Top 10 Reasons Your Dog is Taking a Trip to the Vet
Unlike a doctor’s office that may be filled with whatever cold or flu is going around, a vet’s office may lack the sense of camaraderie that a room full of sniffling humans can provide. While there are a multitude of reasons that can bring your dog to the vet, your pet’s fellow patients might have more common than you think.
Veterinary Pet Insurance analyzed data from 500,000 insured cats and dogs over the previous year to find the top 10 medical conditions leading to a visit with a veterinarian.
The most common conditions in dogs:
Skin Allergies
Ear Infection
Chronic Kidney Disease
Skin Infection
Arthritis
Upset Stomach/Vomiting
Intestinal Upset/Diarrhea
Periodontitis/Dental Disease
Bladder or Urinary Tract Disease
Soft Tissue Trauma (Bruise or Contusion)
Is your dog plagued by itchy skin? VPI had more than 77,000 claims for dog skin allergies, with an average cost of $187 per dog and topped the chart as the most common reason for vet visits.
“To prevent some of the discomfort that so many pets experience from common diseases, the place to start would be by checking them regularly for developing problems,” says Carol McConnell, DVM, MBA, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. “Many of the conditions on our Top 10 list each year can be stopped early or successfully managed in partnership with a veterinarian.”
VPI urges pet owners to familiarize themselves with their pets’ routine and behavior and schedule regular semiannual veterinary examinations to help prevent and identify medical conditions before they become serious or costly.
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