I was waiting to be seated at a local restaurant yesterday and struck up a conversation with an elderly lady seated beside me. She was distraught because her 3 year old dog had developed canine epilepsy. She told me the epilepsy was treatable, but not curable, so she was going to be stuck with some pretty large medical bills for her dog.

A few years ago, my neighbor’s dog knocked down a tiki torch and drank the fuel out of it. They had the dog’s stomach pumped and ended up with an $800 vet bill.

My aunt had a poodle which developed a heart problem several years ago. This dog was the joy of her life, so she did everything she could to save it. Several operations and thousands of dollars later, her dog’s health is much better, but she is still paying the medical bills for her poodle.

I’ve been reading numerous blogs and forums lately about dogs and cats, and it’s very clear to me that pet insurance can be a real life saver, literally. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t be able to pay thousands of dollars if my dogs developed some type of life-threatening disease. And it would devastate my family and me if we had to put one of our dogs to sleep at such a young age.

I did some research on common veterinary treatments, and found out the following typical amounts that people have had to pay for medical care for their dog or cat:

• Cancer treatments: $3,500
• Fractured leg: $2,300
• Hip dysplasia: $2,400
• Ingestion of foreign body: $2,100
• Motor vehicle accident: $3,212
• Bladder stones: $1,152
• Infection: $1,015

These are real people with real bills to pay.

After my conversation with the lady at the restaurant, I decided to look into pet health insurance for my 2 yorkies. I found a few companies which offer dog health insurance and cat health insurance, but I decided to go with the Embrace Pet Insurance. I filled out the application online, received a quote, and signed up immediately. Sure, it’s an extra expense, but it really is nice to have the peace of mind to know that the pet insurance will be there.

I really hope you consider getting insurance for your dog, insurance for your cat, or both. I look at pet insurance like this… my pets are part of my family. If I’m buying insurance for my family, then I’m buying it for my pets, too. I hope you never have to take your dog or cat to the vet for anything serious, but if you do, have the insurance gives you the peace of mind to know that the bills can be paid.

Resources: Embrace Pet Insurance

Invisible Fence is actually a brand name owned by Invisible Fence, Inc. Underground fencing was invented by Richard Peck in the 1970′s and was marketed exclusively under the “Invisible Fence” brand until the patent expired in 1991. Today, the most popular brands are Innotek and PetSafe.

Basically, here’s how invisible fence works…

You install an underground perimeter wire around the desired pet containment area (your yard). Your dog wears a transmitter on his collar. If your dog gets too close to the buried wire, he gets a little zap through the collar.

Each system comes with training flags to mark the perimeter. In most cases, your dog or cat will be trained in about a week.

The advantages of invisible fencing are…

• It’s invisible.
• It’s much less expensive than a traditional fence
• It preserves the openness of your property.
• There is little-to-no maintenance. In most cases, all you need to do is keep fresh batteries in the dog collar.

Disadvantages of invisible fencing are…

• Since the fence is invisible, people walking by your property don’t know your dog is contained. People might be startled if your dog charges to the edge of your property only to stop at the last second. But, the person walking by doesn’t know the dog will stop.
• Some dogs have a higher pain tolerance and might run through the barrier if the temptation is too great.

For me, the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. I’ve chosen to order my own kit and install the fence myself. I can rent a ditch digger for about $100.

The kits come in all sizes from 1/4 acre to over 20 acres.

The best prices and selection that I’ve found on invisible fencing is from PetStreetMall.com. They have the most popular 2 brands… Innotek and Petsafe fences. They also offer free shipping.

For my property, I’ll have the entire dog fence installed for less than $350. Monetarily speaking, compared to spending thousands on a traditional fence, you can’t beat an invisible fence.

I hope this information on invisible fencing helps you decide whether it’s right for you and your pet.

I’m a professional Googler (not really, but I tend to find things easier than anyone I know). So I Googled the best places to get costumes for my dogs. Here is the best place on the internet to get halloween costumes for a dog.

Dog Costumes at CostumeCraze.com

I was going to list several other sites, but nobody else has a better selection or better prices for dog costumes. They have every dog costume you can imagine… Superman, Wonder Woman, Zorro, Clowns, Reindeer, Yoda, Scooby Doo, Buzz Lightyear, Prisoner Dog, Pretty Princess Dog, Spiderman, Christmas Elf, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Devil Dog, Dogula, Elvis, Rock Star, Tiki Girl Dog, Pimp Dog, Bride Dog, Queen Dog, Mickey Mouse, Hippie Dog, and lots more.

They also have dog costumes for other holidays and events such as Christmas, 4th of July (U.S. Independence Day), St. Patrick’s Day, and others.

I think I’m going to get a Yoda and Darth Vader for my Yorkies this year.

See all the Dog Costumes at CostumeCraze.com
and while you’re there, don’t forget to grab costumes for you and your family.