Pet Insurance Claim of the Week: Chocolate Ingestion
|Mosby the 2-year-old Maltese recently followed his nose into some chocolate. Because he only weighs 5 pounds, a little bit of chocolate can present a big danger! His owner made sure to seek immediate veterinary care for the little chocolate eater.
Chocolate is bad for dogs and cats because it contains chemicals called theobromine and caffeine. These cause increased heart rate in your pet which can lead to vomiting, diarrhea and restlessness. Greater quantities of stronger (higher concentration of cocoa) chocolates are more toxic to pets and can be fatal. The same amount of chocolate is more toxic to a smaller pet than a large one.
Mosby is currently recovering from the ordeal and we wish him a speedy recovery!
Deductible applied: -$80
Ineligible costs (exam fee): -$86
10% co-insurance: -$68.10
Trupanion repaid: $612.90
I should dearly love to know ,what symptoms Mosby exhibited ,and what the Vet did,that added up to $847.00 .Was all of it ‘precautionary’,or was Mosby in actual danger ? Any way to let us know without identifying people,of course ?
Hi Christina,
Our claim forms only tell part of the story, so I am not sure what Mosby’s symptoms were, or how severe. I do not personally have veterinary experience so I cannot interpret the veterinary invoice precisely, however I can share with you some of the items that were on the invoice: examination, diagnostic profile, complete blood count, catheter, infusion pump, sedation, and a few medications.
Mushrooms can also be very toxic to dogs. The ASPCA says, “although most mushrooms are known as LBMs (little brown mushrooms) and are generally nontoxic, if a dog has just eaten a mushroom, always decontaminate for safety.”