Hypoglycemia is particularly important to watch out for in toy dog breeds under 3 months of age. These animals have an underdeveloped ability to regulate their blood glucose. Coupled with a high requirement for glucose at an early age, juvenile toy breeds are particularly susceptible to a condition known as Juvenile Hypoglycemia.

Veterinary pet insurance comes into play in the treatment of conditions of which hypoglycemia is a symptom. With numerous potential causes, it is difficult to know for certain if you coverage will protect you in treating those issues. Generally, with young dogs, you will be covered. Unless you have an existing plan, it may be difficult to secure pet health insurance for dogs or cats over the age of 8 years.

Signs and Symptoms: Animals experiencing low blood sugar may exhibit loss of appetite, loss of coordination, lethargy, twitching and seizures. In extreme cases, blindness or coma may result. Any of these symptoms should immediately warrant a visit to the vet.

Important action: As mentioned, hypoglycemia is a symptom of underlying cause. Absent knowledge of that cause, we hesitate to recommend any home action be taken. Obviously, a call and visit to the vet are your best course of action. However, if you’ve had past experience with your pet and hypoglycemia, are familiar with the symptoms and strongly suspect your pet is suffering from lowered blood sugar levels, you can rub Karo® syrup on its gums until you can get it to the vet. This should be considered a bandaid solution as there is still an underlying cause that needs legitimate veterinary care.

Treatment: Treatment of hypoglycemia will be threefold. Your vet will perform tests to measure your pet’s blood glucose concentration, may administer glucose orally or by IV and will obviously want to diagnose and treat the underlying condition causing the imbalance. Again, as there are multiple potential causes for hypoglycemia, listing all possible treatment for those causes is outside the scope of this individual post.

You will need to maintain your pet’s medication when you take him home and carefully monitor his eating and activity levels.

How can veterinary pet insurance help with hypoglycemia: As stated, hypoglycemia is the result of an underlying cause. In many cases, your pet health insurance will cover treatment of conditions from which hypoglycemia results and the actual treatment of the lowered blood glucose will be included in that coverage as part of the condition. Some causes of hypoglycemia include insulin-producing tumors. While likely covered, treatments may put a significant dent in your allowable expense. Check with your provider and work with your vet to get all your facts together.

VPI - Veterinary Pet Insurance: This is one of the oldest pet insurance companies in the nation! They are one of the LARGEST providers available when it comes to health insurance for cats (as well as other pets). They offer many (and when I say many, I mean it!) different types of policies including ones that cover accidental injuries, emergencies and various illnesses. If you are shopping around for veterinary pet insurance, add them to your list!

Petshealth Care Plan: Not as widely known as VPI this veterinary pet insurance company offers five different health care plans for your feline. From a simple plan that covers accidents only to the “top-of-the-line” Best Pet Plan, check out this up and coming pet insurance company!

Animal Friends: This veterinary pet insurance company is located in the United Kingdom and is simply pawsome! Why, you ask? Well, Animal Friends dedicates it net profits not only to the care of animals but to their environment as well. If you want a pet insurance policy that saves you money as well as helps other animals, then this is the insurance company for you! They offer two different feline health insurance policy options. Check them out!

ASPCA Pet Health Insurance: Not only is the ASPCA dedicated to helping animals, they are dedicated to helping you care for your cat! The ASPCA offers comprehensive policies that cover accidents, preventative care, and a variety of illnesses. It is also good to know that a portion of your first year premiums goes directly to help and support animals in need. Wonderful! For more information please read my post about ASPCA Pet Health Insurance!

PetCare Pet Insurance Programs: This veterinary pet insurance company covers a WIDE range of possible issues. From accidents to allergies there is probably a plan for you (and your cat!). PetCare really cares about their customers and will work with you so that your cat gets the best possible insurance policy! Best of all, they realize that many people are on a budget, so they will also work with you so that you get policy that you CAN AFFORD! They are also a firm believer in preventative care!

So there you have it, five vet pet insurance companies at a glance! In future posts, if I have not already done so, I will cover each company in more detail. In the meantime, if you are searching for a veterinary pet insurance company, do your homework and start with a simple on-line search! Make sure you write down all of your questions and prepare a budget so that you know exactly what you can afford. Good luck and here’s to good feline health!

Companion pet insurance is actually offered through the PTZ Insurance Agency which is located in Buffalo, New York. Obviously, you don’t need to live in Buffalo to buy a pet insurance plan from them.  In order to enroll your pet they must be at least eight months of age or older. They have two major plans to choose from including the Companion Optimum and Companion Complete. Both require you to pay for services in full and then submit your receipts ( along with a claim form) for reimbursement. This is not a surprise as most veterinary health insurance plans work in this way (some human health insurance works this way too!).

The Companion Optimum Plan allows you to enroll your pet if he or she is between the ages of 8 weeks and 6 years. They may allow older dogs; however, you would have to speak to a representative to confirm this. Most veterinary pet health insurance companies do not enroll “senior” animals.  This plan pays 90% of selected services (first time illness coverage, select accidents and $150 for annual wellness  costs). Examples of “select accidents” would be ingestion of a foreign body, motor vehicle accident, ingestion of poison, broken bones, burns and allergic reaction to insect bites. The maximum coverage of “select accidents” is $1500 to $2000. Oh, and before I forget, the deductible for most claims that fall under the Companion Optimum Plan is $100.

The Companion Complete Plan pays out 70% for services rendered. It covers cats that fall between 8 weeks and 10 years of age and dogs that are at least 8 weeks and younger than 8 years of age. It covers a variety of services including accident, illness and wellness (which is preventative care). The Companion Plan also includes other services such as accidental death, kennel fees (if your dog is required to stay at the vet), recovery costs (which is the fee you pay in order to advertise to find a lost pet) and euthanasia and cremation. Coverage amounts and deductibles vary under this plan.

When considering any veterinary pet insurance it is important to do your homework. There are many different plans out there and they all offer different “deals.” Before you sign on the dotted line, BE SURE TO CALL the veterinary pet insurance company that you are interested in, ask A LOT of questions and never feel pressured to buy an insurance plan that you are not comfortable with.  Different plans cover different things and it is very important that you make sure that the breed of dog or cat that you own is covered. The Chinese Shar-Pei for example, often has medical conditions that are not covered by many veterinary pet insurance plans. Below are some questions that you should ask BEFORE purchasing any plan.

• What services will the particular plan you are interested in cover?
• What are the deductibles for different services?
• How do you get reimbursed? Ask exactly how to file a claim and how long it takes for claims to be processed.
• Is the particular breed of cat or dog that you own covered?
• Do they pay for euthanasia and cremation?
• What are the exclusions (important!!!)?
• What is the EXACT price of the plan you are interested in?
• Can you use ANY veterinarian or must you go to a vet that is “in plan?”
• Are emergency veterinarian services covered? Can you go to ANY emergency veterinary hospital that you choose?

Be sure to have your questions handy before you call the veterinary pet insurance plan representative. Being prepared and being smart will help to ensure that you get the best, most affordable plan for you and your pet!