Skin allergies, ear infections among most common conditions that prompt veterinary visits
Nationwide® members filed more than 1.35 million individual claims for treatment of top 10 medical conditions affecting dogs and cats
When it comes to caring for our canine companions and feline friends, planned and unplanned visits to the veterinarian are part of life as a pet parent. Conditions such as skin allergies, ear infections and urinary tract disease may be relatively common but they can be painful to the pet and costly to the owner.
“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. While these are definitely situations where it’s beneficial to have pet health insurance, the idiom that ‘common things occur commonly’ runs true,” said Dr. Jules Benson, chief veterinary officer for Nationwide. “Skin, urinary and gastrointestinal disease are everyday occurrences where having a pet protection solution in place can make a big difference in whether pet parents seek veterinary care, and then in what diagnostics and treatments are viable for them.”
Last year, Nationwide pet health insurance members filed more than 1.35 million claims for treatment related to common medical conditions affecting dogs and cats. The nation's pet health protection leader analyzed its database of more than 1.1 million pets to determine the top medical conditions that prompted veterinary visits for dogs and cats. Below are the results:
Dogs | Cats |
| 1. Skin allergies | 1. Bladder/urinary tract disease |
| 2. Ear infection | 2. Chronic kidney disease |
| 3. Diarrhea/intestinal upset | 3. Vomiting/upset stomach |
| 4. Vomiting/upset stomach | 4. Dental disease (tooth infection, cavity, abscess) |
| 5. Non-cancerous skin mass | 5. Diarrhea/intestinal upset |
| 6. Skin infections | 6. Excessive thyroid hormone |
| 7. Inflammation/infection of anal sacs | 7. Diabetes |
| 8. Arthritis | 8. Ear infection |
| 9. Dental disease (tooth infection, cavity, abscess) | 9. Upper respiratory infection |
| 10. Bladder infection | 10. Skin allergies |
Among Nationwide-insured dogs:
- For the 10th year in a row, skin allergies were the most common health issue with more than 335,000 individual claims received.
- For a single dog, the highest cost from the top 10 conditions came in at just over $16,700 for arthritis.
Among Nationwide-insured cats:
- Bladder or urinary tract disease was the most common medical condition with more than 16,000 individual claims received.
- For a single cat, the highest cost from the top 10 conditions came in at more than $19,000 for bladder/urinary tract disease.
- Nationwide also covered more than 9,300 individual claims for “fever of unknown origin/undefined” diagnoses.
With Nationwide pet health insurance, many veterinary expenses associated with diagnosis and treatment of these common conditions are eligible for reimbursement based on the member’s chosen coverage. To explore pet health insurance coverage for dogs, cats and many avian or exotic pets, visit petinsurance.com.