Dermatitis, gastropathy among top pet insurance claims

Using its database of more than 1.1 million pets, the insurance group has analyzed more than the 1.35 million claims it received last year for treatment related to medical conditions impacting dogs and cats.

For the 10th year in row, skin allergies were the most common health issue affecting dogs, with more than 335,000 individual claims received. Meanwhile, for cats, feline cystitis, or lower urinary tract disease (LUTD), was the most common medical condition, receiving more than 16,000 individual claims.

'When we talk about protecting pets from the unexpected, there can be a temptation to jump straight to big ticket items, like cancer or orthopedic disease,' says Nationwide's chief veterinary officer, Jules Benson, BVSc, MRCVS. 'While these are definitely situations where it's beneficial to have pet health insurance, the idiom, 'common things occur commonly' runs true.'

The top medical conditions prompting veterinary visits for dogs and cats last year (according to Nationwide) are as follows:

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For dogs:

• Atopic or other allergic dermatitis
• Otitis externa
• Enteropathy
• Gastropathy
• Benign skin neoplasia
• Pyoderma and/or hot spot
• Anal gland sacculitis/expression
• Degenerative arthritis
• Periodontis, tooth infection, cavity, or abscess
• Canine cystitis

For cats:

• Feline cystitis or lower urinary tract disease
• Renal disease or failure
• Gastropathy
• Periodontis, tooth infection, cavity, or abscess
• Enteropathy
• Hyperthyroidism
• Diabetes mellitus
• Otitis externa
• Feline upper respiratory disease complex
• Atopic or other allergic dermatitis

For a single dog, the highest cost from the top 10 conditions came in at just over $16,700 for degenerative arthritis, Nationwide reports. For cats, the highest cost was more than $19,000 for feline cystitis. The insurance group also covered more than 9,300 individual claims for 'fever of unknown origin/undefined' diagnoses in cats.

by Veterinary Practice News