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How Do Dog Breeds Insurance Rates Differ?
Some insurance companies have begun levying higher premiums for breeds that are considered a bite risk - Rottweilers, German shepherds, pit bulls and similar large breeds.
This practice is considered controversial, and while not wide spread, it is a growing trend in the market.
When it comes to pet health insurance there are very few companies that have different rates for different dog breeds, in fact parity in payments is the standard.
Unfortunately, dog breeds insurance costs can vary in reality due to the exclusions that apply to your breed.
In general, purebred dogs have many heritable difficulties that can vary widely breed to breed.
The unfortunate byproduct of hundreds of years of selective breeding has created certain genetic weaknesses that can cause health problems in these dogs.
For example the AKC pet insurance excludes the following and more - congenital heart defects, shunts and liver conditions, dysplasia of the hip or elbow, obesity and osteoarthritis.
If your pet is genetically pre-disposed to any of these conditions you will want to set money aside to deal with any issues that might arise later in your pet's life.
Many people consider dog breeds insurance exclusions and surcharges to be unfair and even prejudicial.
They will point out that we do not charge more for the health care policy of a pale skinned woman than an olive skinned man just because the pale skinned woman is more prone to skin cancer.
There is a certain logic to this argument, but insurance companies would counter that more dogs with heritable dysplasia will suffer from than condition statistically than light skinned people will get debilitating levels of skin cancer.
There is no real answer to the fairness question as each side continues to throw statistics at the other.
The best you can do as a pet owner is to be aware of the limits by dog breeds insurance companies place on their coverage.
If you are looking to get homeowner's insurance then perhaps it is best to avoid getting one of the dogs on the common 'biting dogs' list.
If you already own a dog of one of those breeds then take extra precautions to keep your dog contained and away from the public.
The insurance company might see the precautions of an extra tall security fence as reason enough to ease back on your premiums.
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