Veterinarian Pet Insurance, the largest pet insurer in the United States, published its list of the biggest cat and dog health issues for which pet owners may file a claim, which was pulled from a database of over 525,000 insured pets and the biggest medical claims. Luckily, most of the conditions mentioned are treatable if they are caught early. Let’s have a look at the most common health conditions that can impact your pet:
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1. Skin allergies
According to the report, with over 80,000 claims filed, the most common condition dogs suffered was skin allergies; the most common skin allergy that dogs encountered was atopic dermatitis. This skin condition occurs when your dog’s skin overreacts to a particular allergen in the environment. The most common causes of atopic dermatitis include food allergies, flea allergies, contact allergies, and inhalant allergies.
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2. Bladder or urinary tract disease
Also according to the report, the most common condition that cats suffered was bladder and urinary tract infections. While rare in young and middle-aged cats, an estimated 10 percent of cats over 10 years old were admitted to the vet with bladder or urinary tract disease. Lower urinary tract disease is commonly caused by cystic cystitis. Your vet will usually collect a urine sample to diagnose the condition.
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3. Heartworm
Heartworms impact dogs more than cats, but cats with respiratory and heart conditions can run into this issue as well. This health condition commonly leads to heart failure, severe lung disease, and liver damage. You can successfully treat most dogs with this condition, but you will need to get your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. The vet will most likely stabilize your pet and kill the parasite with medication.
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4. Ear infection
This health condition affects cats and dogs alike. A dog with an ear infection will scratch and shake their heads to deal with constant pain. For this condition in cats, you may observe a black or yellow discharge with an offensive odor coming from the ears. Treatment is usually straightforward, but you will want to visit your vet as soon as possible. In some cases, an ear infection can cause an aural hematoma in which the blood vessels in the ear break, requiring surgery.
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5. Periodontitis or dental disease
Most of the time, this disease will strike your dog or cat without warning. Bacteria silently develops in the mouth and causes chronic pain, gum erosion, and tooth and bone loss. You must treat this condition as soon as possible; it can shave two years or more off the life of your pet.
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6. Kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease ranks as one of the most common, if not the most common, disease that affects cats. It is also common in dogs. Unfortunately, this health condition is progressive in nature and leads to a gradual decline in health and eventually death. An estimated 1 to 3 percent of all cats and 0.5 to 1.5 percent of all dogs will suffer from it, though it can be prevented. Keeping poisons and pesticides away from your pets can prevent kidney disease. High salt diets may also raise the risk of damaged kidneys later in your pet’s life.
