Top Vet Loving Dog Breeds

Pet Insurance Australia takes a look at the top dog breeds who love to visit the vet. PLUS: some interesting facts on the changing trends in veterinary care in Australia.

“It’s probably one of the most interesting studies that Pet Insurance Australia has done.” Nadia Crighton from Pet Insurance Australia says. “Looking at the breeds of dogs that statistically visit the vet more than others.”

With huge advancements in veterinary care and treatment options, many Australian pet owners are taking advantage of these services and keeping their pets in ultimate health.

“The level of veterinary care available to pets has improved exponentially in recent years, driven by an increase in specialist veterinarians and referral/emergency hospitals, as well as the availability of new diagnostic tools such as CT, MRI, ECG, and ultrasound,” Crighton says.

Between 2013 and 2018, the availability and usage of MRI grew significantly, with the use of MRI up by 192%, CT-scan up 163% and ultrasound up 91% since 2013*.

“Over the same period of time, the proportion of specialist visits increased by 18% and the specialist referral rate has also increased by 28%,” Crighton says. “As diseases are identified earlier, there is a better prognosis for pets’ recovery and continued health of our pet population.”

With age, diseases such as cancer become more likely, so oncology treatment options are increasingly used. Human cancer treatments such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and vaccinations are all being utilised in treating pets.

“It’s an exciting time for pet owners,” Crighton says. “Many conditions that were once considered untreatable are now more easily treatable, and access to top specialists has become readily available.”

Pets are living longer due to advances in medicines and health care. Data indicates health-related expenses gradually increase with age and peak at 13-15 years of age.

“With the increasing availability of specialised treatment for our pets, it’s no wonder that pet parents are considering pet insurance policies to help with the rising costs of pet care and treatment,” Crighton says.

But what about those vet loving breeds?

“The dog breed that visits the vet most often is the British Bulldog,” Crighton says “The British Bulldog on average visited the vet three times in 2018 compared to the Kelpie which only visited the vet an average of 1.1 times.”

*According to PetSure Pet Health Monitor data from 2013 to 2018

Featured by:

• Courier Mail
• NT News
• Adelaide Now
• The Mercury

Photo by Rodolfo Sanches Carvalho

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