I feel a little embarrassed asking after you all just chipped in to tip Alain, but my brother’s dog Ellie just had to be rushed to Pittsburgh for emergency surgery to have two tumors removed from her pancreas, and it is going to cost a LOT of money. She’s going to be there for several days and the price will be in the multiples of well, lots.
Ellie, if you remember, is the dog who threw herself in front of my brother’s car and forced him to rescue her from a backwoods country road a few months before Rosie did the same damned thing to me, and she is just the sweetest little thing and he loves her to death. He’s already reeling from the death of Whisper, so this couldn’t happen at a worse time.
At any rate, if you could kick in some scratch (and again, never donate if you yourself do not have spare cash) to help defray the costs, I and my brother would very much appreciate it.
I wish I could buy health insurance for my dogs.
*** Update ***
Ignore this- Seth felt very uncomfortable with the idea of charity for this, so I am refunding you as we speak.
You can send happy thoughts and tail wags!
Richard Mayhew
John you can buy pet health insurance. This is the company my wife has our cat onhttp://www.petinsurance.com
John Cole
@Richard Mayhew: No shit! I think this deserves a special post given this community.
WaterGirl
Two words, Cole. Pet Plan. $324.00 at the vet last week, another $90 today. My policy covers everything after the deductible (I chose 100.00 deductible).
Pet Plan
I will, of course, chip in for your brother’s dog.
WaterGirl
@John Cole: I spent half a day researching pet insurance options before I chose Pet Plan 5 or so years ago. I sign my guys up the day they come to live with me. I will never not have pet insurance again.
Mnemosyne
Many employers have also been offering pet insurance as a side benefit, so that’s also worth looking into.
I’ll check the couch cushions when I get home tonight — I forgot to donate for Alain, so you can split it between them.
John Cole
@WaterGirl: Their rates are ridiculous. I am definitely going to buy insurance for the critters over the next couple of pay days.
Betty Cracker
PayPal is being a dick, but as soon as I’m within reach of my cards so I can verify my account to Elon Musk’s minion’s satisfaction, I’ll kick in. Best of luck to sweet Ellie!
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@John Cole: @WaterGirl: Petplan is awesome. I spent over $5,000 trying to save my Phoebe last year, and they reimbursed every single penny.
Steeplejack
Because I’m feeling incredibly lazy right now, I’m hoping someone in the Juicetariat can give me a quick answer:
Is it possible, and hopefully easy, to add a second e-mail address to my PayPal account so that I can donate here and elsewhere without revealing my secret identity?
WaterGirl
@John Cole: Are you saying Pet Plan rates are ridiculous? I don’t think the rates are ridiculous at all. Or did you mean ridiculously low?
You get to choose deductible (50, 100, 200). You get to chose amount they pay after deductible (100%, 90%, 80%). You get to choose gold, silver, bronze (how much total they will pay out in one year).
If you want low premiums and basically catastrophic coverage, choose the cheapest options of all three. If you prefer higher premiums and no surprises out of pocket, choose the more expensive options. Or choose something in between.
Just chipped in $25 for Ellie.
WaterGirl
@Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA: I’m sorry about Phoebe.
I do like knowing that I will never again have to figure cost into the equation when I am trying to decide on a course of treatment for my guys. Ditto for when a pup or kitty gets older with a lot of vet bills.
raven
I have Embrace Pet Health insurance for Bohdi at $50 a month.
WaterGirl
@WaterGirl:
testing again, quote in line:
testing again, line before quote:
Joy in FL
@WaterGirl: Thank you so much for the link. I just explored the site, and it looks remarkably cost effective, even for my 11 year old sweet cat, Tig. I got pet insurance when I got a puppy years ago but let it lapse due to increasing costs. Pet Plan looks very affordable.
raven
Here is Pet Insurance Review . I wrote a review of Embrace and they checked ti make sure I was legit before they published it so I think they are legit and can help you decide.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@John Cole: Also too: one of the reasons I like Petplan is because some insurance companies won’t cover conditions certain breeds are susceptible to — like if X breed of dog is susceptible to Y illness, and your X breed gets Y illness, you’re out of luck. Petplan doesn’t have those restrictions.
