Pet Insurance

Axle + Clover at the vet

Recently, I have had a lot of people asking about the Pet Insurance that we have on Axle and Clover. I know some people think that pet insurance is a complete waste of money, and why in the world would anyone insure their pets? But honestly, over the past year and a half we have saved well over $5,000 on vet bills on Axle alone.

I will couch this by saying that we probably take our dogs to the vet more than the average pet owner, but our dogs are basically just furry children to us. And since our insurance includes unlimited FREE vet visits, why wouldn't we take them in if we thought there was a problem. I've always felt its better to take them in and have the vet tell us its nothing, than not take them in and have a serious problem later. Especially since we don't ever get a bill for the office visit.

Back in May we took Axle and Clover in for their yearly exams. These exams are basically like a full physical for dogs. They check them from nose to tail, inside and out. And since we have two dogs, everything we do is doubled. The full work up includes...

Office Visit: $38.95 (X2)......................................100% Covered by insurance

Blood Work: $42.96 (X2).....................................100% Covered by insurance

Comprehensive Exam: $45.00 (X2)......................100% Covered by insurance

Boarding during exam: $33.21 (X2).....................100% Covered by insurance

Neurological Exam: $24.95 (X2)..........................100% Covered by insurance

Fecal Sample: $9.20 (X2)......................................100% Covered by insurance

Heartworm Test: $27.95 (X2)................................100% Covered by insurance

Organ Function Screen: $59.10 (X2).....................100% Covered by insurance

Parasite Fecal Exam: $25.62 (X2).........................100% Covered by insurance

State Rabies Tag: $4.00 (X2)

ProHeart Monthly Fee: $14.26 (X2)......................100% Covered by insurance

Tonometry: $22.95 (X2).........................................100% Covered by insurance

Bordetella Vaccine: $20.95 (X2)............................100% Covered by insurance

Distemper Parvo DAPP Vaccine: $29.95 (X2).......100% Covered by insurance

Leptospirosis Vaccine: $14.95 (X2).......................100% Covered by insurance

Rabies Vaccine: $15.95 (X2)..................................100% Covered by insurance

Medical Waste Disposal Fee: $3.10 (X2)...............100% Covered by insurance

Total: $856.10

After Insurance: $8.00 

On a $856 vet bill we paid a grand total of $8.00 out of pocket. And this was just on their yearly physicals. I can't even tell you how many times we have walked into the vet's office thinking something was wrong, and walked out owing absolutely nothing. Its wonderful not having to think twice about taking the dogs in. I know that the immense cost of veterinary care can deter a lot of people from taking their animals in. And, like with people, sometimes waiting means waiting until its too late...

We pay a small monthly fee of about $50 for Axle and a little bit less for Clover. And while that does add up to almost $1200 a year, we still save hundreds and hundreds of dollars on vet bills. Plus we get the piece of mind knowing that when we do take them in for a visit, its not going to cost an arm and a leg just to get seen by our vet. Especial since Axle is a 'special needs' dog and requires more care than the average dog.

We use Banfield Pet Hospital as our primary veterinarian, and we LOVE them. All of the Vets and nurses are so wonderful with Axle and Clover. And they always make sure that I understand any and all procedures or medications.

If you have pets, especially special needs pets, I highly recommend at least looking into pet insurance. It it becoming more common, and most vet's do offer some kind of wellness plan for their regular patients.

Do you have pet insurance or any kind of wellness plan? What have your experience been when it comes to handling expensive bet bills? Please let us know in the comments below! We love hearing about your personal critter stories!

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Also be on the look out for At The Dog Park's very first giveaway coming soon! We have been contacted by a very awesome company to do a product review, and we will be giving one of their really unique items away to one lucky winner!

Dog Park Adventure: Back in Action!

This week was the first time we have been back to the park in about a month... The last few weeks Axle has been feeling a bit under the weather. He has been sick off and on since we adopted him last year. But our vet could never really tell us what was wrong with him. The best guess we could make is that he was just really susceptible to getting bacterial infections.

 Axle and Clover wait for their friends to arrive.

But this most recent time he was sick, his usual rounds of antibiotics and probiotics didn't seem to be working. Axle was vomiting several times a day, almost every day. And even on the medication, he still wasn't getting any better.

 Vlad is a little camera shy.

So after going back and forth to the vet about three times, they decided to do just one more fecal test to see if anything would show up. Well, the 3rd time was the charm and it came back positive for Whip Worm. Our vet told us that they could do six of these tests on a dog that had Whip Worm and MAYBE one of them would come back positive.

 Clover is fast!

