Over the river and through the woods, to the emergency vet you go?
Although it might be the last stop you want to make on Christmas Day, insurance claims received by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) for Christmas Day 2008 showed that pet accidents happen every day of the year.
Top Five Christmas Day Claims
1. Gastritis/Enteritis
2. Lacerations or Bite Wounds
3. Soft Tissue Trauma
4. Foreign Body Ingestion
5. Chocolate Poisoning
Other claims submitted with a December 25 treatment date included claims for broken bones, gastric torsion, gastric ulcers, torn nails, allergic reactions and cruciate ruptures.
Possibly because, for the most part, only emergency vet offices are open December 25, results are far different than the usual claim VPI receives the rest of the year (only gastritis/enteritis ranked among the top 10 medical claims received by VPI in 2008). On a regular day, top claims cover medical conditions such as skin allergies, ear infections and urinary tract infections.