It was one of my routine visits to our adored vet, Dr. Shivaji.H.Talekar, for Angel’s vaccination. It’s been five years, and we almost always meet Rio, a six year old female Rottweiler. While we pet-parents have become so familiar with each other, that we discuss anything under the sun; Angel and Rio keep themselves and the onlookers busy with their favorite entertainment, a game of ’Tug-of-war’. It was very unusual that for the past 4-5 visits Rio was not to be seen. Out of habit, Angel searched for Rio in every nook and corner of the clinic. I couldn’t control myself from asking Dr. Talekar about Rio.  That’s when he broke the news, that Rio had some hip problems for some time now, and had probably fallen prey to ‘Hip Dysplasia’. In some dogs, genetic factors which are aggravated by environmental factors, is the cause for painful arthritis which induces ‘lameness’ of joints.  It is common in most of the animals and in humans, but it is very specific to dog breeds, especially, Molossers (also known as Mastiffs).

In their enthusiasm to keep Rio happy, she was always well fed, even if she was not hungry. Since Mr. & Mrs. Dudhat were hard pressed for time due to their successful careers, they hardly had the time to see if Rio is burning all the calories that they were contributing out of love.Dr. Talekar has been advising Rio’s pet-parents, Mr. & Mrs. Dudhat, to control Rio’s weight and prescribing non-steroidal painkillers. But now, she has reached a stage where Hip replacement Surgery was the only option.

I was shocked! I immediately picked up the phone to speak to Mr. Dudhat. He did not sound his usual self. I know what is eating him up. For a parent, the offspring should always be healthy and energetic, be it humans or pets. I didn’t want to add to his distress by asking for too many details. He was devastated by Rio’s ill-health and was concerned about the surgery-its results and the costs involved. I assured him that Dr. Talekar is an expert who would take care of the first two aspects and for the costs? I had an answer!!!

Mr. Dudhat in his worries, had completely forgotten that I as a sensible pet parent had not only suggested him to take a pet insurance, but had also ensured that he took the right cover because he has given an ECS (Electronic Clearing Services) facility to deduct his insurance premiums and the amounts were too small for anyone to notice. It is no surprise that he has almost forgotten about the insurance policy.Now what is Pet insurance?

For a small premium, pet insurance fills the void in your pocket (upto some extent) that arise out of the medical costs, if your pet falls ill or is injured in an accident.  The majority of insurance policies, however, do not cover the expenses incurred by routine and/or preventive treatment. The main purpose is to meet the risk of huge medical expenses incurred while treating ill/accident-injured pets. The insurance covers death due to diseases or accidents occurred during the policy period subject to conditions, and usual terms exclusions of the policy. All the exclusions are similar to that of ‘Cattle Insurance’ except for PTD (Permanent Total Disability) because there is loss of income due to disability of cattle.

So without waiting further, Mr. Dudhat fixed up an appointment for Rio’s Hip replacement Surgery.

The surgery was successful and she was put into a strict exercise restriction for twelve weeks (post-op). And at the end of the sixth week, Rio was back with Angel, playing ‘Tug-of-war’. It was very nice to see a relieved Mr. Dudhat. He was all praises for the insurance claim which was sanctioned within 10 days of submission of hospital reports and surgery details.

Not all Pets are as lucky as Rio, who has a loving, caring and affluent pet parent.  Crystal, a mischievous 2 year old male Pug (was orphaned because of his skin infection), nearly died in a road accident but for the support of an NGO who found him at the roadside.

He was severely injured and was profusely bleeding. If left unattended, he would not have seen the next day. His right hind limb was crushed and could not be reconstructed. The surgeon had to amputate it. It took a long time to fit in the prosthetic leg. Surgery expenses, post-operative care, and the prosthetic limbs had to be sponsored by the NGO who brought him from the accident site.

For Crystal, even if there was an insurance policy, insurance claims wouldn’t have been of much help, because, prosthetics and other mobility devices are not covered under the policy.

Pet insurance has to evolve from its nascent stages in our country and exclusions like this deter the pet-parents from insuring their pets. In many instances, the once pampered pet, after being diagnosed with a severe illness, is mercilessly abandoned by some pet-parents. Let alone treating them, these pet-parents do not even allow the unfortunate pets to stay in their house and have a morsel of food. As the pets are fed from time-to-time and are habituated to all the comforts of a household, life becomes hell when they are shown the streets and left to fend for themselves.