After we got the results Axle and Clover both began treatment for Whip Worm. We had to treat both dogs, since it would be extremely easy for them to pass it back and forth. Our vet thinks that the Whip Worm could be what has been making Axle sick for the past year. So with this new information we were really excited, because we might have finally found out what has been wrong with Axle for so long.

 Clover, Axle, and Hachi

We began the treatment for the Whip Worm, and for a few days it seemed to be working. Axle was not throwing up, and he was starting to get a little bit of his energy back!

 The welcoming committee

But a few more days passed, and Axle started vomiting again. He was lethargic and just was not himself. Right away we called the vet and made an another appointment to bring him back in. The vet was really concerned, becuase he should not be throwing up while on this new medication.

 There was a good crowd at the park!

So back to the vet we went. I swear, we are in there so often that I don't even have to give my name anymore when I call. All I have to say is 'Axle is sick' and they know exactly who we are. I'm not really sure that's a good thing... But I am glad we have such a good relationship with our vet. It really eases my mind when one of the dogs is not feeling well. 

 Hachi is a ham!

After talking with our vet about all the different possibilities, they decided that he may actually have something else wrong with him in addition to the Whip Worms. So we decided to put him on a trial diet along with some new medication for Acid Reflux. And I'll be honest with you, deal readers, I was not aware that dogs could even have Acid Reflux.

 Clover sporting her Summer Cut.

So once again we were sent home with yet another new medication and a very pricey prescription bag of dog food. Axle and Clover were both already on a sensitive stomach and skin brand of dog food. We had suspected that Axle had some type of food allergies, but we were never really sure what exactly he could be allergic to.

 Axle enjoying the sunshine!

But with this new possibility of Axle having Acid Reflux, we might finally be able to get him on the right medication and diet to make him feel better. The hardest part about the whole thing is that Axle can't just tell us where it hurts. I feel so bad that he has had to go through test, after test, after test. Even though we love our vet, its still so stressful for Axle every time we have to take him in.

 Hachi is sooo handsome!

Over about a week or we had to slowly transition Axle from this old food, to his new prescription food. We wanted to do this slowly so as not to upset Axle's system even more. Just switching his food immediately could really throw his whole system out of balance.

 

Greeting a new friend.

Finally after a week Axle had fully transitioned to his new food, and had been taking his Acid Reflux medication too. Thankfully he seems to be doing really well on this new diet and medication! Its such a relief to us and him, that he has stopped throwing up every day, and has gotten a lot of his energy back.

 Axle and Henry.

Axle and Clover still have to go through one more round of the Whip Worm treatment. But since Axle has been on this new diet and medication, he has not thrown up once! It has only been about two weeks, but we are hopeful that Axle will continue on the path of recovery with the help of this new treatment.

Lets play!

I never thought of Axle as a "special needs" dog, even though he technically is. He has always just been my little Axle. I never want to keep him from doing things he loves like going to the dog park, or going swimming in the pond by our house, just becuase of his health issues. So I was thrilled when the vet told us that as long as he doesn't have any problem while on this treatment, we will not have to change his daily lifestyle.

I love the rustic old barn next to the park.

I would simply be heartbroken, if I could never take Axle to the park again. And that was one of my fears when he started getting sick. But thankfully his illness does not seemed to be triggered by his environment. And even better, he has gotten used to taking his Acid Reflux pill twice a day.

That's the spot!

Poor boy just goes belly up, as soon as he sees me heading towards the cabinet where we keep his pills. I know when most dogs have to take a pill, it needs to be wrapped in cheese or deli meat for it to even have a chance of going down. But I guess Axle is so used to taking pills, he just rolls over and lets me put the pill in his mouth and he swallows it on his own.

Chloe is ready for action!

Axle has has another appointment with the vet in a few weeks to make sure he is adjusting well to his new diet and medication. I don't know for sure if he will have to stay on the Acid Reflux medication forever, or if they will lessen his dosage, but I'm just thankful that he seems to be feeling better.

Sunset at the dog park!

I know that the dogs are happy to get to go to the park again too. We had not been taking them, on the off chance that it was an environmental issue. But now that Axle's stomach is not getting upset on his new treatment, we will be able to get back into our routine park trips again!

Henry takes a break in the shade.

I promise I will keep all of you updated on Axle's progress. So many of you have already been so sportive and concerned about what has been going on with him lately. And I honestly cannot tell you how much it means to me that so many people care about my two crazy fur balls!

 

It wouldn't be a Dog Park Adventure without a close up of Clover!

Do any of you have any Special Needs pets? Or pets that have chronic health issues? What are your ways of dealing with the stress of frequent vet trips, bills, medications, or special diets? Please share them in the comments below! We love hearing about your personal pet stories. 

