Veterans Administration, the VA and CVS have partnered for a test program that will have the pharmacy chain’s MinuteClinic urgent care centers treating some veterans for minor injuries and ailments. [More]
vets
Pet Wellness Plans Aren’t Insurance: You Still Have To Pay After They Die
By 5.26.16
It must feel awful to still be paying for your pet’s health plan after the pet has died. Yet there’s a difference between pet health insurance and the wellness plans that some vets market. While both are designed to help pet owners spread the cost of medical care throughout the year, wellness plans are for a fixed period of time, whether the pet is actually alive during that whole time or not. [More]
Uno's Military Discount Available To All Veterans, Not Just Retirees
By 11.4.11
Uno Chicago Grill, the chain that has brought the deliciousness of deep-dish pizza to suburban wastelands everywhere, is honoring veterans next week. That’s excellent. But their publicity for the event gets some terminology wrong. Despite what a current press release says, the 19.43% discount doesn’t just apply to active-duty personnel and those who spent decades in the military and retired with a pension. It’s for everyone who has served. [More]
Did Banfield Mislead Dog Owner Into Expensive Pet Care Contract?
By 12.30.10
Beware any service that’s sold to you with the promise that you can “cancel at any time.” Brian claims that he was misled into buying a $29/month “wellness plan” for his dog. He was told that he could cancel the plan after the first year with no early termination fee. That’s apparently not what the actual contract says, and now he’s stuck paying either a fee, or for another year of the plan. [More]
You Had A Cat. Here Are Some Cat Ashes. Problem Solved!
By 5.20.09
How do you verify the identity of your cat after he’s been cremated? Matthew has no idea if the box he received really contains Spike’s cremains or the cremains of someone else’s pet. His vet offered to print out a new certificate with the correct name on it, but that seems less like a “solution” than a “waste of printer ink” designed to placate without providing answers.
Hartz Flea & Tick Remover Harms Some Cats And Dogs
By 9.9.08
If you plan on treating your dog or cat for fleas, talk to your vet and read these stories before applying Hartz. There are multiple instances where pets have responded adversely to the products, in some cases dying. Hartz agreed to remove a flea product for cats and kittens in 2006 based on similar adverse reactions, but according to the stories from angry pet owners (warning, they will make you want to hug your pet), there are still plenty of problems with current Hartz products.
Is Your Vet Ripping You Off?
By 2.26.08
KNBC went undercover and found a bunch of vets are more sales people than pet doctors, using fear to sell more treatment than is necessary. They took pets with minor ailments, checked out by a vet, to several different vets. Instead of getting the minor fixes they should have been recommended, these vets advised expensive extra tests, procedures, and medicines geared more towards lining their pockets than healing the pets. One dog had an upset stomach but was recommended a $300 “eyelid scraping,” despite his eyes being perfect. When confronted, the vet said she had done nothing wrong, and “eyelid scraping is not done in the states, but she used to do it in Austria.” She also admitted there was nothing the matter with the dog’s eyes. The report says that if you get recommended an expensive procedure, get a second opinion.
