Ziggy the Bernedoodle Keeps Eating Things She Shouldn’t

Diagnosis: Foreign ingestion – multiple incidents
Claims Covered: $50,645 | Healthy Paws paid: $40,016
Coverage options: $250 deductible | Reimbursement: 80%

Ziggy is a beautiful, loving, friendly, playful, and goofy Bernedoodle who lives in Lafayette, Calif., with her family Alan, Karen, Zane and Brynn.

She’s not even yet two years old, and Ziggy has given Alan and Karen quite the run for their money when it comes to vet visits and the bills that have followed. It seems Ziggy has a habit of eating things she shouldn’t, resulting in two surgeries and numerous related health issues.

Ziggy is an example of the importance of getting dog insurance when the pet is young, and choosing a plan with no caps on the amount of payouts, as her bills on all the vet care in the past 18 months have totaled over $50,000.

Ziggy the Bernedoodle’s eating problem

The first incident occurred in September 2020 when Ziggy swallowed a sock. When she didn’t have a bowel movement, Karen took her to the vet where they took x-rays, diagnosed her with an obstruction and gave her IV fluids, which resulted in a nearly $1,000 vet bill. Karen was able to take her home, and she pooped out the sock the next day.

Then on July 4 of last year, Ziggy ate some plastic and vomited that night. She seemed better afterward, but two days later, Alan realized she still wasn’t well and took her to the vet. The vet determined the object was stuck in her intestines, and she needed emergency surgery immediately.

“It was touch and go for several days if she was going to make it,” Karen said. “The vet hospital suggested we transfer her to a more specialized hospital for treatment due to the severity of her issues, which we did. She stayed in the hospital for about six days. She also then got an infection on her leg from her IV, so even when she was released from the hospital, she was still not 100% better and had to wear a cone and bandage for several months.”

Just a few months later, she ate a shish kabob skewer that became lodged in her stomach and had pierced a hole. She needed another surgery, but fortunately, she recovered with no complications this time.

How Ziggy the Bernedoodle is doing now

“Ziggy is doing well today and is back to her normal spunky, lovable self. We are so thankful she is still with us and so appreciative for the pet insurance,” Karen said.

Ziggy’s pet parents tried to muzzle her to keep her safe, but that proved too burdensome, so they just always watch her and don’t leave food out.

How Healthy Paws Pet Insurance helped

Karen decided to enroll in pet insurance because friends and family with dogs had highly recommended it.

“We heard great things about Healthy Paws from our good friend who referred us.
We feel so blessed to have had insurance when Ziggy had these accidents. We highly recommend it to all of our friends,” Karen said.

The claim scenarios described here are intended to show the types of situations that may result in claims. These scenarios should not be compared to any other claim. Whether or to what extent a particular loss is covered depends on the facts and circumstances of the loss, the terms and conditions of the policy as issued and applicable law.

Insured persons providing testimonials in this report have not received compensation for their statements.