10 Most Expensive Pet Health Problems

Michael KoretzkyUpdated: Nov. 23, 2020

First, the bad news: There are 10 pet accidents and illnesses that can cost you up to $2,000 to fix. But the good news is the treatments usually work.

Healthcare costs aren’t just skyrocketing for humans. The cost of treating your pets can easily top $1,000 – and there’s no Obama health care plan in the works for Fido.

VPI, a provider of pet health insurance, tallied its claims from 2010 and made a list of those requiring more than $1,000 for treatment.

“While surgical treatment for a torn knee ligament/cartilage occurred with the greatest frequency,” the report said, “the condition with the highest average cost per claim was intervertebral disc disease, for which pet owners paid an average of $3,282 in 2010.”

Here’s the top ten most expensive pet  health issues:

1. Torn knee ligament/cartilage

Number of claims: 6,831
Average cost per claim: $1,578

2. Intestinal – foreign object

Number of claims: 1,005
Average cost per claim: $1,967

3. Stomach – foreign object

Number of claims: 954
Average cost per claim: $1,502

4. Intervertebral disc disease

Number of claims: 879
Average cost per claim: $3,282

Plus: Should You Get Insurance for Pets?

5. Stomach torsion/bloat

Number of claims: 372
Average cost per claim: $2,509

6. Broken leg (plate)

Number of claims: 350
Average cost per claim: $1,586

7. Laryngeal paralysis

Number of claims: 126
Average cost per claim: $2,042

8. Tumor of the throat

Number of claims: 124
Average cost per claim: $1,677

9. Ear canal surgery

Number of claims: 104
Average cost per claim: $1,285

10. Ruptured bile duct

Number of claims: 102
Average cost per claim: $2,245

“Pet owners should be aware that these $1,000 accidents and illnesses can happen to just about any pet – indoor, outdoor, young or old,” says Dr. Carol McConnell, VPI’s vice president and chief veterinary medical officer. “Though the cost of care for these conditions may be high, the prognosis is usually positive, and many of the pets that are treated will recover.”

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Originally Published: July 05, 2011
Originally Published in Reader's Digest