My fiancé and I have a 1-year-old goofy, crazy dog named Gus. He has been healthy as a horse, aside from getting himself impaled by a stick at daycare one day (minor in the end). In December, we learned Gus has a severe congenital heart disease called aortic stenosis. This means that his heart has to pump extra hard to get blood to his body, putting him at high risk for sudden death by the age of 3 years old. The good news is, he is a candidate for heart surgery, which we scheduled for next month. This will cost somewhere between $6500-7500.

When Gus was just a pup, we got insurance for him, as I know these energetic dogs rack up a lot of medical bills (see stick incident above). However, when we filed a claim to have his echocardiogram reimbursed, we were denied because he had a murmur noted on a visit before the policy started. That means they won't help with anything related to this condition.

As a pediatrician, I am horrified at this outcome, as he has been completely healthy. We pay attention to his health and needs, and we take the medical advice we are given. As a trainee in pediatric oncology, my salary isn't amenable to a large savings, and unfortunately, we just don't have the funds to make this surgery happen on our own. This kind of expense is something I had tried to be thoughtful of and avoid by getting insurance for him.

Anything would be a great help so that we can give the love of our lives the happy and healthy life he deserves.

We appreciate you!!

Kaylyn and Jeff