Rio is fortunate enough to bounce back to normalcy and to meet the hopes of her pet-parents who knew the benefits of insurance and Crystal too is lucky enough to be spotted by an NGO who took complete care of him. Since prosthetics are not aesthetics, but are essentials, insurance companies should come up with more humane exclusions.

If this happens, it would provide a scope for pet-parents to avoid being in a situation of abandoning their pets. If demand for pet insurance increases, insurance companies would have a scope to come with a wider range of products. Thus, insurance is hope for some and scope for many. Now, have you got a pet insurance ?

The post Hope for some – Scope for many appeared first on Pet Attack.

We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.”
― César Chávez

Have you ever stopped to think what it must be like for an animal that suddenly gets abandoned by its owner? All throughout their life they have loved only one person and then one day out of the blue their owner decides to abandon them. The worst part is the owners don’t even have the courtesy to leave their animals in shelter homes; they just dump them in faraway places or in ditches or forests. How can people be so inhuman? Did they not love their pets at all or is their heart made of stone? It’s not only cats and dogs that people abandon, all kinds of pets are abandoned by people. Whether it is a guinea pig or a teacup pig, a turtle or an owl people leave them in an unfamiliar environment and move on without a second thought.

The most common reason for this is that people try to follow movies and celebrities. If a movie or a celebrity showed a particular kind of animal as the new must have people rush to buy that animal. They forget to realize the fact that animals are not fashion accessories but real living and breathing things. You can’t just get one when you feel like it and then abandon it when you are bored. Other reasons which people cite for leaving their pets are “landlord does not allow cats and dogs”, “ moving out of state for work”, “no space in new house for pets” and the most common of them all “ a family member developed allergies”. If you decide to bring home a pet you must think about the future. Bringing home a pet then keeping it for a year or two and then dumping your pet on the streets because you are leaving the country or a new family member developed allergies is not right. If this is not animal cruelty then what is. Since your pet is used to the comforts of your house how do you think it will survive outside, alone and hungry?

The saddest part is even in pet shelters, animals are given a few days to live during which if they are not adopted,  they are euthanized. Some dogs and cats become aggressive after they are abandoned and some are abandoned because they suffer from some terminal illness or an injury. Don’t these animals deserve a second chance? Most aggressive animals are euthanized early because the chances of them finding a new home are next to impossible.

A lot of people abandoned their animals in their previous homes which have been foreclosed. The animals are left in these houses without food and water and when the people from the bank enter the premises they find either dead or highly dehydrated pets. This is done as an act of defiance against the people who took away their homes. People who do such things to their pets must be punished. Anti cruelty laws must be made and anyone who dares to commit such crimes must be prosecuted. Why torture poor animals just because you are angry at the bank authorities? This is unacceptable. In times like these you must love your pets more and keep them close to you. Even if everyone in the world leaves you, your pets never will. They will love you and look up to you even if you are the worst person if the history of the world.

BEFORE ABANDONING YOUT PET, EXHAUST ALL YOUR OPTIONS.

If you are thinking of moving to a place with a no pets policy, and you will have to abandon your pet before you move then don’t move. You can always find places that allow you to keep pets. If you have to move no matter what ,then ask a family member to look after your pet dog or cat till you find a home which allows you to live with your pet. When you have brought a pet home it depends on you, so giving up is not an option.

If you lost your job and cannot afford to keep your pet anymore make a budget and see what exactly are the things that your pet absolutely needs. A healthy diet with lots of exercise and its vaccinations on time are the only important things. The rest can wait. So don’t give up on your pet so easily.

If you are having a baby and you are worried that having a dog in the house is dangerous then you are mistaken. If your dog is well behaved then there is nothing to be worried about. In fact dogs make the best companions for children. This way you can teach your child to respect animals from an early age.

Always remember that animals are never like they are shown in movies. They are living entities and should never be treated as fashion accessories. After the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle’ series got over thousands of turtles were abandoned in the rivers, the same goes for all the Harry Potter fans that abandoned many owls because they realized that the owls weren’t like Hedwig.

It’s about time people realized that abandoning their animals or torturing them is not the solution to their problems. When we bring an animal home we are making a lifelong commitment to love and protect it and under no circumstances should be break our oath to them.

The post ABANDONED PETS appeared first on Pet Attack.