Please also share your pet blogs or websites with us! We are working on a special project in the near future and want to include our dear readers! Also be on the look out! We have a few really awesome contests and giveaways coming up as well!!!

Dog Park Adventure: Let's Go Swimming!

Since it has been so incredibly hot lately, we have been trying to find fun ways for the dogs to cool off. One thing that we have always loved doing, is taking trips to one of the local dog parks that also has a pond where to the dogs can go swimming! And this past Friday we did just that!

 And as you can see, they had a blast!

 Axle and Marley (tan dog) love to fetch sticks out of the water! And even little Wally (white dog) got in on the action.

 "Come on in guys! The water's great!"

 Axle and Marley playing tug of war in the shallow water.

 Marley won. Axle tries to be a good sport.

Clover is still a bit unsure about the whole swimming idea. She will go in up to her chest, but that's about it. She leaves the actual swimming to her brother.

 Clover taking a break to catch some rays.

 

 Axle likes to try and swim out to the middle of the pond.

Stanley prefers to watch all the shenanigans from the grassy banks.

All the dogs had a lot of fun at the pond. I love that they are able to run and play in the water. Its great to be able to take them on a hot day. After we got back home, both the dogs stunk like pond water. So they were given baths. They didn't enjoy their baths as much as they did swimming. But I'm sure it was worth all the fun they had that day!

What do you do to keep your dogs cool in the summer months? Let us know in the comments below! We love learning about you and your dogs!

St. Louis Road Trip: Part 3

Sunday morning started with a bit of a surprise. Just as we were finishing up breakfast, a little visitor wandered up to the front door. A lost dog (who we later named Harriet) was sniffing around in the front yard. Emily walked outside and this sweet girl trotted right up to her, to say hello. Harriet had a collar on, but no name tag. We called the number on her rabies tag, but it went straight to voice mail. It seemed that animal control was closed on Sundays. 

Now Emily pretty much lives on top of a mountain. There is fairly good distance between houses... And neither she, nor David had ever seen this dog before. Emily and I decided to put Harriet in the car and start going around to a few of the neighbor's houses to see if anyone recognized her. But unfortunately no one did. Harriet was pretty dirty when we found her, and both of her eyes were badly infected, so we guessed there was a possibility she had been lost for a while.

After about half an hour Emily, Harriet, and I headed back to the house to go pick up David, Axle, and Dolly. We had to get everyone out of the house becuase there was going to be an open house that afternoon. (Did I mention that Emily's house is for sale? I had to hide all of my luggage when we left the house, just in case the Realtor stopped by with potential buyers!)

Once all of us (3 humans, and now 3 dogs) were all loaded up in David's Kia Soul, we had no choice but the run Harriet down to the local vet's office. We thought that she may have a microchip, or one of the vets might recognize her. When we got to the the vet's office, they seemed to be closed, but the front lobby was open. 

Emily and I took Harriet into the office to see if anyone was in. Luckily there were two vets there looking after the animals. We explained Harriet's situation and they checked her for a chip, but she didn't have one... But they did agree to keep her until Monday, and then call the phone number on her rabies tag to see if they could find her owners information. 

We left our contact information with the vets, and asked them to call us if they were able to find Harriet's owners. We still have not heard from the vet's office... but I really hope they were able to track down her family. The moral of the story is that it is so important to microchip your pets, or at the very least put ID tags on their collars. 

If Harriet had a ID tag with her phone number, she could have been returned home within a matter of minutes. Same with a microchip. It makes me so sad thinking about the possiablilty that she was not reunited with her family, and had to be taken to an animal shelter.

I suppose we had the option of just letter her go, and hoping she found her way home. But the houses there are about a half mile apart. And they are on a mountain surrounded by forest. There are coyotes, wild cats, rivers, huge steep rock faces, and who knows what else, and Harriet had to be at least 10 years old. 

There was no way we would have felt good about just letter her fend for herself... At least by taking her to the animal clinic she has a chance of safely being reunited with her family. And we knew she would have somewhere safe and warm to spend the night. She would be given fresh water, food, and there is no chance of being her eaten by a coyote there.

We really felt bad that we couldn't have kept her until we found her family either. But with an open house that day, and already having two large dogs with us, there was just no way we could. Axle and Dolly are big, young, sometimes rowdy dogs. And Harriet was a smaller, older, and more subdued dog. She would have been miserable being constantly pestered by them.