Also, they don’t cover annual checkups/vaccinations. I think the reasoning is that you can budget for that — insurance is for the accidents/illnesses that come up out of nowhere that can hurt you financially or cause you to put the pet down because you can’t afford the treatment. Other companies will brag about covering vaccines/checkups, but read the fine print — their coverage will suck in a lot of other ways.
Also also too: I don’t know if this is still the case, but when I researched in ’09, some companies treated annual renewals like buying a whole new policy. Since none of them cover pre-existing conditions, a company treating a renewal like a whole new plan will not cover any condition the pet has, even if the pet developed the condition during the previous year and the company covered it under the previous year’s plan.
Yeah, some of them suck. This is why I and Watergirl both spent forever researching them before making a decision.
raven
Kicked in even though hockey sucks.
Aleta
About the pet insurance plans. Do any cover unexpected dental extraction? Just took cat in for just a cleaning, came away with huge unexpected bill for 9 extractions as well. (( Even the idea of a cleaning is a suggestion I’ve resisted but they are tying the mouth bacteria to damage to a pet’s heart, kidneys, liver, so I don’t know. But the pets do seem to feel a lot better after the cleanings. )
WaterGirl
@Aleta: Not exactly sure. Pet Plan is great on the phone: (866) 467-3875
Also, a quick google got me this nice little chart: http://www.gopetplan.com/what-we-cover
edit: the chart does show checkmarks by “dental treatments (non-routine”. As I dust off my cobwebs… I think they don’t cover teeth cleaning but they do cover other stuff they find with teeth cleaning. Best to call them to be sure, though.
Damned at Random
Sent some scratch in honor of the many pets I still mourn. Hope Ellie has a fast recovery and may happy years to come
raven
@Aleta: @Aleta: Bohdi broke a tooth and they pulled it and they also cleaned his teeth. We submitted the bill and they rejected it all because cleaning was not covered. Our vet wrote Embrace and explained that it would have been malpractice to NOT clean his teeth while he was under. They didn’t pay for the cleaning but they paid for the rest.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@Aleta: From their website:
I’d recommend that you call them to ask about specifics.
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: Are you still here? Check your email, please.
Davebo
I can remember seeing commercials on pet insurance during a trip to Europe about 17 years ago and laughing and saying who would do that?
After dropping about 5k on surgery/treatment for my Lab I wasn’t laughing anymore.
raven
@Davebo: We spent $20 K + on Raven’s cancer. That’s why we have Embrace on the Bohdi.
Aleta
@WaterGirl: Thanks so much.
SIA
Just donated on PayPal but didn’t see anywhere to specify what it’s for. It’s for that adorable puppet.
ETA It’s not charity, it’s Balloon Juice! Seth needs to be assimilated into the collective. Best love to Ellie.
John Cole
STOP DONATING. He initially was ok with it but on the ride home thought it should go to something more useful. I’m issuing refunds as we speak!
SIA
@WaterGirl: great referral! Thanks! I’ve never had pet insurance but will check this out!
PurpleGirl
I hope your brother’s pet gets better with the treatment.
Where can I make a donation, or just paypal to your email addy?
Aleta
@raven: Ok great to know. Because from what I recently learned, vets have some guidelines they follow now as to what they will perform according to condition of a tooth, and they don’t necessarily inform you once the pet is under anesthesia for the cleaning. Thanks again.
WaterGirl
Since this is a pet thread, I want to take a second and thank Jose Cabanillas for posting this lovely quote on the RIP, Whisper thread a couple of weeks ago. I happened upon that thread in an open tab, unread, on Tuesday. I lost a beloved dog this week, not my own but my sister’s dog, Apache, and we had a very special bond. I found this little story ever so comforting.
Pets
By Kevin Denelsbeck
I saw Mopsy and Lucy last night. They died earlier this year.
