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Likes: Kitties! Bowie wants to play with every cat she meets - claws and all. She currently has three kitties of her own and loves them all, but is willing to adopt any neighbor cat who would like to play.
Pet-Peeves: Bowie despises the mailman & pretty much anyone who rings her doorbell. Clipping nails is right up there on the list too! Actually, she has a lot of pet peeves...the vaccuum, brooms, mops, the spin cycle on the washer, anything that buzzes or beeps, etc.
Favorite Toy: Bowie's favorite toy is anything that makes an annoying noise - squeeks, buzzes, talks...
Favorite Food: French fries from any fast food restaurant is #1. Cheese is a close second. Then again, any people food will do nicely!
Favorite Walk: Bowie's favorite walk is anywhere that has grass. She loves to run in the grass and let it tickle her little tummy.
Best Tricks: Turning into a statue and refusing to move a muscle when you put a costume or clothing on her. She even sticks her tail straight out and won't put it down!
Arrival Story: Bowie is originally from a puppy mill and was very sick as a puppy. She spent the first 6 months of her life in vet hospitals and on various medications. She was a teeny tiny little puppy with a huge spirit and she never acted sick or depressed. We went to six different veterinarians before she was properly diagnosed and treated, but she never gave up. She is the most pampered pet in our household and can pretty much get away with anything...well, almost.
Bio: Like all dachshunds, Bowie thinks she's a big dog. Yeah, a whopping 9 pounds and 8 inches tall at the shoulders. Her chest clears the ground by about 2 inches. Bowie LOVES water and will jump in any puddle, pond or river she can find...but only when she wants to - she hates baths!
Forums Motto: Laughter is the Best Medicine Dogster Local Spots I've Marked: Bradshaw Veterinary Clinic, Bird Shop, C-Bar-C Park The Groups I'm In: ! ♥ Protected Pooches ♥ !, *One Blue Eye*, DAWGS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!, Dog House Runway, Doggie Dudes, Molly Inspires Foundation, Nascar Pets, Naughty Pup Club, One Blue Eye, PARADISE, President Isabel's Animal Abuse Commission, Survivor : Canis Islands, The Dogster Force, TINY PAWS CRUISE LINE II AND FURIENDS!, Weenie Lovers, ^*BASH*^, ~ Dachshunds Forever ~, ~*~Princess Divas ~&~ Prince Charmings!~*~
D.E.T.H. Member #27: Current Assignment: hypno-interrogation specialist first class. Thanks Dexter! http://www.dogster.com/?16108
Bowie Facts: Her eye color is real and she is not blind in the blue eye. Her blue eye is not fake.She's a mix of long-haired and short-haired dapple doxie. Her name is pronounced "Bowie", like David Bowie, not BOW-E, like Bow-wow :)
Register your opinion with Governor Schwarzenegger to remove the Veterinary Services Tax from the budget proposal. It’s simple and effective. Just call the Governor’s office at 916-445-2841. When you call, please select your language choice, then press 5 to leave your opinion on a current issue, press 1 to select the issue of extending the sales tax to veterinary services, and then press 2 to oppose this proposal.
My dog has been covered by VPI since she came to us at 8 weeks old. Her coverage has been the "SUPERIOR PLAN, CANCER ENDORSEMENT, WELLCARE CORE COVERAGE" - the highest available. Because she had bordatella, they automatically said she will not be covered for ANY respiratory illnesses during her life. None. Not even UNRELATED respiratory illness.
We chose the highest amount of coverage, which is supposed to include wellness exams, vaccinations and any medications (including flea and worms preventatives) she receives. Unfortunately, what they consider a regular wellness exam charge and what a real vet charges are about 500% different. They pay $25 for a complete wellness exam, which includes a checkup and vaccines and actually costs closer to $150.
They have also decided not to cover the medication she is prescribed and costs $203.10/month - and they will give me no reason for that. I have also yet to be reimbursed for any preventative flea/worm medications, although I have sent them numerous receipts and signed forms from my vet.
I have appealed many claims as well as called customer service numerous times, and every time I call each representative tells me something different. They are obviously not training their phone staff and you'll never get the same answer twice.
Another major problem I have is that the monthly premium goes up at least 20% a year, although I rarely file any claims except for wellness and medications. So far, over the 4 years, we have paid $1775.00 in premiums, put in for $2935.50 in VALID claims according to all schedules and have only been reimbursed $888.23. See a problem there? We've paid twice the amount in premiums as they have paid in claims (Premiums $1775-Reimbursed $888 = $887 overpayment.) Needless to say, since there are so many new companies out there offering so much more, we are shopping for new insurance.
VPI is the HMO of Pet Insurance companies - they only pay the LEAST amount they have to and they look for every little thing to get out of paying.
They recently gave customers an online area to view previous claims, which was a really dumb thing on their part. It shows exactly how little they pay. Here are some average claims we have made:
I could keep going, but I think you see the picture. Just like an HMO - pay the least amount you can and make the most amount of money. They really do not care about your pet's health - they care about their bottom line profits. If this were a human insurance company they would have been sued numerous times or shut down by now.
The best "Explanation" I get on a lot of forms from them is: "Claim denied because an itemized receipt was not submitted with the claim or itemized receipt is unreadable. Information must be submitted within 180 days of the treatment date or 60 days from the date of this denial, whichever is greater." Now, after 4 years, I know how to submit a claim and I know how to have it itemized and typed, so this excuse is completely bogus. Even after three re-submissions and a call from my vet, they still denied the claim for the above reason.
Bowie...hoping Mom can find me better, more reliable pet insurance soon!
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