Pet insurance on certain breeds

[MarcoPoloCX]

What are your thoughts on higher premiums for certain breeds?
I have noticed that with some insurers once you selected breeds that are deemed to be more health prone, the premiums shoot up.
I know it makes business sense but isn't this breedist?
It would be like saying life insurance for you is this because of your ethnicity.

Ridiculous comparison. The only physical difference between humans is their skin colour. Dog's physicality varies massively depending on breed. You choose a breed with known health issues due to it's physical conformation you pay the price.

It’s like higher car insurance based on your age. Based on risk to the insurer and not prejudice against certain breeds.

It's nothing to do with prejudice

Different breeds carry different genetic risks. French bulldogs and pugs often have breeding issues, labradors and big dogs like Great Danes often suffer from dysplasia. Dobermans have heart issues. Westies and Yorkies often have skin allergies.

It's just a fact that some breeds are healthier than others.

I chose a breed with a risk of health problems. I knew this before we got him and so expected the insurance to be high and to have to have a high level of cover.

If you’re looking for things to be more equal than the less risky breeds would have to have higher premiums than they currently do in order to cover the high risk breeds. And that wouldn’t be fair.

Agree with @FlashingFedora. It’s a straw man argument to compare the two.

The health of dog breeds varies hugely. Some are much more prone to health problems than others and some of those health problems are much more dangerous and expensive to fix than others (flat faced breeds are at high risk of spontaneous respiratory arrest for eg and many need to have one or more episodes of airway opening surgery in their lives).

My large breed dog is prone to hip and elbow problems and in order to lower his risk, I chose a puppy who came from a line with excellent hip & elbow scores. He is exercised as per the rules for his age and developmental stage and his weight is kept stable and lean in order to minimise stress on his joints. His parents were also tested and clear for a large number of common (in his breed) genetic diseases and disorders.

That said, his insurance premiums are quite high and we have a very good level of cover should the worst happen. The cost of cover is based on the risk statistics for the breed as a whole, not on my individual dog.

I would think it's obvious insurance is going to be higher in breeds with predisposed conditions.

Maybe they shouldn't put the premiums up for older dogs as that would be ageist

Personally I hope that the varying prices encourage prospective owners to pick healthier breeds rather than choosing congenitally disabled breeds like Frenchies.

On a related note, my crap genetics mean I have to pay more for travel insurance because I'm more prone to health problems. It's not just dogs...

@Flash
Not necessarily.
Asian people have higher chances of developing diabetes. Black men have higher chances of developing prostate cancer. In general, American Indian and Alaska Native adults are 60 percent more likely to have a stroke than their white adult counterparts and American Indian and Alaska Native women have twice the rate of stroke than white women.
So if you look deep enough, you'll find certain ethnic groups suffer more from certain illnesses, certain cancers. But industry would not dare charging certain groups more unless that particular person has developed the illness him/herself.