But hopefully we did the right thing and Harriet is happily sleeping on the couch in her home with her family. Its always sad to find a lost dog, but we tried to do everything we knew to help her get home. Harriet is a very sweet dog, and I really hope that she was reunited with her family. I know Harriet did not belong to us, but I can't help but feel a little responsible for her. And even though we only spent a few hours together, I really care about her well being. Hopefully Harriet's story had a happy ending. 

This unintentionally turned into an entire post by itself, so check back soon for part 4 of our STL trip!

St. Louis Road Trip: Part 2

On Saturday Emily, David, Dolly, Axle, and I jumped in the car to go take a walk around what is called The Loop. The Loop is somewhat of a 'Town Square', where there are tons of shops and restaurants clumped together. It was super busy, because it was a weekend. But we had no problems getting around the entire Loop in just a few hours.

 I got a chicken Gogi Bowl. It was delicious! 

We stopped for lunch at a super tiny restaurant called Seoul Taco. And, dear readers, it is exactly what it sounds like. Delicious Korean food, in taco form. This place was amazing. Seriously, some of the best food I've had in a long time. If you are ever in the STL area, you should absolutely make a stop here! 

My understanding is that this place used to be a food truck, and it was so popular that they turned it to a brick and mortar. Its probably a good thing that I don't live in STL, becuase I would most likely be sneaking off to this place for lunch just about every other day, haha!

 Why don't we have one of these in Nashville!?! I want cookies delivered to my door!

We walked into a used clothing store that had these types of signs on every rack. This was my favorite one in the whole store! Haa!

After walking around The Loop for a few hours we decided to take a break and head over to David's mom's house for a few minutes. When we were there Axle took a dip in the baby pool that David's mom keeps just for Dolly. It was really hot out, so I don't blame him!

After our pit stop, the five of us (3 humans and 2 dogs) jumped back in the car and headed over to the Midtown Taste & Arts Fair that was going on that weekend. There were tons of different booths, selling all sorts of delicious looking and smelling food. We were all still really full from lunch, but we did partake in a few treats. Emily and David split a yummy fresh fruit smoothie, and I found a stand that made ice cream martinis!!

Now I am not a drinker in the least bit. But I just had to try one of these decedent dessert drinks. I had a chocolate and mint Grasshopper, and it probably had only about 
a half ounce of Baileys Irish cream in it. But it was so good! The perfect cold treat on a hot day! We were having an awesome time walking around the fair, but it was getting to be crazy hot outside, so we decided to take a break and sit down in the grass for a few minutes.

 Axle trying to beat the heat by sporting a pair of Bing sunglasses we won from one of the vendors.

 You can't tell me that these two are not related some how!

 Axle and Dolly trying to get a hand out from one of the food stands!

 Axle and Dolly asleep on the way home in the backseat!

After about another hour we were ready to call it a day. We had been walking around down town STL all day, and we were all completely exhausted! It was time to go back to Emily's house for a well deserved rest! We had another busy day ahead of us on Sunday!

Check back soon for PART 3 of our STL Road Trip!

St. Louis Road Trip: Part 1

Road Trip!!!!!

A few weekends ago Axle and I took a road trip up to St. Louis, Missouri to see my best friend Emily! Early on Friday morning we packed up the car, and began our (not too long) six hour car trip from Nashville to St. Louis. Axle is a surprisingly great car dog. I usually take him with me when I run errands, or on short day trips. But this was the first time I had taken him on a journey this long. 

I was pleasantly surprised that he ended up sleeping for the majority of of the car ride. (I think my books on tape put him to sleep, hehe) Except for about the first hour when he repeatedly tried to sneak sips of my coffee... We did end up stopping at a rest stop in Rand Lake, IL so we could stretch our legs and take a bathroom break. Axle was very excited to pee on every single tree at the rest stop, haha!

We found this kitschy little wooden statue at the rest stop.

After about 20 minutes we got back on the road. I was glad that we were able to make it through St. Louis before rush hour hit! We arrived at Emily's house just before 4 PM. It was great to finally be done driving for the day. And it was even better to see my BFF! 

It had been a few months since we had seen each other last, so it was great to once again be reunited. Emily and I have been best friends since middle school. She moved to St. Louis a few years ago, but we are able to keep in touch quite well. And when we do get to see each other in person, its like we just saw each other the day before!

 This little turtle was also waiting in the yard to greet us!

Another reason that I was so excited excited about this trip, was that Axle was going to be meeting his cousin (or at least who we believe to be his cousin) Dolly for the first time! Dolly was adopted by Emily and her boyfriend David from the same shelter where Paul I and adopted Axle. 

