Embrace Pet Insurance Blog

Dining on rocks - not such a good idea actually

Continuing Accident Month at Embrace, here's a recipe for spending $1,000 without actually buying anything (except a few souvenir rocks at the end):

- put one flat-coated retriever in the vicinity of several small rocks;
- turn your back to go pack your bags for your weekend away;
- voila! One thousand buckeroos fly out the window.

It's magic! No weekend trip for you now. 

Dramatics aside, here's what happened. McKenzie, the gorgeous flat-coated retriever shown, decided one day to swallow a rock or two, and after this unfortunate event had been noticed, fingers and paws were crossed that she'd pass the rocks. She did.

The next weekend, it seemed such a good idea, she did it again.  And once again fingers and paws were crossed that she'd pass the rocks. She did, luckily.

In the meantime, there was that pesky $1,000 vet bill that needed to be taken care of. And that's without any surgery. Yes siree - one thousand dollars for a few x-rays to see the rocks was passing appropriately. Ouch (both ways).

Just in case you don't believe there were rocks involved, here are the x-rays just to prove it.

McKutie - no more rocks please! Mama needs to go on her trips away.

Related Posts:
How Much Did You Say Surgery to Remove a Swallowed Foreign Object Cost? 

Breed Focus: Labrador Retriever

Just under 10% of all our insured dogs are Labrador Retrievers . The next breed down on the list is the Golden Retriever, less than 5% of Embraced dogs. That's a big margin for the sweet-natured Labrador.

I suppose the Lab's popularity is not surprising since the Labrador Retriever has consistently ranked as the most popular purebred dog in the United States for more than 10 years, according to the American Kennel Club.

The AKC registers more than a hundred thousand new Labrador Retrievers each year, but when you take into account all the Labs never registered at all, or registered with another organization (such as the United Kennel Club), the popularity of this stable, family-friendly dog is truly staggering.

According to the Embrace health profile on the Labrador Retriever:

There are a couple of characteristics these large, solidly built dogs share: A love of swimming and of eating. Any body of water puddle-sized or larger is a magnet to these dogs, and mud is considered a fashion accessory. The short, drip-dry coat of the Lab sheds water and dirt easily, but that’s of little consolation if the debris lands on white carpeting.

As for eating, two problems: Too much food, and bad food choices. Veterinarians call these dogs “Flabradors,” because obesity is common once they hit their middle-age mellowing out stage.

Labradors are also prone to certain health conditions such as cardiomyopathy and patellar luxation.

 

You can learn more about the family-friendly labrador on the Embrace pet health page on labradors.

Help Rescue Shelters - Romeo the Cat and Wellness are having a competition

All my current cats came from local shelters (prior ones adopted from friends) so I love to see a competition that helps shelters with the one thing they need the most and spreads the word about one of my favorite cat food companies - Wellness Natural Foods.

Caroline, Romeo and Pugsley over at Romeo the Cat blog are holding a competition called "If Pets Made New Year's Resolutions". It's pretty simple to enter - send your pet's new year's resolution plus your details over to Romeo and the winner will be announced in early January.

What do you win? Well, you receive a fun Wellness Natural Food for Pets gift basket for either a cat or dog. But more importantly, Wellness will donate $300 AND a generous food donation to the animal shelter or rescue of your choice.

My cats' resolutions in no particular order except for this one are:

Lily: to teach those pesky kittens how to catch chipmunks if they'd ever just FOCUS
Rosie:  to get that big cat Lily to play with me and run around the house and teach me growd up cat stuff
Rocket:   to learn to bite my soft food instead of sucking it and to catch that funny snake-thing chasing me all the time

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Disclosure: I have no connection with Wellness Natural Food except that I feed it to Lily and Romeo the Cat is a new blogging friend based in Ohio - woohoo Ohioans :)

Embracing the holidays

While I run around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to take care of all those things that seem to have snowballed in my email box, here are some seasonal Embraced pets for your viewing pleasure.

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Last minute holiday gift for pet and pet lover with everything

'Twas the Monday before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that an Embracer soon would be there;

The pups were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of yummy treats danced in their heads;

And kittens making mischief, and me in a flap,

Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

Need a good idea for your pet or a friend or family member who has everything?

Don't be caught napping! Surprise him or her with an Embrace Pet Insurance policy. No delivery to worry about - just a few clicks of the mouse and you are all set.

If you'd like some help with your choice, call in to one of our friendly Embracers who have their dogs in to work today (as every day) 1-800-511-9172.

Happy Holidays!