Top 10 Most Expensive Pet Health Conditions

I received this information in an e-mail today. I appreciate the fact that pet insurance companies have a database of information that allows them to search for statistics such as this. This information can be helpful to pet owners who are contemplating whether to get pet insurance.

Nation’s Largest Pet Insurer Reveals Most Common $1,000+ Claims

Brea, Calif. (June 28, 2011) — Few pet owners imagine they will ever have to spend more than $1,000 for treatment of a single pet health incident or condition. Unfortunately, data from Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI), the nation’s oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, reveals that $1,000 veterinary bills may be more common than expected. 

In 2010, VPI policyholders submitted nearly 14,000 claims with an average treatment cost exceeding $1,000. VPI analyzed its database to find that the majority of its most expensive claims were the result of just 10 conditions. Following are the top 10 conditions—ranked by frequency—to cost pet owners more than $1,000 in 2010:

Condition		Number of Claims	Average Cost per Claim
1.	Torn Knee Ligament/Cartilage	6,831	$1,578
2.	Intestinal - Foreign Object	1,005	$1,967
3.	Stomach - Foreign Object	954	$1,502
4.	Intervertebral Disc Disease	879	$3,282
5.	Stomach Torsion/Bloat	372	$2,509
6.	Broken Leg (Plate)	350	$1,586
7.	Laryngeal Paralysis	126	$2,042
8.	Tumor of the Throat	124	$1,677
9.	Ear Canal Surgery -Ablation	104	$1,285
10.	Ruptured Bile Duct	102	$2,245

While surgical treatment for a torn knee ligament/cartilage occurred with the greatest frequency, the condition with the highest average cost per claim was intervertebral disc disease, for which pet owners paid an average of $3,282 in 2010. According to DVM Newsmagazine’s 2009 State of the Profession survey, veterinarians estimate the average dollar amount at which most clients would opt to stop treatment of a sick or injured animal at $1,451. Of the top 10 most common costly claims, only ear canal surgery falls beneath the average survey limit, thus illustrating the value of pet health insurance as a way to manage unexpected pet health expenses.

“Pet owners should be aware that these $1,000 accidents and illnesses can happen to just about any pet—indoor, outdoor, young or old,” said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Though the cost of care for these conditions may be high, the prognosis is usually positive, and many of the pets that are treated will recover.”

Comments

[pet insurance]

Thanks a lot for this information as I am planning for my pet’s insurance so this would help me a lot .

[Celine Rickman]

I am amazed how pet insurance has been trending nowadays. I planning to have one for my cat, but I'm still thinking on it. I've read in many articles that this one of the good reasons why veterinary sciences has also been expanding and advancing. And I think that's a good thing..

[Dr. Doug Kenney]

Celine,

The good news is that cat policies are less expensive than dog policies.