With the release of the Top 10 claim types for cats and dogs in 2024, pet insurance specialist PD Insurance is highlighting common issues that pet parents should watch out for to help safeguard their furry family members.

“Insights from claims are a valuable resource because they tell a story of what’s happening on the ground,” said PD Insurance Chief Operating Officer Michelle Le Long.

“Whether pets or people, identifying the problems most commonly experienced provides an opportunity to be a bit more vigilant – and, hopefully, avoid some painful problems and vet visits for your pet.”

She said that since 2021, PD Insurance has released its claims data. This not only tracks the number and type of claims each year but also allows for ‘year on year’ comparisons.

Encouragingly, some of the most common claim types are declining.

“I’d love to say this is thanks to our efforts to raise risk awareness,” said Le Long, “But the reality is that correlation isn’t causation, and we can’t definitively make that claim.”

Top three claims unchanged

Moving on to the data, Le Long notes that the top three claim types for dogs and cats in 2024 remain unchanged from 2023: skin allergies rank first, followed by ear infections in second place and gastroenteritis in third.

“What’s interesting is that we’ve seen a reduction in the number of claims in each of these categories compared to 2023,” Le Long said.

“Prevention is always better than cure. As an insurer, there’s naturally a financial incentive to focus on prevention – but we’re pet lovers first and foremost. We strive to help every pet parent protect their furbaby from the discomfort of emergencies, illnesses, and potentially unpleasant treatments."

She adds that PD Insurance’s efforts include research and regular communications with policyholders to keep them informed about common problems and hazards.

The full top 10 claim types for 2024

While there are some minor differences between cats and dogs in terms of the most commonly filed claim types, Le Long said the consolidated data provides a clear picture across the different pet types.

In 2024, the most common claims and incidents were:

1. Skin allergies

2. Ear infections

3. Gastroenteritis

4. Bite wounds

5. Foreign body ingestion

6. Limb injuries

7. Emesis (vomiting)

8. Abscess

9. Poison ingestion

10. Grass seeds

Some hazards are avoidable, others less so.

As every pet parent knows, vet visits are an inevitable part of caring for their furry family members. However, with extra care, some conditions and health issues can be preventable.

“The health problems faced by cats and dogs generally fall into two broad categories,” said Le Long. “Those that can be prevented and those that are likely to occur regardless of the precautions you take.”

When it comes to preventable issues, often it’s a case of anticipation combined with a dose of common sense; for example,

“Bite wounds are generally the result of a fight or dogs being off-leash, while several of these health issues can be mitigated to some extent through a solid foundation of training."

Limb injuries can be caused by falls, while diarrhoea has multiple potential underlying causes, including foreign body or poison ingestion. Training your dog to "drop" or "leave" hazardous items can help prevent them from biting, eating, or swallowing dangerous objects.

Claims data also offers a glimpse into the many dangerous and peculiar items that dogs and cats are willing to sample. Among the unusual and unpalatable snacks were karaka berries, stones, spectacles, sanitary items, fridge magnets, electrical cables, fishhooks, toys, and more.

Of course, accidents happen – sometimes as the result of a combination of crazy circumstances, like the PD Insurance customer whose dog playing on the beach, suffered a seal attack and sustained bite wounds, bruising and lacerations.

“I think it’s safe to say most pet parents, including those who have insurance, really don’t want their pet to suffer any unnecessary injury or discomfort; it’s encouraging to see a decline in claims incidences, particularly for preventable conditions, which suggests Kiwi pet parents are doing a great job,” Le Long said.

A case in point: Innocuous grass seed causes havoc

Sometimes, it’s the little things. In the case of a retriever, listlessness, swelling and going off his food had a worried family initially suspecting a generalised infection. The vet suspected a grass seed as the underlying cause, but while an MRI revealed considerable tissue damage and a large pocket of fluid, it didn’t show a grass seed.

The vet performed blood tests, ruling out several diseases, and recommended exploratory surgery, eventually revealing a tiny grass seed lodged in the dog’s left femoral musculature, causing an anaerobic bacterial infection. Post surgery recovery included very heavy-duty antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication and pain relief meds.

“The retriever’s situation is, unfortunately, a fairly common one,” said Le Long.

“We frequently see claims for dogs and cats suffering from infections and discomfort with this as the root cause – and the treatment to restore their health can be lengthy and very costly.”