The prevalence of allergy-related claims

Andrey / stock.adobe.com

Trupanion provides medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Puerto Rico, and Australia with over 1 million pets enrolled. The insurance company aimed at evaluating the most common claims submitted by pet owners in order to uncover any trends between 2019 and 2023.¹

Allergies were the topmost common claim for pets and Trupanion saw a 42% increase in the frequency of allergy and ear infection claims in North America. That same data revealed that, on average, a dog will have 16 allergy related claims, while a cat will have 6 allergy related claims. This calculates to an average cost of treating allergies adding up to approximately $2300 for dogs, and $600 for cats, over the pet’s lifetime.¹

Trupanion general manager, Stephen Rose, BVSc (Hons1) M Infotech CVA ACVCHM, said in a release, “Allergies, much like in humans, can have broad health implications, affecting skin, ears, eyes, feet, and even internal organs. Allergies are less seldom triggered by a singular factor but rather accumulate from multiple triggers, ultimately prompting the need for treatment. This complexity often makes it challenging to pinpoint the exact allergen causing the reaction, as it's typically a combination of factors.”¹

“For these reasons, getting veterinary advice on diagnostic options, allergy trials and treatment is essential. Luckily for our furry companions, recent advancements have significantly improved the availability, efficacy, and safety of allergy treatments for pets,” Rose added.¹

Trupanion also analyzed its data to track the region most of these allergy claims were coming from. Within North America, these are the highest number of allergy related claims over the past 3 years:¹

1. Washington, USA
2. Florida, USA
3. Newfoundland and Labrador, CA
4. New Jersey, USA
5. British Columbia, CA
6. Alberta, CA
7. New York, USA
8. Hawaii, USA
9. Nevada, USA
10. Louisiana, USA

Among its members, Trupanion discovered there are about 8.5 times more allergy claims from dogs compared to cats, even after accounting for the number of insured pets in each group. The most common dog breeds submitting allergy claims are:¹

1. English bulldog
2. Olde English bulldog
3. West Highland white terrier
4. French bulldog
5. Cocker spaniel
6. Soft coated Wheaten terrier
7. American bulldog
8. Newfoundland
9. Basset hound
10. American pitbull terrier

According to Rose, pet parents can try to manage allergies by consulting a veterinarian for diagnostic options, allergy trials, and treatment recommendations. Owners should come prepared to the veterinary visit by keeping a detailed log of the pet's allergy symptoms and trying to differentiate between allergic itching and skin infections.

“What [clients] don't realize is that animal dermatologists do it all. We do the bumps on the skin, we also do ear infections, and we also manage allergies, which is very different than how human [medicine] is,” Julia E. Miller, DVM, DACVD, said to attendees at the Fetch conference in Charlotte, North Carolina.²

One of Miller’s suggestions for client education is a website called petsgetallergies.com, and on there, clients can learn more about what veterinary dermatologists do and the diseases and conditions they can treat. Clients can also use this resource to find a dermatologist near them or they can go on the American College of Veterinary Dermatology (ACVD) website to search, as well. “What I really like about this website is it's very much geared towards clients… You could guide them towards this website because it really has some very digestible owner-friendly information.” Miller added.²

References

1. truInsights into pet allergies: Trupanion decodes trends and provides tips for pet parents. News release. Trupanion. April 25, 2024. Accessed April 25, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240425526904/en/truInsights-into-Pet-Allergies-Trupanion-Decodes-Trends-and-Provides-Tips-for-Pet-Parents
2. Miller JE. Tips and Tricks for Successful Referral and Co-management with your Neighborhood Dermatologist. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; March 15-17, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina.