Here We Go Again

You may not know this about me, but my husband and I lost both of our beloved, 7-year-old dogs in March of this year (Winston and Ella), each to a different health issue. I will forever be thankful for our incredibly special veterinary team, which included our regular vet’s office, emergency room doctors, ICU staff, an internal medicine specialist, several orthopedic surgeons, a physical therapy team, and a radiation oncologist. These talented and compassionate individuals all helped us to get both of our sweet pups the best possible care as we navigated through the uncertainties related to their respective medical issues. Something else I will always be thankful for was our pet insurance policies. These made each of the difficult decisions regarding their care plans a little easier.

To us, like many of you, our pets are our family. My husband thought I was ridiculous when I told him we should get pet insurance almost eight years ago. But he did most of the research and found a plan that met our requirements. Ten months in, it helped us pay for a necessary full hip replacement on a 12-month-old dog, so he could have the best quality of life. It was there to help us cover what would have been catastrophic out-of-pocket costs. In all, I anticipate those policies saved us in the tens of thousands of dollars and more than paid for themselves.

Now, a little more than 6 months after their passing, we continue to grieve but made the decision to love and care for a new puppy. For our next chapter, we adopted Matilda, a sassy, spunky sheepadoodle from The Love Pet Project. One of the first things we did the day we brought her home (after a thorough bath) was set up a pet insurance policy. We hope to take great care of her over her lifetime and continue having the ability to make medical care decisions based on doctors’ recommendations for her quality of life, not the cost related to a treatment plan. So, if you’re thinking of adopting a pet, I urge you to consider a policy for the large, unexpected costs that can come along with pet ownership.

- Margaret Gooley, CFP®, Reify Wealth Advisors

This article was included in the Reify Wealth Advisors Quarterly Newsletter.