Healthcare costs aren’t just skyrocketing for humans. The cost of treating your pets can easily top $1,000 – and there’s no Obama health care plan in the works for Fido.
VPI, a provider of pet health insurance, tallied its claims from 2010 and made a list of those requiring more than $1,000 for treatment.
“While surgical treatment for a torn knee ligament/cartilage occurred with the greatest frequency,” the report said, “the condition with the highest average cost per claim was intervertebral disc disease, for which pet owners paid an average of $3,282 in 2010.”
Here’s the top ten most expensive pet health issues:
1. Torn knee ligament/cartilage
Number of claims: 6,831
Average cost per claim: $1,578
2. Intestinal – foreign object
Number of claims: 1,005
Average cost per claim: $1,967
3. Stomach – foreign object
Number of claims: 954
Average cost per claim: $1,502
4. Intervertebral disc disease
Number of claims: 879
Average cost per claim: $3,282
Plus: Should You Get Insurance for Pets?
5. Stomach torsion/bloat
Number of claims: 372
Average cost per claim: $2,509
6. Broken leg (plate)
Number of claims: 350
Average cost per claim: $1,586
