Revealed: Australia’s most common pet breeds and top insurance claims

It is no surprise that Australians love their pets, with 28.7 million pets living in 6.9 million households.

A new survey by Bupa Pet Insurance finds that cavoodles and domestic short hairs are the most popular dog and cat breeds nationwide. The rankings are based on the company’s insurance policies from July 2023 to June 2024.

Maltese cross and golden retrievers are the second and third most favored breeds, followed by Labradors and border collies.

The rest of the list includes the French bulldog, miniature dachshund, Staffordshire bull terrier, German shepherd and golden doodle.

Top cat breeds

After domestic short hair, ragdolls and domestic medium hair cats are the most popular cat breeds. Domestic house cat and tabby follow.

British shorthair, domestic long hair, Burmese, and ragdoll cross are also part of the top 10 feline breeds in Australia.

Insurance claims

Bupa Pet reveals that gastrointestinal complaints, skin allergies, ear infections, eating foreign objects and eye problems were among the top health insurance claims for dogs.

Meanwhile, injuries from accidents, gastrointestinal diseases, skin allergies, eye problems, dental issues and urinary tract disease were the leading causes of pet health bills among cats.

As per Brisbane-headquartered insurance brand Budget Direct, nearly 25% of Australians paid up to A$5,000 ($3,363.85/€3,025.80) in veterinary bills in 2023.

Among the most common health concerns for dogs, tick paralysis was the most expensive treatment, averaging A$2,402 ($1,615.99/€1,453.59), followed by dental disease at A$706 ($474.98/€427.24) and skin lesions at A$698 ($469.59/€422.40).

For cats, the average cost of repairing a broken rear leg is estimated to be A$3,805 ($2,559.89/€2,302.63), snake bites were A$2,200 ($1,480.09/€1,331.35), and dental treatments averaged A$815 ($548.31/€493.21).

Budget Direct’s 2023 statistics show that 60% of Australian respondents did not own pet insurance.