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Furry Trio Ring Up $47,000 Of Insurance Claims
Three dog lovers are contenders for making the highest amount of claims with Southern Cross Pet Insurance (SCPI) with each making claims of more than $14,000 over the past year.
The unfortunate canines include an English Springer with an autoimmune condition that required treatment over several months, a German Wire-Haired Pointer Cross which ate a sock requiring surgery and ongoing care and a Beagle with thyroid cancer.
Together, the unlucky trio’s owners claimed more than $47,000 with SCPI to get their pet’s tails wagging again.
But it wasn’t just dogs receiving a hefty vet bill. Three cat owners made total claims of over $8,000 each. The top claiming cat was a two-year-old Domestic Short Hair which was attacked by a dog and received medical treatment worth almost $12,000. He was followed by another two-year-old Domestic Short Hair which was hit by a car and his vet bills came to almost $9,000.
The cases were revealed when SCPI released its most expensive claims for pooches and moggies for the financial year ended 30 June 2020.
The Companion Animals in New Zealand survey,[1] released last month, confirmed Kiwis are a nation of pet lovers with the research revealing 41 per cent of households have a cat while 34 per cent own a dog.
The survey also found that 88 per cent of cat and dog owners believe taking injured or sick animals to the vet is a very important part of pet ownership which, as SCPI’s claims statistics demonstrate, can be expensive.
Southern Cross Pet Insurance General Manager Anthony McPhail said the number of pets the organisation provides insurance cover for has increased over 20 per cent on the previous year.
“Companion animals can suffer a broad range of health problems arising from illnesses or accidents. Much like humans, it can be an expensive business restoring the patient to health. Knowing your pet is covered can be a comfort to pet owners when their furry family member needs medical treatment,” he said.
In the 12 months to 30 June 2020, SCPI looked after the health of more than 43,000 Kiwi pets and paid out $11.41 million in claims.
| Most expensive individual claimer - dogs* | Most expensive individual claimer – cats * | |||
| English Springer Spaniel (three-years-old) – autoimmune disease, thrombocytopenia, poisoning | $18,015 | Domestic Short Hair (two-years-old) – traumatic injury, skin disease | $11,902 | |
| German Wire-Haired Pointer Cross (four-years-old) – ingested foreign body, urinary tract infection | $15,278 | Devon Rex (one-year-old) – feline lower urinary tract disease & skin infections | $9,471 | |
| Beagle (10-years-old) – carcinoma, dog fight injuries | $14,631 | Domestic Short Hair (two-years-old) – traumatic injury, diaphragmatic rupture | $8,705 | |
| Beagle (12-years-old) – spinal disorder, cancer, skin infection, skin disorder, mass lesion | $12,552 | Domestic Short Hair (six-years-old) – traumatic injury | $7,902 | |
| Boxer (nine-years-old) – Facial neuropathy/nerve paralysis, Gastroenteritis, Lethargy, Renal (kidney) disorder | $12,401 | Burmese (16-years-old) - diabetes | $7,500 | |
*Based on total claims (including GST) made to Southern Cross Pet Insurance in the year to 30 June 2020.
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