Back before Embrace Pet Insurance was but a twinkle in my eye, I knew something about pet health (it's hard not to learn with a dog and at least 4 cats in the house at any one time as a kid) but nothing like I know now.
One area I was particularly weak on was canine orthopedic conditions. For some reason, our dogs never had issues with their hips, knees, or elbows, which we're very grateful for so I never had to learn from experience.
But at Embrace, I've learnt quickly. I'd say that orthopedic conditions are our number one category of claim by amount. For example, in the first half of 2009, as a percentage of total claimed amounts at Embrace:
- cruciate ligament ruptures accounted for over 9%
- hip dysplasia - 5%
- patellar luxation - 4%
Wow - nearly 20% of our claims were from just 3 orthopedic conditions!
These are interesting stats, particularly if you are considering different pet insurance policies for your dog. All of these conditions, cruciate ligaments included, are considered genetic in origin, meaning that they are inherited conditions (also known as breed-specific conditions as some breeds are more prone than others for getting certain conditions.)
So, if you want pet health insurance coverage for conditions your mixed or purebred dog is likely to get, you better get a policy that covers hereditary conditions, such as one from Embrace.
Since this type of claim is so important in the grand scheme of things, November is Orthopedic Month at the Embrace blog. I'll explore orthopedic issues in a series of articles from a number of different perspectives. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Oh, and be sure to let me know if you have any particular orthopedic topics you'd like to cover and I'll make sure to address as many as I can throughout the month.
Related Posts:
How much did you say a ruptured cruciate ligament cost to treat in my dog?
$3,449 claim: Rottweiler with hip dysplasia has ACL repair
Hip dysplasia in dogs (and cats)
What happens when my dog's cruciate ligament tears?
Ski - a dog who recovered from a cruciate ligament injury without surgery