They were healthier than I had last remembered, their black fur unmatted, their tails in furious swishes, their paws scratching at my legs.
Jason the Russian Blue sauntered out then, ignoring the dogs he’d never met, offered his courtly head for a rub, his limbs no longer arthritic.
Mopsy and Lucy distracted themselves into one of their infamous growl-yip playfights, leaving room for Pity, the mysterious white cat from Jason’s era, to pass by to the kitchen.
Vickie the beagle, a real old-timer, galloped in next, her eyes afire like she’d seen a rabbit, running towards me the way she used to tease us at the bus stop.
Jason tapped her nose with a paw and she veered off under the library table. A good thing, too, for Bub the Great Pyrenees, the great white dog who had to stay outside in a run most of his life, rumbled in, his old pal Gabby Whiskers the miniature schnauzer nipping at his heels like always.
They disappeared into the hallway. Finally, Butters, the butter-colored tabby, jumped up on a nearby chair and lovingly butted my head with his. It was so good to see him spry and limber, his leg no longer broken and twisted from that unseen car, his eyes squinted in the pleasure of touch, not the agony of evisceration.
I rubbed his back and felt it arch and then he leapt away and went off on some mission behind the sofa.
And before the petless room winked out, I knew that all my old friends, so new and perfectly-remembered here, were no longer dead, but only hiding.
Bill the Subaru Guy
John, I’m a few minutes late, but could you tell your brother that the idea of helping someone out at a time such as this is one of the best things about the internet? I think of you as family, and even though I very rarely have anything to say here, I visit every day, and I cried for days when Tunch died. I couldn’t be happier to help (extended) family in a time of crisis, and I hope fervently that I’ll never need to call on the generosity of this wonderful community you’ve fathered. We’re pet peeps, most of us anyway, and this is what we do.
Aleta
@John Cole: Could you possibly reconsider that, maybe limit donation to 10$ Pp or something?
Steeplejack
@WaterGirl:
Got it.
WaterGirl
@John Cole: Tell Seth that he’s family. This isn’t charity, we take care of our own.
It takes a village.
Steeplejack
@SIA:
For future reference, there’s a field where you can enter a note or memo to the recipient. I put the details in there.
Steeplejack
@PurpleGirl:
Donation button is in the right column (desktop version of site). Address is JGriffinCole at the gee mail.
Aleta
@WaterGirl: Sorry for your loss. It’s never easy.
PurpleGirl
@Steeplejack: Thank you.
WaterGirl
Since we’re talking about pet insurance, I just filed my claim for the vet visit today. Took two photos on my iPad, one for the invoice and one for the vet notes for today’s visit. It took 2 minutes (I timed it) to take the photos, file the claim and upload the two photos, all on my iPad.
* can also be done from a phone, or email, or fax.
edit: I got the check last week for the claim for the visit 2 weeks ago.
Beeb
I didn’t see your request that we not donate after all until I already had. You can refund it if you insist, but as others have already said, Ellie is family. So please try to get Seth to change his mind.
delk
We have Trupanion Pet Insurance for our dog.
eemom
@WaterGirl:
I love that story. Kind of a riff on the Rainbow Bridge, which I assume everyone’s heard. And it is so, SO true that every animal is a unique individual. We in the eefamily are on our third generation of dogs, Roxy and Marx, and we love them dearly….but I still dearly love and miss the ones we’ve lost, Maggie and Rocky, and Max and Rambo before them. Also Mortimer the kitty, who I somehow managed to become desensitized to even though I’m very allergic to cats. (Yes, we have an M and R thing going — also applies to our kids.)
Thank you for sharing. I’m very sorry for your loss.
WaterGirl
@eemom: Thanks, eemom. I thought it was lovely and charming and oddly comforting.
I have always thought I would put together a little book one day: To All the Dogs I’ve Loved Before. Photos and a story about each one. But now I have kitties, too, and haven’t figured out how to adjust the title. I’m sure I should just start writing and worry about the title later.
P.S. Glad the dog got the name Rambo and not one of the kids.
