Common types of insurance claims & what every oodle owner needs to know

Pet insurance can provide peace of mind, but many dog owners are surprised by what is, and isn’t, covered when they need to make a claim. In this episode of Pawsitively Spoilt, we dive into the world of pet insurance with Nathan Harris, co-founder of Knose Pet Insurance as he shares the most common claims being made today and the costly surprises many owners never see coming.

We discuss whether illnesses or injuries are driving the majority of claims, how veterinary costs have changed over the past few years, and whether popular breeds like Cavoodles and other oodles are more prone to certain conditions. We also uncover the biggest preventable health issues, the top reasons claims are declined, and what first-time pet owners should consider when choosing a policy.

Whether you're already insured or still deciding if pet insurance is right for your dog, this episode is packed with practical advice to help you avoid expensive mistakes and make informed decisions about your dog's health and wellbeing.

In this episode, we cover:
🐶 The most common pet insurance claims today
🐶 The unexpected claims that catch owners off guard
🐶 How claims and veterinary costs have changed over time
🐶 Common conditions affecting Cavoodles and other oodles
🐶 Preventable issues that lead to expensive vet bills
🐶 Why some claims get declined—and how to avoid it
🐶 Tips for choosing the right pet insurance policy

If you've ever wondered whether pet insurance is worth it, this episode is a must-listen for every dog parent.

About Nathan Harris 

Nathan Harris is the Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Knose Pet Insurance, where he uses his strong background in economics, finance, and insurance to help reshape the pet industry around veterinarians. After completing his Bachelor of Business at RMIT University and further studies in economics and an MBA, he has focused since co-founding Knose in 2017 on supporting local vets and making it easier for pet owners to access consistent, vet-led care through simple, ‘set and forget’ pet insurance and wellness plans.

Having grown up on a dairy farm, Nathan formed a love of animals early on. He now combines this with his business experience to ensure animal health and wellbeing are accessible and affordable to everyone.
 

Find Knose here: www.knose.com.au

@knosepetinsurance on Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok.

 Watch on Pooches at Play TV show:

https://www.knose.com.au/blog/pooches-at-play-nathan-explain-insurance/

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hey everybody, it's Tanya Williams here, Chip Paulson at Three Sport Dogs, back with another series of the Positively Sport Podcast. And today's an interesting one. We're talking about insurance. And I can assure you, it's not going to be boring because insurance is one of those things that, as Oodle owners, we know is a necessary part of being an owner because you never know when that unexpected stuff happens. And I've been through enough of it myself to know personally exactly what that's like. So I am lucky enough today to be talking to Nathan Harris, who is the COO and co-founder of Nose Pet Insurance. If you've seen Nose, I love their branding because it's pink. And of course, you know I'm a big fan of pink. So when this beautiful bright pink branding pops up, it grabs my attention straight away. Thanks for being part of the podcast, Nathan. Yeah. I know. That's right. I love it because it stands, it stands out. And exactly. Women making are making most of those buying decisions. And of course, you know, our brand colours have got pink in them. And blue is boring. Everyone does blue. So yeah, I think, yeah, pink's the best colour to do. So can you give um yeah, you're right. Can you give everyone a bit of just um you're you're right. Just just give everyone a bit of a um uh you know an intro into nose and how long you guys have been around for and how everything sort of came about.

SPEAKER_01 2:31

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Yeah. And I think their words, when especially when it comes to insurance, like any type of insurance, whether it's pet or or household or whatever, it just feels so complicated and so heavy and so full of like legal jargon and terms and stuff that we just go, oh my god, this is just so hard, and I just don't know what the difference is between this policy and that policy, and it gets really confusing. So, you know, it'd be great if we can obviously simplify um that for for the listeners because it is you look at it and you just go, oh wow, where do I start? It's so overwhelming. Um, but let's let's start with, I guess, talking about the most common types of pet insurance claims you guys see. Because, you know, I've got um, I was gonna say I've got two hoodles. I've got one hoodle now. We lost a beautiful girl, Latte, a couple of weeks ago. Um, and she was an elderly dog. And obviously, as dogs get older, you're claiming more, they're going to the vet more. So I always say to people when they've got younger dogs, get pet insurance because you are going to need it. Um, even when they're younger and they have accidents or they get sick unexpectedly, but it's such an important part of their life and helping you, you know, give them the best life. But you know, obviously people are claiming for all sorts of things, but what are the common types of insurance claims that we're seeing at the moment? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 4:06

