Pet lovers know that their pets are an integral part of their lives and their families. Holidays and family outings are made more memorable when we take our pets along for company. It therefore becomes very painful if our pet falls ill, breaks any of its bones or needs constant medical supervision due to an illness like cancer. As the pet owner, the responsibility falls on us to get the best veterinary care and bear the costs associated with the treatments.
Advancements in veterinary science have made all kinds of treatments possible to cure your pets. At the same time this technology demands compensation in the form of thousands of dollars. In such a situation what you need is pet insurance. Pet insurance guarantees that the medical expenses incurred on your pets is met by the insurance company partly or in whole. Some pet insurance policies also cover annual pet checkups and immunizations. It all depends on the type of policy you select. Insurance costs can begin as low as $10 with incident costs being in the range of around $40.
The top reasons to go in for pet insurance are:
• Bears the cost of medical expenses – Needless to say, that this is the primary objective of pet insurance. You have insurance to fall back on when you take your pet to the vet. All pet insurance policies can be used at any registered vet’s clinic. So you need not compromise by taking your pet to any clinic. You can visit your own vet and be at peace.
• Insuring multiple pets – Most pet insurance companies give you a discount if you have more than one pet and give you a package insurance deal. This not only brings down the cost of maintaining and taking care of your pets but also saves you thousands of dollars in pet medical expenses
• Taking care of tomorrow – As time passes, your pet becomes older and prone to more illnesses. Pet insurance comes handy in such a situation. Getting your pet insured when it is very young ensures coverage for accidents and diseases which may occur at a later stage.
• Inflation shield – Pet insurance acts as a shield due to rising prices in the economy. Medical expenses which may seem affordable now will look enormous after a couple of years. The years gone by will also bring your pet closer to you and you would not want to lose it when it is ill and old just because you cannot meet its medical expenses.
• Peace of mind – Pet insurance gives you the peace you always sought when you bought your first pet and wondered how you will deal with any medical emergencies that may arise when your pet needs medical care or taking care of the vaccinations and checkups. Pet insurance makes having a pet more affordable and truly keeps your pet protected for a rainy day.
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So if you are one of those pet owners who really love your pet and want to take care of them till the very end, pet insurance is an attractive and affordable solution.
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Pet lovers know that their pets are an integral part of their lives and their families. Holidays and family outings are made more memorable when we take our pets along for company. It therefore becomes very painful if our pet falls ill, breaks any of its bones or needs constant medical supervision due to an illness like cancer. As the pet owner, the responsibility falls on us to get the best veterinary care and bear the costs associated with the treatments.
Advancements in veterinary science have made all kinds of treatments possible to cure your pets. At the same time this technology demands compensation in the form of thousands of dollars. In such a situation what you need is pet insurance. Pet insurance guarantees that the medical expenses incurred on your pets is met by the insurance company partly or in whole. Some pet insurance policies also cover annual pet checkups and immunizations. It all depends on the type of policy you select. Insurance costs can begin as low as $10 with incident costs being in the range of around $40.
The top reasons to go in for pet insurance are:
• Bears the cost of medical expenses – Needless to say, that this is the primary objective of pet insurance. You have insurance to fall back on when you take your pet to the vet. All pet insurance policies can be used at any registered vet’s clinic. So you need not compromise by taking your pet to any clinic. You can visit your own vet and be at peace.
• Insuring multiple pets – Most pet insurance companies give you a discount if you have more than one pet and give you a package insurance deal. This not only brings down the cost of maintaining and taking care of your pets but also saves you thousands of dollars in pet medical expenses
• Taking care of tomorrow – As time passes, your pet becomes older and prone to more illnesses. Pet insurance comes handy in such a situation. Getting your pet insured when it is very young ensures coverage for accidents and diseases which may occur at a later stage.
• Inflation shield – Pet insurance acts as a shield due to rising prices in the economy. Medical expenses which may seem affordable now will look enormous after a couple of years. The years gone by will also bring your pet closer to you and you would not want to lose it when it is ill and old just because you cannot meet its medical expenses.
