Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI), the United States' oldest and largest provider of pet health insurance, recently analyzed its medical claims received in 2007 to determine the top 10 most commonly claimed conditions for dogs and cats. For both canines and felines, the top 10 conditions accounted for about 25% of all medical claims received last year in the US.

Canine                                            Feline
1.  Ear infections                             1.  Urinary tract infections
2.  Skin allergies                              2.  Gastritis/vomiting
3.  Pyoderma/hot spots                   3.  Chronic renal failure
4.  Gastritis/vomiting                        4.  Enteritis/diarrhea
5.  Enteritis/diarrhea                        5.  Diabetes mellitus
6.  Urinary tract infections               6.  Skin allergies
7.  Benign skin tumors                     7.  Colitis/constipation
8.  Eye inflammation                        8.  Ear infections
9.  Osteoarthritis                             9.  Respiratory infections
10. Hypothyroidism                       10. Hyperthyroidism

"Some pet owners may be surprised by what's not on the list," said Dr. Carol McConnell, vice president and chief veterinary medical officer for VPI. "Falling just short of the top 10 are the major injuries that often motivate pet owners to purchase pet insurance: broken bones, poisonings or trauma from car accidents or animal attacks."

Of the most common canine maladies, the only condition not on 2006's list, hypothyroidism, rose from No. 11 that year to No. 10 in 2007. The most dramatic change on either list was the rise of feline enteritis from No. 16 in 2006 to No. 4 in 2007. Nearly a third of all the common conditions could be related to or exacerbated by diet, diet changes or dietary indiscretions. The most effective way to reduce common dietary conditions, according to VPI, is for a veterinarian to recommend a quality petfood tailored to the pet's dietary needs and to feed that food consistently.

"Gastrointestinal claims are common each year we publish our top 10 list, but our 2007 numbers indicate that pet owners took their pets' gastrointestinal and dietary difficulties more seriously this past year, perhaps due to the petfood recall," said Dr. McConnell.

For more information about VPI Pet Insurance, visit http://www.petinsurance.com.