I found this neat site via a Google search and thought I'd share. Over at Animal Planet's Pet*Trends with Maggie and Dixie there's a post about dogs and chocolate.

Since we're all about keeping your pet fit and healthy here at PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance. (do visit Animal Planet - they have really fabulous content there!) I wanted to stress the importance of keeping chocolate away from your dog.

We never gave Carmel chocolate - though she did 'steal' some during Easter and Halloween, once or twice, but just small bites, not full bars of chocolate. However, back in the day - before we knew about the chocolate issue, my previous dog, Misty, ate a whole Easter basket of candy, and lived to tell about it! 

Truth is, there was more than chocolate in the basket, so that probably saved her. I didn't like to give my kids a whole lot of chocolate, anyway. Still, when I think back to it, I heave a big sigh. Misty was a little quiet that day, but she never really got sick and...I was careful with Easter baskets evermore!

Here's wishing you and your pets a wonderful New Year. Keep the chocolate out of snout-reach!  (now, I'm hopping over to add Pet*Trends to the blogroll at Scratchings and Sniffings... toots!)

Over at About.com, one of the best resources online for any content - there is an interview with PurinaCare's President and Chief Operating Officer, David B. Goodnight, DVM, with the Veterinary Medicine expert, Janet Tobiassen Crosby.

I thought it worth citing and mentioning here, on Christmas Day in the morning. As many families around the company welcome new pets into their house, let's listen to Goodnight's words on the reason Purina went into the pet health insurance business:

It's that time of the year - when we all get to review our health insurance plans and make changes. I find the fine print hard to wade through and even after comparing charts, I'm never sure what I'm signing up for.

It's important to understand the precription payment plan, and the deductible. Is it better to use a plan that has a $20 deductible for regular visits, because the monthly cost is lower? Or, should I opt for the $10 deductible, and the higher monthly premium? I guess that depends on how many times I think I'll have to go to the Dr. next year, and...who knows the answer to that?

Dr. Larry is committed to keeping PurinaCare pet health insurance easy to understand.

My cat, Wabby Wibby (which is baby-talk for Baby Kitty, for those in the know) has changed a bit since the loss of our beloved Carmie.

I'm thinking she likes her status as Only Pet. If she misses Carmie, she doesn't show it. The horrible night of Carmie's passing Wabby did come into the bedroom and sit before Carmie's bed for a long time, just staring. I found it strange, but comforting. It was almost as if she were channeling Carmie's presence. (I still feel Carmie here, in the house - we have not moved her bed and don't plan on it, anytime soon).

After the initial, curious visit, Wabby started coming in the bedroom every day, to sleep on the bed while I work. (My office is in the master bedroom.) She's more cuddly and friendly than she has been in years.

Are you considering the gift of a pet for Christmas? When I was a kid, that's all I ever really wanted - a dog or a cat. Eventually, on my birthday, I got a dog and looking back I think that was a good decision. My birthday is in the summer, so we had no problem training the dog. I'm not sure things would have gone as smoothly as they did, if we'd gotten the dog during Christmas.

All of our pets, btw, come from shelters or the Humane Society. This picture is from a recent event at our local Lollypop Farm. The puppy only got a small piece of crust for all his begging.

Don't get me wrong - the gift of a living animal is a wonderful thought. But, while you're thinking about it, dreaming of the happy squeals of delight, remember: the operative word is "living." So, let's talk about that, and how also offering pet health insurance can make your wonderful living gift even more treasured.

We've been receiving some very nice comments, here at the PurinaCare Pet Health Insurance blog. Of course, we're excited about that. Bloggers live for comments, as many of you already know, I'm sure.

However, many of you may have noticed that we are not publishing your comments. Here's why...and how to guarantee that your comment will be published:

This blog is the property of Nestle' Purina, and as such, there are specific terms and conditions we ask you to agree to. As well as guidelines not only for what gets posted here, but for what we can publish in the comment section. This is not an attempt to censor anyone! Many brands that blog require login of some sort, to maintain a focus on the topic at hand, and to guarantee commenters the politeness of a discussion, not a rant. For instance, this media site spells out their terms and conditons for all to review.

Continue Reading "Your Comments Are Important to Us: A Post on How-to Comment on this blog" »