Pet Products Review -  DogTime.com Pet Insurance Center

Every pet owner knows that one of the greatest pet debates of all time is "Should I get Pet Insurance? or Should I not?"  There are so many questions and now so many companies.  The choices can be totally overwhelming.  The terms completely confusing.  And the policies and prices vary greatly from state to state.  So what is a pet owner to do?  Up until now there has been no destination where a pet owner can find all of the information she needs to make an educated choice on Pet Insurance. 

Lucky for every pet owner DogTime.com set up the world's first online Pet Insurance Center.  http://dogtime.com/pet-insurance/center/home

I guess you can call DogTime's Pet Insurance Center the ultimate pet product review in that it compares pet insurance companies and pet insurance policies in one place.  It's easy to find being one of the tabs on the top of the www.dogtime.com website homepage.

The DogTime Pet Insurance Center Home Page
The home page is the actual center. You will see

• a description of the center
• a flash movie of the GRID that will link you back to the GRID page
• the latest 5 articles posted to the insurance center articles section
• the latest comments made made about pet insurance on the bottom of the page
• the “Ask An Insurance Expert” widget from which users can ask questions and the answers are posted for all to see
• A fun poll that lets people vote yes, no, don't know if they have pet insurance

Insurance PolicyGRID page
The GRID is certainly the epicenter of the DogTime Pet Insurance Center.   Users will be able to compare 41 different insurance plans from 13 insurance companies.
Users can also share their own experience with these companies by using our comments feature.

Articles section
The DogTime editorial team will post pet insurance related articles in this section. The articles home page will display the latest articles posted and will allow users to navigate to any article ever posted within the DogTime Pet Insurance Center Each article title on the articles home page will link to the article page on which users will be able to share their opinion about the article.

Ask An Expert section (AAE)
Users will be able to ask questions about pet insurance. Those questions will be forwarded to pet insurance experts by the editorial team. Once we get the responses it will be posted
Within the AAE section and will also display in the AAE widget throughout theDogTime Pet Insurance Center.

All in all, check it out! leave comments!  Tell DogTime how it should be improved, and what Pet Insurance company success and nightmare stories you have.  And if you have a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com

Pet Products Review - Financial Assistance for Dogs in need of Surgery

If you follow my blog you may know that the past week has been really tough for Champ and more so, me.  Champ had to go to the hospital and undergo several tests including an MRI and a spinal tap.  With three days in the hospital the total hospital bills have already exceeded $7,000.  I'm super fortunate in that not only do I have pet insurance (the verdict on my opinion of pet insurance will come soon), but I also had the foresight set up my own savings account just for Champ's health. Every month, I put aside $25 just in case of emergency solely for pet health.  Well, that is now gone, but it sure did help.

What breaks my heart is hearing about pets that are surrendered because their owners can not afford to give them quality health care or vital surgery.  And let me tell you, when I was in the hospital, there were many pups who had it worse than Champ.  So last night as I dreamed of "what would I do if I won the lottery?" it was clear that I would set up a trust to give financial help to those families who can not afford surgery for their pets.  Well, let's hope I win.  But in the meantime, there are some fabulous organizations who have the same idea as I:

Care Credit - This is the most readily available and easiest to obtain of all the financing options for CCL repair surgery. They offer a full range of payment plans with low/no interest for a set period, which depends on the agreement CareCredit has with your veterinarian's office.  http://www.carecredit.com

Good Sam Fund - Good SAM (Special Assistance and Memorial Fund) was established to create financial aid for sick or injured animals who either are stray or client-owned animals in special circumstances. The fund is supported entirely by outside donations and your pet must meet one part of their criteria to be considered for financial assistance. http://www.goodsamfund.org

IMOM - IMOM is an all-volunteer, 501(c)3 charity that receives all its money used to help animals from outside donations. The organization was founded in 1998 and since then they have raised over $1,000,000 and saved the lives of over 1,470 companion animals. http://www.imom.org

Labrador Life Line - This assistance program is specifically for purebred labs, and their financial assistance includes, but is not limited to, covering various medical costs (surgery, treatment, medication) and help to cover rescue or transportation expenses. http://www.labradorlifeline.org/index.html

The Pet Fund - The Pet Fund is a registered 501(c) 3 nonprofit association that provides financial assistance to owners of domestic animals who need veterinary care. Their mission is to help companion animal owners to avoid the difficult decision to put an animal down or neglect medical needs because of the costs involved.  http://www.thepetfund.com

United Animal Nations - Founded in 1987, United Animal Nations (UAN) is North America's leading provider of emergency animal sheltering and disaster relief services and a key advocate for the critical needs of animals. The LifeLine Grant Program offered by the UAN provides funding to Good Samaritans, animal rescuers, non-profit organizations and pet owners to help them care for animals in life-threatening situations. http://www.uan.org/index.cfm?navid=28

Please do check out these fine organizations.  And if you can, please make a donation.  Trust me the receipients will be ever so grateful.