Most Expensive Pet Conditions

With pets, it's wise to expect the unexpected, but should the unexpected occur, forget about buying that new flat screen television. Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) recently analyzed medical claims submitted in 2007 to find the most expensive insured conditions commonly suffered by dogs and cats. VPI ranked conditions based on the average fees attached to common claims from among its more than 460,000 pets insured nationwide.

The data revealed that the costliest conditions affected pets of all ages and breeds and often required diagnostic tests and emergency surgery. Average claimed fees for the priciest conditions ranged from $500 to nearly $3,000. Following are VPI's Top 10 most expensive common conditions for dogs and cats, with the average claimed fee amounts submitted in 2007:

Dogs

1. Intervertebral Disc Disease - $2,844