Aussies love pets, and Aussies love statistics. If they say they hate statistics, they just haven't discovered the joy in regression analysis. Most people don't love pet insurance. That's fine, but people should learn a bit more about it.
At Finder, we're obsessed with data about greyhounds. Also other animals, I guess. Below you'll find a tonne of statistics we've gathered about pets, pet ownership, and pet insurance.
Most of these data come from the Finder Consumer Sentiment Tracker. It's a nationally representative survey we run every single month. If the data aren't from there, I'll note where it comes from.
Pet ownership in Australia is one of the highest in the world, especially after the pandemic. This chart shows the number of Aussies with dogs, cats and other animals. Dogs come out ahead of cats because they are clearly superior.
This one's a bit morbid, but important. When pets get sick or injured, Aussies say they'll spend an average of $2,965 before considering putting their pet down. Rough.
This is probably a good time to mention pet insurance. It's literally made for this, and when things go poorly (or pawly lol) it can be a literal lifesaver. Learn more about pet insurance here.
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
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You can trust us. We say it like it is. We aren't owned by an insurer and our opinions are our own.
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