Pet Accidents Fueling Veterinary Visits

Does your cat seem to be a bit clumsy? Does your canine occasionally behave like a klutz? If so, you’re not alone as medical conditions associated with pet accidents contributed to more than 100,000 claims processed by Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. (VPI) last year. In addition, VPI policyholders spent more than $37 million treating medical conditions related to pet accidents.

VPI recently sorted its database of more than 500,000 insured pets to determine the top 10 medical conditions associated with pet accidents. Below are the results:

Most Common Conditions Associated with Pet Accidents

1. Soft Tissue Trauma (bruise or contusion)
2. Cruciate Ligament Injury (without surgery)
3. Lacerations or Bite Wounds
4. Scratch or Wound on Eye
5. Cruciate Ligament Injury – Surgical Repair
6. Mouth Trauma or Fractured Tooth
7. Sprain or Joint Injury
8. Abrasion(s) or Superficial Wounds
9. Gastric Foreign Object(s) Ingestion
10. Torn or Injured Nail

Many of the conditions listed above, including soft tissue trauma and cruciate ligament injuries were more commonly seen in overweight pets. For more information on the dangers of pet obesity, please visit the VPI Pet HealthZone.

Below are three simple tips for preventing pet accidents inside and outside the home:

• Being aware of your pet’s surroundings will help them avoid environmental dangers, such as poisonous plants, pesticides, ingestion of garbage and/or “people food,” etc.
• Supervise your pet’s physical activity and interaction with other animals.
• Store household and personal items out of sight and/or put them out of reach from your pet. Ingestion or other physical contact of inappropriate foods, plants, human medications, clothing, gardening or household items can result in intestinal blockage or severe toxicity.