It's no secret that we are an animal-loving nation. In fact, almost two thirds (62%) of Australians are sharing their home with a furry or feathered friend – that's an estimated 12 million pet owners.
It's also apparent that many of us were craving companionship during the pandemic. Finder research revealed that a third (36%) of Australians welcomed a new pet into the family over the last 12 months.
The data shows that 42% of Aussies now have at least one dog and 30% have at least one cat - that's millions of happy owners and even happier animals. Rounding out the top five most popular pets were fish (9%), birds (8%), and rabbits (2%).
When we reached out to Australians about their pets' financial needs, here's what they said.
You pay the same price as buying directly from the pet insurer.
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We've reviewed over 35 policies on the market, so you don't have to.
We crunched the numbers in Australia and checked 560 dog breeds and 99 cat breeds. Here are the average prices of pet insurance for a 5-year old dog and cat per month:
| Accident or illness | Average Claim Amount FY 2019 |
|---|---|
| Multiple fractures | $2,066.31 |
| Irish Wolfhound | $567 |
| Cancer | $3,503.74 |
| Gastroenteritis | $1,319.65 |
| Tick paralysis | $1,156.87 |
| Snake bite | $2,133.31 |
| Pneumonia | $1,610.57 |
| Arthritis | $688 |
| Diabetes | $1,952.39 |
| Ear infection | $883.38 |
| Cataracts | $1,755.15 |
| Dermatitis | $832.71 |
| Urinary tract infection | $814.49 |
PetSure claims data (June 2018-July 2019), from RSPCA
The research behind our pet insurance awards.
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