Congratulations! You’ve made it to December. Whilst you comb through your checklist of getting organised for the festivities, we’re super glad you’ve thought about caring for pets over the December holidays.
Whilst we all get excited about the festive season we simply cannot forget about the wellbeing and health of our pets, so thank you for taking the time to learn about how you can maximise your pet’s safety this silly season!
Vet bills these days can get to dizzying heights – before you know it, you’re being presented with a R9 000 bill before anybody even knows what’s wrong with Princess the Boerboel.
With most veterinary clinics requiring a 50% deposit for admission and then the rest of the balance to be paid upon collection (or they seriously will withhold your pet from coming home with you), it’s no wonder you need to make it happen.
Discover: From Travelling to Fireworks – Here’s Why You Need Dog Anxiety Medication
Know your pet like the back of your paw
Things are going to be significantly easier if you can detect changes in your pet’s disposition quickly. Indicators of sickness, just like with humans, will manifest physically and give us clues as to what is wrong. You should be keeping an eye out for the following behaviours:
- They start drinking far more water than usual
- Diarrhoea or vomiting (we put together a list of home remedies for when your doggo is struggling with their stomach, check them out!)
- Excessive urination
- Red eyes
- Bad breath (not that dogs have minty breath anyway, but if the smell is unbearable there could be an underlying cause your vet should check out)
If your pet is ill, what’s the plan?
Once you recognise the symptoms, we advise you to get on the phone with your vet.
The holiday season is trickier than the rest of the year because 1) you may be far away from your local vet or any vet for that matter and 2) most veterinary clinics take a few (well deserved) days off during the December holidays. There should be an emergency contact for your usual vet where they can possibly refer you to another vet that they trust.
Don’t hesitate to phone your vet during the holidays because you have presumed they will be closed – most clinics will have an emergency staff member on call for situations like this.
Read this: How To Train Your Dog to be a Good Boy on Car Rides (4 Simple Tips)
Caring for Pets Over the Festive Season
If you happen to be in a remote area, it might be tricky to fill in forms and have clear conversations with a team of consultants (signal, time, patience etc.). Imagine there was a way – and don’t call us crazy here – that you could from the palm of your hand. What a world that would be.
With Oneplan, you can! Here’s why we love Oneplan Pet Insurance and recommend them to anyone looking to get pet insurance.
Preloading your claim with the Oneplan App
Preloading your pet insurance claim through the Oneplan App is a surefire way to speed up the process when there is an emergency with your pet.
Here’s all you gotta do:
- Login to the Oneplan App with your password and current policy number
- Using the menu icons, select the cover that you want to manage (Oneplan Pets Cats and Dogs)
- Next, select “My Claims”
- Select “Load Claims”
- Select the item that you want to claim for (routine care or a vet visit)
- Select the date you are going to the vet (even if it’s an emergency hospital visit), the pet that is being taken to the vet and the Oneplan Claim Card that you want the funds loaded onto.
- Process your claim and get your fur baby to the vet!
What about pet emergencies?
What happens when you can’t afford the vet’s deposit for pet hospital admissions?
Read next: Emergency Vet Visits: 5 Ways to Prepare
Thanks to Oneplan’s unique Claim Card, they can preload your Oneplan Claim Card with up to R5 000 for pet hospital deposits when your pet is admitted into the hospital. And here’s where it gets better – they can pay your vet directly if your vet gives them consent to do so, which can help alleviate any extra stress you might experience!
So, make sure your pet is covered this festive season with quality pet insurance!
Yours in Not-So-Average Pet Advice,
The Petinsurance.co.za Team