I had shared a photo of Dolly on my Facebook wall from the shelter's FB page. And when Emily saw the photo she just knew that Dolly needed to come home with them! So a few days later, her and David drove down from MO. to adopt her (and they made a pit stop in Nashville to pick me up for the ride too!) 

 Axle and Dolly's first picture together!

Anyways! We are convinced that Dolly and Axle are related. They are about the same age, they look extremely similar (both in build and markings), and their personalities are practically the same. When they first met Axle and Dolly were a little weary of each other, but by the end of the weekend they got along wonderfully! Dolly of course ended up being 'the boss' or the pair. Axle tends to be very submissive towards females. And Dolly was perfectly happy with that! Haha!


Check back soon for PART 2 of our STL Road Trip!

Training Tip: Not even if its cute...

So lately I have been trying to break Axle of bad habit he has picked up. And I would be lying if said it wasn't my fault he started doing this. When I'm at home working on my laptop, Axle will usually sleeps by my feet or even sits next to me with his head in my lap. I love that he likes to be close to me all the time. He's an extremely affectionate dog. But a few weeks ago, he was feeling particularly needy and actually tried to climbed up in my lap. 

And being the push over that I am with the dogs, I let him. He sat there quite nicely with his bum on the ground and his fore paws and head resting in my lap. I knew that he really shouldn't be doing this, but it was just too stinkin' adorable! The next few days he repeated this. And to no real annoyance to me, I was still able to get my work done during the day. But it didn't take very long before he started pushing his boundaries.

It went from fore paws in my lap, to trying to wiggle his whole front end up and putting his head on the table. This I knew was not okay. Axle weighs about 65Lbs. Hes is a big dog. So I would push his head off the table and let him stay in my lap. But it didn't take but a few minutes before he would try and weasel his way back up. When I'm working at home or on the weekends, I get to spend time with my dogs, but its not always undivided time. I'm there, but I'm working... so I understand their need to try and get my attention.

But over the next couple days Axle kept pushing and pushing. Finally I had to just kick him out of my lap all together. It was getting out of hand, and it was my fault. Now he stands behind me a cries, because I won't let him back up in my lap when I'm working. He's confused because I let him do this before, and its breaks my heart to see him so sad. But I knew better, so I can only blame myself. If I had just told him 'No'  the first time he tried to climb on the table, we wouldn't be in this situation. But now I'm having to break him of this bad habit I let him get into, just because I thought it was cute the first couple times.

It will happen. I will eventually be able to let him rest his head in my lap when I'm working again. But it will take a lot of time before he won't try to climb up on the table anymore. But I have to own up to being the one who basically told him his was okay in the first place. The behavior is little more than an annoyance to me. He's my dog, so I'm used to him. But if he did this to a house guest I'd be mortified. If someone came over who was not familiar with dogs and sat down at my table, and then was proceeded to be climbed on by a 65 Lb dog it probably wouldn't end well.

So my message to you dear readers, is don't let your dogs get into bad habits you know you can prevent. If you don't want your dogs to climb on you when you are working, don't let them. Or if there is a 'no dogs on the couch' rule in your house, don't let there be a 'just this once' exception. Set your dogs up for success. Praise them when they are good, and always be firm on rules. Dogs need structure and they need to know what they are allowed and not allowed to do. It's a lot harder to train a dog to do something than to re-train him not to. So be consistent and guide them with a firm, but loving hand. A dog who understands and is clear on his boundaries is a happier dog. This will save both of you a lot of frustration in the long run. So don't give in to those puppy dog eyes!!

Dog Park Adventure: A New Park!

We have been frequenting a new park lately. I had no idea this one even existed, but its a lot closer to the house than our usual mid week hang out. This park is a little smaller, but its beautiful. There is a great walking trail, and even a big pond. These pictures are from last week, because its been storming really heavily the last few days, so we haven't been back yet. But hopefully the nice spring weather will return shorty, and we can head back!

 Waiting for new friends.

We met a pretty Akita named Willow

Clover likes to 'hunt' the other dogs sometimes. 

 Clover was stoked to see her old buddy Indy!

 Has has gotten SO BIG! And he is only about 7 months old, Indy is going to be HUGE when he is full grown.

The four of them were so happy to see each other again!

Fancy a seat?

 Axle enjoying the sunshine.

 Indy!

We plan on heading back to this park later this week as long as the weather is nice. What have you been up to lately? Do any of you take your dogs to the park? We love to learn all about our on line doggie friends. See your dog? Let us know in the comments section below, so we can put their name with their picture!

And don't forget to check out out Axle Bites Etsy shop! We just had our booth set up at the Franklin Art Scene this past Friday! Thanks for everyone that stopped by to buy some treats!