European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                H o m e front a a pet insurance puts Premium on Quality health care by Bob Mims the associated Pressi f Travis Coates had been Able to obtain health insurance for his pet the boy May never have had to pull the trigger on old yeller. For $10 a month the lovable hound of Fred Gipson s bittersweet tale would have been vaccinated and spared both rabies and his master s Rifle he May however have howled Over a provision for 50 percent off the Cost of neutering. Pet health insurance did not exist in the Book s fictional past. And in the real life present it is uncommon Only one major multistage Carrier provides nationwide coverage though smaller plans Are springing up. Quot we find that the vast majority of pet owners Don t really take proper care of their pets. A lot of times the option that people choose is euthanasia Quot said or. Scott Matheson medical director for the family veterinary Hospital s All pet ? in Taylorsville. Quot that s frustrating when perhaps 80 percent of All euthanasia Are unnecessary. We would rather be Able to treat these animals and get them Back to their families Quot said Matheson. In a country that spent nearly $7 billion on veterinary care for dogs and cats in 1991, pet health insurance might seem to be a logical growth Industry. Quot basically we think it s a great idea Quot said Katherine Brant spokeswoman for the humane society of Utah. Quot Many people deeply devoted to their companion animals will quite often put their companion s health care needs ahead of their  last year family veterinary Hospital launched a three tiered dog and cat health plan. So far More than 200 pet owners have signed up and Matheson expects enrolment to reach 400 to 500 by year s end. Here s How it works a $10-a-month plan offers vaccinations other routine treatments and savings on says and neuters. For $7.50 More the plan extends discounts to medical surgical prescription and Laboratory services. A. $25 month payment covers the full Cost of medical surgical and lab work up to $500, and half the Cost above that. Matheson said the prepaid options Are More Akin to human health maintenance organizations than to traditional third party insurance plans dozens of which have failed in the pet care Market in recent decades. The latest to go under was the fireman s fund insurance co s med pet program which quit writing new policies in april. John Kozero spokesman for the Novato  pet health insurance usually leads to a longer healthier life for the pet and fewer financial worries for the owner. Firm said less than 7,000 pet owners signed up during a 3-year trial  Quot an awful lot of people showed interest but after they received the brochures very few sent in checks Quot he said. That left the nation s largest pet health insurer veterinary pet insurance without major Competition. The Anaheim calif., company has issued a we cover accidents or illnesses. In that sense its pretty much the same As regular human health  a Richard  pet insurance More than 500,000 policies in 39 states since it was founded 14 years ago. Premiums average $75 a year. Quot we cover accidents or illnesses. In that sense it s pretty much the same As regular human health insurance Quot said vice president Richard Stephens. Quot elective surgeries says neuters and routine care Aren t  that leaves plenty of room for Small scale prevention oriented pet health plans such As Matheson s. Indeed pet insurance has become a hot topic for the american veterinary medical association which recently appointed an executive panel to explore the Issue. Quot everybody seems to be very interested in this Quot said spokesman Mike Walters reached at the association s a offices in Schaumburg Iii. While not endorsing any insurance scheme Walters argued that dogs and cats Are better risks than people. Quot if you consider that a lot of health problems May be the result of voluntary or discretionary but unsafe activities a drinking smoking or Riding motorcycles without helmets animals Don t engage in those activities Quot he said. In 1991, the last year for which the agma has figures americans owned 52.5 million dogs and 57 million cats. Nearly $4.6 billion was spent on canine veterinary care while cat owners paid More than $2.3 billion. Bills for veterinary care a while nowhere near As High As medical Bills for humans a can still be budget Breakers. Quot a real common example is a dog or cat that gets hit by a car. If it has a single broken Bone it would not be uncommon to have surgery and that s $800 to $1,000,&Quot Matheson  the family q what kind of Homes produce children with a High degree of self Confidence _ a Stanley Coopersmith associate professor of psychology at the University of California studied 1,738 Normal Middle class boys and their families beginning in the preadolescent period and following them through to Young manhood. After identifying those boys having the highest self esteem he compared their Homes and childhoods with those having a lower sense of self Worth. He found three important characteristics. Which distinguished them a the High esteem children were clearly More loved and appreciated at Home than were the Low esteem boys. A the High esteem group came from Homes where parents had been significantly More strict in their approach to discipline. By contrast the parents of the Low esteem group had created insecurity and dependence by their permissiveness. Their children were More Likely to feel that no one cared enough to enforce the  the most successful and Independent Young men during the latter period of the study were found to have come from Homes that y demanded the strictest accountability and responsibility. The Homes of the High esteem group were also characterized by democracy and openness. Once the boundaries for behaviour were established there was Freedom for individual personalities to grow and develop. My James Dobson q j a our two teen age daughters Excel in different areas one is very academic and the other is a social Butterfly. Often they Exchange jealous words. How can we minimize the antagonism Between them the first step is to avoid circumstances that compare your daughters unfavourably with each other or against their Peers. Parents should guard against comparative statements. Children Are extremely sensitive about physical attractiveness and body characteristics. Suppose that Kelly hears this casual remark about her sister a Lisa is sure going to be a gorgeous  the fact that Kelly was not mentioned will probably establish the two girls As rivals. If there is a significant difference in Beauty Between the two you can be assured that Kelly has already concluded Quot yeah in a the ugly  when her fears Are confirmed by her parents resentment and jealousy Are  matter of intelligence is another sensitive nerve to be handled with care. It is not uncommon to hear parents say in front of their children Quot i think the younger is actually brighter than his  adults find it difficult to comprehend How powerful that kind of assessment can be in a child a mind. Or Jam c. Dobson is president of focus on the family an organization dedicated to prefer Vang the Home. Correspondence should be sent to him at focus on the family. . Box 444, Colorado Springs Colo. 80903. Saturday August 13,1994 the stars and stripes