Mm-hmm, yep. Yep. Yep. Yep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 4:47

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 4:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:55

Yeah. And 'cause some breeds are pre predisposed to certain things as well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:09

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

Yeah. Which makes sense because when they, you know, dogs are young, they are getting into all sorts of stuff because they just what they're so inquisitive about what's around. And let's pick that up and put it in our mouth and see what happens when that happens. Um, but yeah, and I certainly noticed that with our guests and also, you know, my own dogs as well, as as as they get older, yeah, it is different. Um, because it is more about those aging things. So they're getting slower and there's things happening, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

Yeah, that's right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

Yeah. Have you found that over the years the the types of claims are changing? Like obviously, you know, how we treat our pets now has changed. So I remember growing up, you know, the dog slept outside, it had a dog kennel, it had a bottle of dry food and a bottle of water. Like it, but you know, when we went away, someone checked in on them. Like these days, that life is very, very different, especially for oodles, um, where they're very much part of the house. They're probably sleeping on the bed and they're getting the gourmet food and stuff like that. So we've had a change of lifestyle for for our dogs. Has that like, have you seen a change in in the claims because of that change of lifestyle?

SPEAKER_02 7:34

Mm-hmm. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:55

Yeah. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. Your pocket, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:32

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

Yeah.

unknown 8:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:45

And I guess we've got, as you said, we've got access to more of that sort of stuff now. Like I know one of my Neo, he's got a heart murmur, and we had to get an echocardiogram. Now he's going to the best place probably in Australia, down at Underwood with Dr. Brad Gavigan. Um, and he I toured his facilities, and oh my god, they are first class. Like you walk in this place, it looks like a fancy, like six-star hotel. But you know, like they've got these amazing facilities now to be able to do these amazing treatments and things for our for our animals. So it is, we're seeing, I guess, you know, 10 years ago that didn't exist. Um, you know, 20 years ago it wouldn't have even been thought of. People would have gone, am I right? A dog, like what? You know, like it's so it is it's amazing to see that we've come so far and being able to treat our babies for all these things. So, like, I mean, obviously what we talk about and what we do here is is is focused on oodles. And of course, every breed can be genetically predisposed for you know certain conditions. Um, you know, with specific breeds like cavoodles and oodles, are there's a lot of claims in certain areas, and you probably touched on a couple before, but um, what sort of conditions are you typically seeing claimed for for those guys?

SPEAKER_01 10:02

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:28

Yeah. It's um, yeah, it's one of those things, isn't it? I think when you when you know going in the breed uh enough about the breed that you're getting, then you need to be educating yourself around what are the potential issues and am I going to probably need some sort of insurance to help cover the costs that are likely to probably happen? And of course, you know, we don't know, we don't have you know magic balls to go, this is what's gonna happen. But if there's a history of this sort of stuff there and we're seeing these types of things happen, I think it's up to Oodle owners to make sure they're educating themselves around that as well. Um, are there unexpected claims? Like, are there things that you just go, wow, here's a really weird claim that we've gotten, or things that maybe even owners don't think they're gonna be claiming for? Like, is there anything like that that pops up where you think, oh, okay, this is an unusual one we're seeing often? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:31

Yeah. Uh poison, yeah. Yeah. Oh, yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Or ham or yep, it was something they shouldn't have, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Yeah, chocolate. Yeah. Yeah, xylitol and stuff, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Yeah, they've got to stop putting things in their mouth. Like they're just they're picking up stuff and go, This looks interesting. Oh my god, did it survive? And the dog drank it. Oh my god. So it would have been going, this tastes good. Oh. Oh wow. I've never heard of that one before. That is a new one. Oh, the poor, oh yeah, that would have been Poseidon selves. That's terrible.

