None of the current 11 pet insurance companies cover pre-existing conditions, a factor that has Fort Worth residents Ben and Carolyn Cason skeptical of such organizations.

"I just don't trust it ... all those disclaimers. You think, 'Gosh, what are they going to do?' " she said.

The retired couple, both 66, has spent more than $50,000 on their Shih Tzus in the past decade.

Sometimes it's been "bread or the dog bill," Mr. Cason said.

This week, they took Sassy, one of their five Shih Tzus, to the Veterinary Referral Center for a swollen lymph gland.

The cost?

Ms. Cason shrugged. "I don't know. It doesn't matter. They're just like our children. They're a reason to get up in the morning."

Source: By JESSICA MEYERS / The Dallas Morning News (www.dallasnews.com)