Puppy wins award for bravery after lifechanging treatment

Pet Insurance is one of the most important things a pet owner can provide for their pet. It is designed to be there for you and your new companion should you ever require it. A lot certainly can happen in a pet’s lifetime, which is why it is essential that pet owners do the research to determine the best policy for their pet.

Vetsure Pet Insurance are committed to working with our customers’ vets to provide exceptional healthcare for every pet that is entrusted to us. Pet insurance should be there throughout your pet companions entire lifetime, which is why all Vetsure policies last for the whole life of the pet, not just until the next renewal. By working closely with the customers’ vet, the claims process is simpler, and bills are settled directly meaning that every pet owner can spend more time focusing on their pet’s recovery. With all Vetsure policies, the pet owner is also able to claim for an unlimited number of conditions. 

Pluto was only eight months old when his owner rushed him into The Vet in January 2022.

As a tiny puppy, Pluto was experiencing lethargy and was showing no interest in things that would have previously excited him. He was disinterested in food and his owner rightly recognised that he was acting completely out of his usual, lively character. His vet practice quickly took him in and ran some tests to try and determine the cause. He was found to have a high temperature so the vets decided further testing would be beneficial.

Pluto underwent blood tests, urine analysis, and blood pressure checks, as well as intravenous fluids and medication as an attempt to help him feel more comfortable. The Vet then ran further tests to try and get as much information on why Pluto was feeling so poorly. It goes without saying that this was an extremely stressful time for his owner, and the entire family.

Throughout the whole testing process and investigation, Pluto demonstrated incredible bravery and courage. Further x-rays and abdominal scans found him to have a severely sore neck, and he was unable to move freely without extreme pain. The Vet suspected poor Pluto had a type of meningitis. After a dose of pain relief, Pluto was left to rest in anticipation for further re-examination with a veterinary specialist the following day.

The next morning Pluto continued to demonstrate immense bravery with some further tests. He had a focal cervical ultrasound and CT of his head and neck, which enabled The Vet to take a cisternal cerebrospinal fluid sample. They discovered that Pluto was in fact suffering from steroid responsive meningitis arteritis and in turn was provided with a strict medication schedule to follow over the following months. His bravery was limitless and even now he continues to be brave, despite all that he has sadly been through.

Steroid responsive meningitis affects dogs and like in Pluto’s case, mainly occurs in young puppies. Their body produces an inflammatory response in the walls of the blood vessels of the nervous system causing an array of symptoms like severe neck pain, lethargy, lack of appetite, fever and hunched posture.

Thankfully, the Vetsure Pet Insurance policy that Pluto’s pet owner had in place meant that Pluto had £5,000 per condition, per year, to claim against his required treatment. In the few months that he was undergoing medical testing, six claims were made, and every one of those claims were accepted and paid out in full. The policy holder was only required to pay her chosen excess once throughout those six claims meaning that she was not out of pocket every time a claim needed to be made.

The quality of a pet insurance policy can only really be known once a claim has been made, but certainly in Pluto’s case, it is comforting to know that his Vetsure Pet Insurance policy assisted him throughout his journey and will continue to do so in the years to come.

Pluto has been awarded by Vetsure Pet Insurance for his incredible bravery with our Pet Bravery Award, and Vetsure are so proud of him. For his bravery Pluto will receive a well-deserved certificate, and a hamper of goodies. Well done Pluto!

For information on the types of insurance policies Vetsure Pet Insurance offer, you can view their policies here. You can also take a look at their Pet Health Plans, to learn how you can help link prevention with cure, on myvetshealthplan.com