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

And that's the thing, there's the stuff around your house, like not just poisons and stuff, but certain plants that they can't have, or as you said, certain foods that they might jump up on a table and go, This looks interesting, let me have a go at this. Or, like, I think again, as as oodle owners, we need to be really aware of what's around in our yard, in our house, and make sure all that sort of stuff is not accessible to them as well. Oh, yes, I'll be very careful with hair ties and making sure they're not lying around. Yeah. Yeah. I think. Yeah. Yeah. I think, and especially if you've got kids and stuff as well, and there's Lego, and there's things like small toys and stuff lying around that the dog picks up, and all of a sudden they're choking on something, and they've had a they've got a bit of Lego, or they've exactly they've got something that like a dummy. You know, I've seen things on YouTube and stuff where dogs have had all these dummies in their stomach, and what you just think, how does it happen? But I guess not not really thinking about what's around, and then dogs just like, oh, I'll just pick that up and let's just see what tasty that is. Wow, which is a lot of money, yeah. Yeah, it can get yeah, it can get oh yeah, it can get really costly. I know um with our previous dogs, so with our previous dogs, we didn't have pet insurance and one had cancer, um, so she was going through you know all her treatments and stuff. One had a um a brain tumor, um, and then another one had heart issues. And I think we worked out we'd spent around $25,000 in two years of with all their treatments and their medications. And we just went, I went, okay, next time we're getting pet insurance. Because it is, I mean, it's a massive, and even even though obviously you're still paying out money with with I mean you're you know, you don't get everything back, it's still nice to go, well, I'm gonna get a chunk of that money back. Um, so it's not as hard on the pocket, so it's a bit of peace of mind there as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:58

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

Oh, that's right. You're already emotionally distressed and whatever about whatever's happening. So it you don't need that financial stress on top of it as well. Um, do you see um more claims for illness or injury? Um, so you obviously we've gone through stuff, but obviously there's a there's people, you know, there's unexpected illnesses and there's also injuries like they've run out in front of a car and broken their leg or or something. Is there sort of a a percentage mix to that, or is it, you know, I don't know. Yeah. Oh wow, okay. Rather than accidents, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Yeah. Yeah. That's a high percentage, isn't it? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:42

Let's let's let's touch on dental because I think that's one of the things that typically you don't get to claim on. I know with our coverage, um, you know, most of the time it's like bad luck, it's dental, we can't claim on that because they know you know that all dogs need dental work and they usually need that fairly regularly. What like why is that and and why is it that you guys offer it? Because I think it's great that you do.

SPEAKER_01 19:12

Yeah. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. To have dental, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 20:29

Yeah, and I think that's that's the super important part about insurance stuff, is having it really clear where people can go, okay. I understand what's included and what's not included. Because I know myself, like when you're looking at car insurance, like my husband's policy is due to be renewed and whatever, and I look at it and I go, oh my god, like this is so confusing. Like, I can't. Is this included? Is that included? You're trying to compare apples to apples, and sometimes you just go, it's all too hard. Um, but I think if it if you're able to do that and really break it white down like that, where people can go, this is what your standard cover is, but then you've got the option to have this or this or this, and you can add that on, then it makes it really sort of easy for people to understand.