• Peace of mind – Pet insurance gives you the peace you always sought when you bought your first pet and wondered how you will deal with any medical emergencies that may arise when your pet needs medical care or taking care of the vaccinations and checkups. Pet insurance makes having a pet more affordable and truly keeps your pet protected for a rainy day.
So if you are one of those pet owners who really love your pet and want to take care of them till the very end, pet insurance is an attractive and affordable solution.
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[NOTE: The advice that follows is based on the recent experience of a Morningside area resident who stuck herself with a used needle while cleaning up after her dog, and on her research of public health resources and doctors' advice. Be warned that she is not a medical expert.]
If you stick yourself with a discarded syringe, don’t panic but do seek medical advice as soon as possible.
Treatment to forestall possible infection with Hepatitis (types A and B) and, in the unlikely worst-case scenario, HIV needs to begin very soon – within hours to about a day – in order to be effective.
1. If possible, save the syringe/needle. While it’s not routine to run tests on the needle (because there’s usually not enough moist blood in/on it for effective testing), it can be helpful for your doctor to examine the syringe and see what type it is and how fresh it seems to be. The longer the needle has been lying there, the better off you are (although you’ll probably still need a tetanus shot).
Experts believe that HIV doesn’t live for more than a few hours outside the human body. Hepatitis can live longer and is much more infectious. The less blood is in/on the syringe, the better. The kind of disposable syringe usually used by addicts is less dangerous in terms of accidental disease transmission than a syringe that a health-care worker would use to draw blood, because the needle is smaller and less blood (or none) is actually drawn back into the syringe. To carry and store the syringe safely, it’s recommended that you put it in a screw-top glass container – tip downward, of course.
2. If you can make the needle-stick wound bleed, do so. That helps to flush it out. Hold the wounded spot below your heart so blood will flow to it. Then wash it well (with antibacterial soap if available) and put a dressing on it.
3. See a doctor promptly. The New York City Health Department suggests visiting the Riverside Clinic, on 100th Street between Columbus and Amsterdam (call first: 212-865-7757). It provides HIV and Hepatitis screening/treatment for free, plus it’s one of the few locations where you can have truly anonymous testing done. [However, visiting your regular physician and/or an infectious diseases specialist is helpful.]
The doctors’ potential concerns were, in descending order of seriousness: HIV, Hepatitis, tetanus, and simple infection.
- HIV is apparently extremely unlikely in this context; you may be comforted to know that the CDC has no documented cases of HIV transmission resulting from an accident involving a discarded needle outside of health-care settings. Nevertheless… your doctor may give you an HIV test immediately, even though an infection from the needle accident won’t yet show up. (They do this in order to establish that you don’t already have HIV so their reporting is accurate.) You can then be tested again in six weeks, by which time a new infection would show up. If your doctor feels there is any realistic risk that you may have been exposed to HIV, he or she can prescribe a course of powerful (i.e., unpleasant) anti-viral drugs that must begin immediately.
- Hepatitis A and B can both be prevented from developing if you start the immunization process within a couple of days of the incident. Several vaccinations over a period of six to nine months are needed to provide full immunity. There’s no vaccine for Hepatitis C but there are treatments, so your doctor will probably test you for that too.
- Tetanus booster shots are necessary if it’s been years since your last one. No big deal!
- And in terms of simple infection, keep an eye on the wound and make sure it’s not getting red or swollen. If it does, ask for antibiotics.
4. Take precautions. The CDC recommends that, for the sake of others’ safety, you should act as if you have a serious infectious disease until you know for sure that you don’t. In other words, don’t share body fluids or donate blood or organs until you know you’re in the clear (the CDC says six months). Also check in with your doctor if you notice a fever up to six months after your needle-stick.
5. Finally… Ask lots of questions and make sure your fears are taken seriously by your doctor(s), even if you know the odds are strongly in your favor.
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