Dr. Cherese Sullivan goes over pet handling protocol with a Skyline Animal Hospital extern on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
When my dog did a somersault in the air trying to catch a squirrel and busted her knee, she needed a $7,000 surgery.
Then, when my other pup was diagnosed with arthritis in every joint of his body, he needed a $100-a-month shot to keep away his chronic pain. That was after his heart issue that required additional costly medicines.
Now, had I not had pet insurance, I would have been sitting in a dark corner in tears, faced with making hard decisions about my animals that are like family.
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I wish I could convince more people to consider pet insurance because of my experience. But just consider what’s happening across the country with this mysterious respiratory illness that’s making some dogs sick. Some have died.
Not much is known about the illness, but it usually starts with a cough that might last for weeks. It can progress to pneumonia and then severe respiratory distress, veterinarians say.
Some pet owners will have to brace themselves for the vet bills for treatment. If they’re in luck, it’ll only cost a few hundred dollars, but it could top thousands in worse cases. So why don’t more pet owners have pet insurance?
Dr. Cherese Sullivan puts on her stethoscope at Skyline Animal Hospital on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
Dr. Cherese Sullivan goes over pet handling protocol with Skyline Animal Hospital externs on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
Dr. Adria Flowers checks in on a dog getting dental cleaning at Skyline Animal Hospital on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
Dr. Cherese Sullivan, left, and Dr. Adria Flowers at their vet clinic, Skyline Animal Hospital, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023. in Houston.
Dr. Cherese Sullivan, left, and Dr. Adria Flowers at their vet clinic, Skyline Animal Hospital, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
Dr. Cherese Sullivan’s office at Skyline Animal Hospital is accented with a quote from Jay Z, on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Houston.
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Some 5.4 million pet insurance policies, mostly for dogs, were in effect across the U.S. in 2022, up more than 21% from a year earlier, according to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association. That’s nothing compared to the nation’s more than 80 million pets. More than 60% of Americans own a pet, including about a third who have more than one, according to a Pew Research Center survey, and nearly all U.S. pet owners (97%) say their pets are part of their family.
“Pets are living longer because we’re taking better care of them,” said Dr. Cherese Sullivan, a veterinarian and co-owner of Skyline Animal Hospital on Almeda in Third Ward. “We are seeing a lot of great developments in care and wellness, but pet ownership is not for a moment, two years or five. It can last 15 years or even longer. It’s a lifetime commitment.”
Millennials make up the largest percentage of pet owners (33%), followed by Gen X (25%) and baby boomers (24%). In 2022, Americans spent $136.8 billion on their pets, up 10.68% from 2021 ($123.6 billion).
Dog owners spend an average of $730 a year on their dogs — that’s if your dog doesn’t get sick.
“We have quite a few clients who have pet insurance, and it’s bundled with their home and car insurance, but it’s not like human insurance. Most of the time, you have to pay upfront, then get reimbursed,” Sullivan said.
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That’s the case with my policy, and I usually get reimbursed within a week. Some companies even offer pet insurance as a benefit option.
Veterinary bills, Sullivan said, have increased in part because of better quality of care and equipment, which is often human-grade. So, the same IV catheters used in a standard hospital are used on our pets.
“Providing quality veterinary care means that much of the costs of our goods are the same costs you would have a human clinic,” Sullivan said. “During the pandemic, when there was a shortage of ventilators, we couldn’t get them for the animals that needed them here.”
Sullivan, a native of Washington, D.C., and Dr. Adria Flowers, who is from Beaumont, met while working at a local pet hospital. They shared the same vision of wanting to open a clinic in the Third Ward area, which they said is considered a “vet desert” with no regular animal clinic in more than a decade. That’s compared with suburban areas like Pearland and Katy, which have many more veterinary care options, they said.
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For months, the women looked for clinic space in Third Ward, but no one wanted to lease to them.
“They were afraid it would have a bad smell and there would be sick animals around, but we put a lot of thought on how it looks,” Flowers said.
Skyline Animal Hospital opened in spring 2022, with its purple-accent interior, and a pristine surgical and kennel area that rivals the nicest doctor’s office in the Texas Medical Center. There’s a photo wall for pet owners to take photos with their pets.
During the pandemic, the clinic saw visits double and even triple as more people were at home and paying more attention to their pets' health.
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Flowers and Sullivan plan to eventually provide basic, low-cost vet care to residents of Third Ward who may not be able to afford standard care. They are working with the Empty Shelter Project, which provides free spay/neuter services and vaccinations.
Not a week goes by without people "telling us how grateful they are that we are here,” Flowers said.
Just last month, my female boxer was diagnosed with early soft-tissue cancer. Without pet insurance, I would probably have to forgo the expensive treatments (more than $15,000) that would give her two to three more years of quality life and pray that the cancer doesn’t spread.
I don’t have to worry so much about the expense, but I know not everyone can say that.
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