AliceBlue
I’m so sorry to hear this. Sending good thoughts to Seth and Ellie.
SIA
@Steeplejack: Ok thanks! I missed that. How’ve you been doing?
SIA
@Steeplejack: I’ve wondered what the “G” stood for!
SIA
@eemom: @WaterGirl: OK you guys are making me cry. I still miss every one of them.
Seth Cole
This is John’s brother, Seth. I truly appreciate that people are willing to help. The thing is, I am not rolling in money by any means but I can afford this. I would feel terribly guilty about accepting money that could instead go to help someone who is not as fortunate as I am and might have no choice but to euthanize their pet due to financial reasons. I would feel like I was killing some other person’s pet. So if you feel the impulse to help, please give the money to one of the wonderful pet charities out there and maybe give the gift of life to someone’s best friend who otherwise might not make it. Again though, I really appreciate the desire to help. And certainly send your positive vibes and prayers to the Flying Spaghetti Monster for Ellie. She is an absolute darling.
WaterGirl
@SIA: Crying is therapeutic. At least it is for me this week.
SIA
@WaterGirl: It is, and I’ve grieved as deeply for the four legged family members as the two legged ones. I’m so sorry you lost a close friend Water Girl.
WaterGirl
@SIA: He was the sweetest boy. He came from a rescue, and his doggie smile was crooked because the evil guy he was rescued from used to kick his dogs and had broken apache’s jaw. What kind of asshole kicks his dogs? He wouldn’t look directly at us at first, but he learned to trust and he was a happy guy.
He came to live with my sister and BIL over a decade ago, and I stayed with them for a week starting two days after apache came to live with them. When I went home after a week, I actively missed him for awhile, like you would miss your husband or boyfriend. Whatever it is that makes a special bond, we had it. When I visit, I get a single lick on the nose, which my sister and BIL have never gotten.
It’s funny, my sister was telling me that on his last day apache really looked her in the eye, which she said he seldom did. At least I was smart enough not to tell her that apache looked me in the eye all the time. He would sleep with me when I visited and if we were downstairs watching TV in the evening he would come stand by me and the next moment he would have somehow melted on top of me, where he would stay for the duration. Rest in peace my sweet, sweet boy.
different-church-lady
It was a good impulse, Cole, but yes, one should always check with the benefactor first.
satby
@Steeplejack: yes. I have two linked to the same PayPal account.
satby
@WaterGirl: Deepest condolences, Watergirl, on Apache’s passing. Having you for a special friend made him feel safe and happy, I can tell.
dexwood
@Seth Cole:
Understand. Went through an expensive condition with Dexter Dog recently. I could handle it, so what if I ate more beans. Friends were offering to chip in because they loved him. Wouldn’t have made a bit of difference, but the offers and the concern meant more than gold. Good luck to Ellie. Thanks for being there for her.
Steeplejack (phone)
@satby:
How did you do it? I went on the PayPal site when I gave some money here earlier and couldn’t figure out how to add another e-mail address without (in effect) setting up a separate account for that second e-mail address that points back to the same payment card. Doable but seems inefficient.
Mingobat f/k/a Karen in GA
@WaterGirl: Very sorry to hear about Apache.
Sasha
Hell, John, pet healthcare puts human healthcare to shame.
SIA
@WaterGirl: What a lovely story. I know that bond, it doesn’t happen often. Hugs.
seaboogie
@WaterGirl: There is nothing better than a special dog bond. It is absolute pure love, uncomplicated by any other thing. Glad for both of you that you and Apache had that.
seaboogie
@Seth Cole: Sending all love and good wishes and intentions for Ellie…
It’s beyond my ken to set up a photo-sharing app tonight to share this with you, but do know that I have printed off Ellie’s picture and it is on a little altar with Ganesh (the remover of obstacles), and a fruit offering. Also lit candles and incense on my altar table.
I love how “on it” Ellie is in this picture. And how Boghan looks like he was put together by a committee that didn’t agree on everything.
Paul in KY
Best wishes on the dogs getting healthy!