Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Swedish Furbaby Sadness

So I had big plans this week (don't I always?) of having a little 'best of' Surviving in Sweden. I thought I'd dig out my most controversial posts - like that time I ranted about check-out lines at the Swedish grocery store. I thought I would also point out that I am aware of the fact that my Swedish post a week promise died in the water (I have a good excuse for this, but now is not the time or place - perhaps I will do it in Swedish soon)

But we've had a tough week here in the Surviving household - and most of it has been trauma related to friends and family on a large scale level. But that doesn't mean we aren't terribly miserable at the fact that our first Swedish furbaby, our little Meow, suddenly lost use of her back legs and tail on Sunday afternoon for no apparent reason.

We are very sad. Swedish furbaby 1 is at the animal hospital and we are hoping and wishing that she will make a full recovery and gain usage of her limbs back - something the vet said is a possibility. But also trying to figure out what we are going to do in case things don't work out.

Sad sad sad.

BUT since this blog is about Sweden and not the sadness of my poor and most loveable snuggable Meow, I need to take a moment to say THANK YOU for awesome Swedish pet insurance. Our little Meow is an indoor kitty who has been spayed (yes, I am SO American - I've spayed both my cat and dog) and because of those two things,  for the price of about 40-70 dollars per year (its increased over the 8 years) we've had insurance coverage for her.

In the past, Meow has had some strange health issues and we have had to claim quite a bit (but not anywhere close to our cap) from the insurance and they have come through for us every time - and no raised cost and no raised deductible (other than the normal annual changes).

I am very happy that we could, knowing this is going to get expensive, check our cat into the hospital for observation without going into a total panic about expenses. This is going to be expensive. But after everything, I estimate that insurance should cover about 60% (they don't cover the tax and only pay out 80% of expenses).

So what I am saying is - if you are in Sweden and have a fur baby - look into pet insurance, we use Agria. It's inexpensive and has been a real peace of mind for us.

6 comments:

  1. I hope she is doing much better soon your furbaby. She seems to be in good care. Hope for a quick recovery.

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  2. Oh I really hope she will get well soon! So sad so sad when your beloved pets get sick. And Agria is very good. Here pet insurance is terribly expensive though so we actually quit ours. Well, I know that's risky if our cats would get very ill, but we simply could not afford it. :-(

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  3. I hope your cat make a quick recovery. My cat had surgery for a urine blockage earlier this year so I know how it feels. I'm moving with him to Sweden in two weeks. I plan on getting him insurance, something he never had in the US. Do the pet insurance companies in Sweden require any documents from his prior vets to sign him up, and are they big on "pre-existing conditions"? Because of the urine blockage, the US pet insurance companies wouldn't cover anything to do with that if I did get him insurance.

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  4. So sorry for your loss. It is always a tough thing. Over the past twenty years, we have lost two dogs. They were aged, but are still missed.

    I have been reading your blog for about a month now. I really enjoy seeing what is going on in Sweden. My husband and I are planning a trip there in the next two years and maybe even moving there if we like it!

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  5. Thanks for the well-wishes. I have heard that about American pet insurance @saltistjejen - I kept telling my folks they HAD to get it when they got their new cats, but they opted not to due to price. Sadly they probably could have used it!

    @amerisvensk - I think they do demand a vet trip before you sign up, but cannot remember exactly. Also there is an age-limit. But it is worth checking it out - sometimes they can be a bit flexible. I wasn't sure they would insure our dog, but they did. I know we had to fill in some forms, and I know the dog had a vet check, but I think I just got our cats policy over the phone. You can always check out Agria before you get here.

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  6. It's always sad when a furbaby is sick (love the coined term, furbaby).

    I pray for the best of the little meow. When I lost Bunny, I couldn't move for two days. They're so much a part of you and your daily life.

    Here's to hoping for good news on Meow. For a funny bit on wheelchair animals, check this out -
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQph1k0QSDo

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