Dear Dr. Forsythe: My indoor cat has not had vaccines in over three years. I see no reason to give them to him since he really isn’t at risk of catching anything. But he got out a few times for a few minutes. Lately I worry he could have been exposed to something dangerous during those few hours he went missing. Should I have him tested? Maybe he should have a vaccine just to be safe?
Confused about vaccines
Dear Confused: You could discuss having your cat vaccine titered. This involves taking a small blood sample and sending it to the lab to check and make sure that he has circulating antibodies for the major diseases that cats generally get vaccinated for every few years. This blood “titer” or test is relatively new, and it will check to see if your cat has immunity for Panleukopenia (feline parvo) and Rhinotracheitis (a bad upper respiratory disease). Panleuk and Rhino are part of the common “FVRCP” vaccine given to cats every few years for protection. Some doctors and their clients are making the decision to be conservative when planning vaccine strategies for indoor, older or debilitated cats. This may be a smart choice for you: your pet may have from his “vaccines from yesteryear.” It may be wise, however, to have this titer done for peace of mind. If the test comes back positive, you will know he has the antibodies and doesn’t need to be vaccinated at this time. In my opinion, checking into this would be best medicine and give you assurance that your “escape artist” is still in good health. And one more thing, please give that puss of yours a pat from me, OK?
Dr. F
Dear Dr. Forsythe: I wanted to let you know that I’m really unhappy with the pet insurance I bought for my dogs. I have submitted many claims since last year and the company is not paying hardly anything. Also, they make it almost impossible to get anywhere when a claim is pending. When I signed up, Pet’s Best was supposed to cover 80 percent of my pet’s medical bills. It seems like they are only covering 5 to 10 percent now at most. I am really irritated by this system and so I suggest you open your own “in house” insurance for clients. What if everyone paid a little each month and was guaranteed care when they needed it?
G.P. Still waiting for my claim
Dear G.P. I’m sorry your insurance experience has not been pleasant or financially worthwhile, and I appreciate your confidence that I could start my own. Assuming that you filled out your forms and handed everything in properly, I can’t understand why you should only be getting reimbursed pennies on the dollar. I’ve heard mixed reviews from clients, but I don’t think I’m quite ready to dive into the insurance field myself. I once spent a summer working for a major insurance company in Southern California and it was such boring work (for me) that I sometimes felt like sticking a fork in my eye!! And current clients do tell me that the veterinary insurance companies pay out less than clients expect; however, yours seems a far cry from what you expected. I checked out the Pet’s Best Web site and it looks too good to be true! I’d like to hear from my readers out there – the good, the sad, and the ones who are also ready to stick a fork in their eye over veterinary pet insurance fiascos! Please contact me at the Sun with your questions or concerns.
Dr. F.
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