TEMECULA, CALIFORNIA, Mar 15, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Pethealth Inc. /quotes/comstock/11t!ptz (CA:PTZ 1.80, -0.05, -2.70%) –
Although Cari Shields is blind, she has no trouble navigating her family’s property in southern California and looking after her many pets – including four dogs, horses and a cat.
Until the day a rattlesnake attacked her golden retriever in their barn.
“We went out to the barn to put the horses out for the afternoon and Gracie went into the hay room, where the dogs had been chasing a mouse earlier,” says Cari. “There was a rattlesnake just around the corner. Gracie went in close to check it out and it bit her on the nose.”
But the attack wasn’t over. Corkie, a Weimaraner, dashed over to the intruder and was also bitten.
“I’ve been told since, that when one dog gets bit, the second always goes in after the snake, too,” says Cari, 33. “It all happened in seconds, mere seconds.”
Cari’s dogs all live indoors and, when they’re outside, “we don’t let our dogs off the leash or out of our sight.” The family sees one or two rattlesnakes a year on their property near Temecula, about 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles, but there’s never been one in the hay room.
“It was scary,” says Cari. I have no problem getting around, I know my own surroundings. But I was standing in that barn, not knowing exactly where that snake was at.”
Fortunately, Cari’s mother was with her and they were able to bundle up the dogs, get them into the car and leave immediately for the vet’s, a 20-minute drive away – leaving her stepdad to deal with the snake. “We were going up that driveway within three minutes,” says Cari.
“I knew when we took Gracie to the hospital it would be $1,000 just to get in the door,” says Cari, who was a veterinary technician before her eyesight worsened.
Both dogs were insured by 24PetWatch. “We called ahead to say, I’m bringing in a dog that has been bitten, and I want her to have the anti-venom” – which costs $585 a vial in California.
“How lucky to be able to say that,” she adds, “to know that you’re insured and that you don’t have to worry.”
Her vet administered one vial of anti-venom to 10-year-old Gracie, and she was transferred to pet emergency care for the night. The total bill: $1,973.74. Today, says Cari, Gracie shows no ill-effects from her adventure: “She’s great.”
About 150,000 dogs and cats are bitten by rattlesnakes every year in the U.S.,(i) and dogs can go into shock within minutes of an attack.
Corkie was luckier than Gracie. His wound was considered a “dry bite” and his treatment cost $463. Cari had taken out only minimal pet insurance coverage on Corkie, “but when that happened, we upped it right away.”
Cari has 24PetWatch coverage on all four of her dogs – including her guide dog, a Labrador retriever named Denver – and her cat.
24Petwatch Pet Insurance Programs offers a flexible range of programs that allow you to determine the percentage coverage/monthly premium mix that will work best for you and your finances. You may choose from 90% and 70% coverage. Visit http://www.24PetWatch.com/petinsurance or call 1-866-275-PETS (7387) to receive a quote today.
(i) Peterson, Michael, and Patricia Talcott, Small Animal Toxicology, Saunders, 2005
About Pethealth Inc.
Founded in 1998, Pethealth is the second largest provider of pet insurance to pet owners in North America, and the leading provider of pet related database management services to the North American companion animal industry. Pethealth offers a unique range of products and services for veterinarians, shelters and pet owners through a number of wholly owned subsidiaries using a range of brand names, including 24PetWatch.com and ShelterCare.com. To find out more about Pethealth, visit www.pethealthinc.com.