What is really making Aussie pets sick?

If you're anything like most pet parents, the things that keep you up at night are the big, frightening ones — a cancer diagnosis, a car accident, something twisted or torn that needs emergency surgery at 2am. Fair enough. Those are the stories that stay with you.

But here's the thing: that's probably not what's going to land you in the vet's waiting room.

According to PetSure's 2025 claims data, what's actually topping the list for dogs and cats isn't rare or dramatic at all. If you've got a dog, it's most likely skin allergies and dermatitis, just ahead of the usual gastro upsets. If you're a cat person, gastro still holds the top spot. Somewhere between the itch that won't quit and the dodgy bit of sausage that fell off the barbecue, you and thousands of other Aussie pet parents are having a fairly ordinary bad day with your pet.

Ear infections, dental disease and the odd lump or bump round out the picture. This is the everyday reality of pet health in this country — not the headline-grabbing emergencies, but the small, recurring, slightly unglamorous things that quietly cost you the most over a year.

The ordinary stuff that adds up

Here's what's actually turning up most often for dogs, based on PetSure's 2025 claims data:

And for cats, gastro keeps its top spot, with urinary trouble not far behind:

Notice what's missing from both lists? No cancer diagnosis. No snake bite. No car. The things quietly costing you the most aren't the ones you've probably been bracing for — they're the ones that sneak up on a completely ordinary Tuesday.

The itch that keeps coming back

If gastro is the surprise visitor, skin conditions are the ones that never quite leave. You'll know them when you see them: a head shake that becomes a habit, a paw that won't stop getting licked, a coat that looks a little duller than it should. If your dog's under one, gastro and skin issues are already leading the pack for you, alongside a surprisingly common one — foreign body and toxin ingestion. Grapes, rat bait, chocolate, medications, toys, socks and certain plants all make the list, so it's worth knowing what's lurking in your home and garden. And if your dog's eight or older, skin conditions and gastro are still front and centre, joined by arthritis and, notably, lumps and bumps, which jump to an average of $1,850 in senior dogs.

These aren't usually emergencies for you to panic about. They're the kind of thing you end up managing rather than curing, a course of treatment here, a change in shampoo there, a return visit a few months later when it flares up again. Which is exactly why they add up. One flare-up might only cost you a few hundred dollars. A dog who gets three or four a year over a decade is a different sum altogether.

The tummy trouble nobody warns you about

Gastroenteritis sounds clinical, but really it's just inflammation of the stomach and intestines — the vomiting, the diarrhoea, your pet suddenly going off their food and lying a bit flatter than usual on the tiles. Most of the time you can trace it back to something they ate that they shouldn't have, an infection, or a parasite. Stress can trigger it too, so if your dog seems off after a big change at home, this might be why.

If you're a cat parent, it's the single most claimed condition at every life stage — kittens, adults and seniors alike — though the price tag climbs as your cat gets older, from an average $694 under one to $1,401 at eight and over. Picture it: your cat gets into something they shouldn't on the kitchen bench, seems fine for a few hours, then isn't. A trip to the vet, some fluids, a bland diet for a few days, and it usually resolves. You didn't plan for that Tuesday. Nobody ever does.

The things that look scarier than they are and the one that doesn't look scary enough

If you've got a cat, urinary tract disorders deserve a moment of your attention, because they sit in an unusual spot: common, but genuinely urgent. If your cat is straining in the litter tray, producing little or nothing, or crying out while trying to go, please don't wait and see, a blocked bladder can become life-threatening within a day. The average treatment cost across 2025 was $1,497, with the most serious cases reaching close to $42,000.

Then there's the smaller, sharper end of the scale like the conditions that are more rare, but genuinely expensive if they land on your doorstep. For dogs, hip surgery averaged $9,268 in 2025, with Collies, Old English Sheepdogs, Samoyeds and Bernese Mountain Dogs most at risk. Lymphoma averaged $6,056, bloat (gastric dilatation volvulus) $5,223, and intervertebral disc disease $4,924, the last one hitting Dachshunds, French Bulldogs and Pekingese hardest. If you've got a cat, fracture repair topped the expensive list at $4,471 on average, followed by lymphoma, malignant cancer, snake bite and swallowed toxins or foreign objects — with Maine Coons, Burmese, Birmans and Tonkinese all showing up more than once.

What all of this tells you isn't that you've somehow ended up with an unlucky pet. It's a fairly ordinary pattern: skin, stomachs, ears and joints doing what skin, stomachs, ears and joints do, across hundreds of thousands of very loved animals just like yours. The everyday bills usually aren't catastrophic. They're just frequent, and they land without warning — which is probably why you've found yourself wondering how you'd cover an unexpected few hundred, or few thousand, dollars without it throwing your month off course.

That's really the only place pet insurance belongs in this conversation. It won't stop your dog getting into the bin — but it can help if that turns into a gastro bill you didn't see coming. It's not really about the dramatic scenario you picture when you think about insurance. It's about the ordinary Tuesday.

FAQs

What is the most common health problem in Australian dogs?
Skin allergies and dermatitis are now the single most claimed condition in Australian dogs, according to PetSure's 2025 claims data (as at March 2026), narrowly ahead of gastrointestinal conditions and ear infections. It's a pattern that holds across most age groups, from puppies to seniors.

What is the most common health problem in Australian cats?
Gastrointestinal conditions — vomiting and diarrhoea — remain the most claimed condition in cats at every life stage, according to 2025 PetSure claims data. Urinary tract disorders come second, and while less frequent, they're the one worth watching closely, as they can turn serious quickly.

Is a cat straining in the litter tray an emergency?
Yes. A cat that's straining, crying out, or producing little to no urine may have a urinary blockage, which can become life-threatening within a day if untreated. This isn't a wait-and-see symptom — it warrants a same-day vet visit.

What are the most expensive health conditions for dogs?
Based on PetSure claims data (Pet Health Monitor 2026), hip surgery had the highest average claim at $9,268, followed by lymphoma ($6,056), gastric dilatation volvulus/bloat ($5,223), intervertebral disc disease ($4,924) and fracture repair ($4,356). Certain breeds carry noticeably higher risk for each.

What are the most expensive health conditions for cats?
PetSure claims data (Pet Health Monitor 2026) shows fracture repair leading at an average $4,471, followed by lymphoma ($4,327), malignant cancer ($3,677), snake bite ($3,508) and swallowed toxins or foreign objects ($3,042).

Does breed affect what health issues a pet is likely to develop?
Yes, noticeably. Dachshunds, French Bulldogs and Pekingese show higher rates of intervertebral disc disease, while Collies, Samoyeds and Bernese Mountain Dogs are more prone to hip surgery. In cats, Maine Coons and Burmese show up repeatedly across the higher-cost condition list (PetSure claims data, 2025).

Are the most expensive pet health conditions also the most common ones?
Not necessarily. Common conditions like skin allergies, gastro and ear infections happen often but tend to have moderate average costs, so they add up over time. Rarer conditions like lymphoma or hip surgery cost far more per case but occur much less frequently.

Does pet insurance cover these common conditions?
Pet insurance can reimburse a percentage of eligible vet costs — up to 90%, depending on the benefit percentage you choose — up to your policy's annual limit. Conditions like skin allergies, gastro and ear infections are generally covered as illnesses, provided they aren't pre-existing at the time you took out your policy.