If there’s one thing all pet owners can agree on, it’s that we love our pets to bits! Our furry friends can give us all sorts of surprises, both good and bad, and we’ve all got a story (or ten) to share. From mystery accidents to near fatal incidents, find out how pet insurance helped our customers through those difficult times. Meet Finn the cat, with his leg-crossing 'tail' of requiring specialist surgery, and the brave Milo, who unfortunately became seriously unwell after accidentally swallowing sea water.
Finn’s story
Image for illustrative purposes only.
When SPCA adoptee Finn was having trouble passing urine, his pet parents could never have anticipated the highly specialised and eye-wateringly expensive surgery he’d need to put it right.
“He kept coming inside and then back out through the cat flap. The whole time he was straining to go to the toilet, all hunched up and looking really strange. At which point I decided that he needed to go to the emergency veterinary clinic.”
A trip to the vet revealed a blocked bladder and, after an unsuccessful attempt to insert a catheter, Finn was transferred to the surgical specialists next door.
“I had no idea how much a specialist cost, so I just politely said of course, yeah, put him there. Then the specialist said that he needed surgery.”
What happened next, in the words of his pet Mum, “made women laugh and men cross their legs”. Finn required an incredibly invasive surgery. He was in the specialist clinic for a week and the whole episode cost a whopping $12,000!
“I felt sick when they told me the amount it would cost. And I thought thank goodness I have pet insurance. I never ever thought in my wildest dreams that a cat could have an accident that could cost that much money.”
Thankfully, Finn’s all better now and good as new, with a clean bill of health from the vet.
“Having pet insurance was a very easy decision because we've owned lots of pets over the years and they’ve cost us a fortune."
Milo’s story
9-month-old Milo loves a splash in the sea on his beach walks. But getting over enthusiastic and swallowing sea water into his lungs nearly proved fatal when it turned into aspiration pneumonia.
It was very unexpected for his pet parents. “He was only a young pup, he would have only been seven months old at the time. It was 11 o'clock at night and he just did a vomit and cough, had no symptoms prior to that. As soon as he did that his breathing started to go really weird and funny, with his chest going in and out, in and out. And then you could start to hear the breathing, like a crackle.”
Milo’s Mum stayed up with him in the night and took him to the vet the next morning. He was diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, likely caused by having a swim in the sea with his dog mates at the beach and coughing back sea water into his lungs.
“The vet said he was actually in a really bad way and needs to be sent to the VSA, which is Veterinary Specialists Aotearoa, they’re an emergency specialist. She said he needed to be monitored overnight and given antibiotics.”
To add even more stress to the situation, Milo’s family then contracted Covid and were isolating so had to get a relative to visit him. “That was especially hard because they said he was touch and go, and he might not come back from it, really upsetting.”
One thing that wasn’t causing as much stress, surprisingly, was the $6,000 bill. “I put the claim in at about 11.30AM on the day and by about 2.30PM I got a confirmation email to say the payment had been processed and approved. It was incredible, nothing turns around that fast! I could not believe the efficiency and the competency of the service.”
While there was a big recovery period after he was admitted, Milo’s made a full recovery. “He’s been really good, we still go play every morning with his dog friends, just this morning he was splashing about having a whale of a time.”
Good boy Milo.
Customer experience may vary depending on circumstances. Claims are assessed subject to policy terms and conditions. Please consider the Policy Wording before deciding if the product is right for you. Terms, conditions, waiting periods and exclusions apply.
The Insurer
AA Pet Insurance policies are brought to you by the New Zealand Automobile Association Incorporated (AA), are administered and managed by PetSure (Australia) Pty Ltd, and are underwritten by The Hollard Insurance Company Pty Ltd.
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