog ear cleaner is the recommended course of action. Ear cleaners can usually be purchased at veterinary clinics, pet shops or online.

What do ear cleaners contain?

Many ear cleaners contain ceruminolytics, which disrupt the wax by acting on the cells it adheres to. Many also contain lubricants, which soften and loosen the wax. The main components are listed below.

Detergent (e.g. docusate sodium, carbamate peroxide, sodium lauryl sulfate)

Lubricant (e.g. squalene, propylene glycol, glycerin)

Ceruminolytic (e.g. olive oil, aqueous alkaline solutions)

Disinfectant (e.g. parachlorometaxylenol)

Antimicrobial agents (e.g. lactic, salicyclic or oleic acids)

Drying agents (e.g. isopropyl alcohol)

Is there a recommended technique for cleaning the ears?

The most common cleaning regime is to apply the product, gently massage the ear canal and then wipe with dry cotton wool. The objective is to keep the ear canals open, clean and free from accumulations of wax, debris and hair. Start with one ear, go through the following process, then move onto the other one. Squirt some of the ear cleaner into the outermost hole in the ear, when looking at it from above. Hold your dogs head steady as it will be inclined to shake its head at this point and disperse the liquid. Massage the ear canal with your fingertips so that it makes a squelching noise. When you have massaged for a good 20 seconds, take a ball of dry cotton wool and clean out the ear by wiping in a corkscrew motion. Your dog may now shake its head to remove the tickly remains from its canal.

Can I pluck the hair from inside the ears myself?

Regular plucking of hairy ear canals will make cleaning easier and improve ventilation. Although it seems like a sore thing to do, there are actually no nerves running through the hair follicles in the ear canal so plucking is painless. Owners can do it themselves at home if their dog is cooperative, but many prefer to leave it to the grooming parlour or to a veterinary nurse.

How often should I clean my dogs ears?

As a rule of thumb, once a month should suffice. However, dogs with large hanging ear flaps such as spaniels and basset hounds might need their ears cleaning more often. Dogs that swim frequently also need closer attention.

What if the home treatment system does not work?

Some ears are so dirty, hairy or sore, that a dog will not permit its owner to clean them out via the technique described above. These owners require veterinary assistance, where either simple lavage or mechanical removal is performed.

LAVAGE

This is usually performed under heavy sedation, or general anaesthetic. A syringe is attached to a soft catheter, which is fed into the ear canal. Water is repeatedly injected and then sucked out again, containing globs of wax and debris. This is repeated until the liquid sucked out is clear. Sometimes other liquids are used rather than water, such as dilute chlorhexidine or povidone iodine. However, these can cause damage if the ear drum is ruptured. Since by definition most dogs requiring veterinary assistance to clean their ears have very dirty ears, it is safer to use water or saline as an irrigant.

MECHANICAL REMOVAL

This is the safest method of cleaning out wax as there is no risk to the ear drum. Sedation is generally required. A wire loop or blunt curette is gently pulled along the lining of the canal, loosening and rolling wax out of the canal as it progresses.

Dr Matthew Homfray is one of the veterinary pet experts at www.WhyDoesMyPet.com. Our dedicated community of caring pet experts are waiting to offer you advice, second opinions and support.

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