When it came to getting a dog, I was the last person in my family to hop on the bandwagon. I had never been a dog person, but one day I had a moment of weakness, and my family took advantage of it, so we came home with a brand new puppy named Levi.

At first, I was the person who took the least responsibility when it came to him. However, once school started back up again and the kids were out of the house, I started spending a lot of quality time with our little Levi. I was the one that took him on walks, fed him and cuddled with him all day when the kids were at school. It didn’t take long for him to grow on me.

Pretty soon, no matter what he did, even if it was bad, I couldn’t stay mad at Levi for more than a few minutes. Even when he slipped and fell into the pool right after a bath to chase a duck! His playful nature also translated into a little bit of clumsiness, so I worried about him staying healthy and playing safe. My vet recommended signing him up for a preventive care plan, I was a bit skeptical at first. But after reading through the benefits, I decided it was a good idea. Levi had basically become another one of my kids and deserved the same medical attention to keep him healthy.

When Levi was about a year and a half old, the urinalysis that was done as part of his plan’s annual diagnostic screening uncovered urinary crystals. Our veterinarian told us that Levi needed to change his kibble to a prescription diet that would stop crystals from forming and keep him from needing to have surgery to remove them. He explained to us that as long as he stayed on this diet for the rest of his life, everything should be fine.

I had never considered that Levi’s wellness plan would identify and prevent a major health issue and possibly surgery. Our wellness plan saved Levi from illness and pain — and saved us future expense. The veterinarian told me that Levi’s issue is common in poodles and cocker spaniels (he is made up of both), but as a new pet owner I had no idea.

And now Levi is almost seven. His annual urinalysis no longer shows crystals because we keep him on his prescription diet, but if he did have issues we would know right away. And he is still as playful (and clumsy) as always, and has a long, healthy life ahead of him.