SPEAKER_02 21:16

Ah. Well, that's good, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:23

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 'Cause most of them have. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:09

With the FOD print. Yeah, exactly.

unknown 22:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:14

And that's the thing. I think those sublimits get really confusing as well. Because you think, oh yeah, I can claim this. Because my policy says that I do, but then you get the oh no, you can't claim that because you've reached your limit. And you're like, I have a limit? Like, what was it? Like, I didn't even know about it. But yeah, it gets it does get really confusing in that aspect. So you mentioned an average cost of claim before. Like, is that typical? Like the average cost in um overall claims. Um, has that changed, do you think, much in the last few years? Like, is it is the is pe are people claiming more because there are more issues or yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:59

Well, well, yeah. It's a lot of money when it yeah, we got multiple claims and stuff happening, isn't it? Yeah. Oh yeah, and we're seeing lots of changes everywhere at the moment, aren't we? And it's it I think as it's that unexpected stuff, I think, that always gets me because you're never expecting to go to a vet. You're not going, oh good, we're we're going to the vet this week, unless you've obviously got your normal checkups and stuff like that that happen. But you know, it's that unexpected stuff of, oh my god, my dog's not well. How we've got to make another vet appointment. They've got to have a blood test, and they've got to have an ultrasound, and they've got to have all that other stuff that happens, and then there's a thousand dollars gone, you know. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 25:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:15

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's right, you can't claim it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Yeah, that's right. Well, it's the same as when Neo had his echocardiogram, there was two thousand dollars, bang, done. You know, and you go, okay, like, but you know, for us, you know, we're more than happy to pay that because we knew we needed it and we it gave us the diagnosis to be able to treat him properly. Um, and I think a lot of our listeners and and people at home are very sport oodles. Um, I'm more than happy to do that for their for their dogs because they are part of the family and you'll do anything to to keep them happy and healthy. Um, I want to talk about some preventable issues. Are there things that you guys see claims on and just think this is something that just is such a preventable thing that people like should be either doing more at home or working with their dogs in a different way or something like that? Are there stuff that you just think this is really up? Like it's not an accident or an illness that's come up suddenly, but it's it is something that's preventable.

SPEAKER_01 27:38

Yeah. Oh, of course. Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 28:47

Yeah, and it that's exactly it. I think sometimes we think, oh, you know, it's fine to give them all these treats during the day, or that you know, they're not getting that exercise or whatever, but I'm just gonna sit here and cuddle them and you know what sort of stuff, which is great. But I think we can sometimes just miss the that stuff that we go, well, dogs need this stuff, they need to have their exercise, they need to have that cleaning, they need to have the right type of food for for them and and not feed like I know we we get guests here that eat all different types of food, and sometimes I think, oh, I don't want to feed them this because I know it's not good for them. But you know, I have to you know feed them what the what the owners have you know want them to be fed with. But just think if we can just what's you know what is preventable are those are those things, but if we educate ourselves more as dog owners as well, to go actually our dogs need these things, so we don't have all these issues, so we don't have to go to the vet so often and you know all that sort of stuff as well. And I think as you said, the toxic city one is a is a very simple thing to do. It's just being aware of what's around in our house and our yard where they can get to that they shouldn't have. Like that is totally preventable. That is that that's really a lot of that is on us.

SPEAKER_01 30:10

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh my God. I've never heard of that before. Under the collar, okay.

SPEAKER_02 30:56

Yeah, you don't know what you're getting. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

Yeah. Yeah, that's a really good point, actually. Because I think people think, oh, just buy that online and it's cheaper. But yeah, but it's actually the wrong thing, and and what are you actually getting at the end of the day anyway? Yeah. Doesn't work. Yeah. Yeah, that's true. Um, are there common reasons why claims get declined? Because I know sometimes you'll get back and you're why wasn't that paid out on? Like, what are the common things that people think that, well, I don't know why that wasn't like I wasn't able to claim on these types of things? Like, what are the maybe top three ones that yep.

SPEAKER_01 32:12

Yeah. So yeah, yeah. Yeah, okay.

SPEAKER_00 32:38

Right. So even if you don't, even if the dot the vet hasn't had it's a heart murmur or it's this, which we're already treating something, therefore there's a pre-existing. Ah, okay. I did I see I thought um you would have needed a diagnosis to say that my dog's got this, therefore it's pre-existing. But I guess if you're already treating it for some sort of illness, then it makes sense that it it becomes pre-existing, yeah. Yeah, you know there's something wrong with like, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:06

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 33:12

Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

Yeah. Yeah. I can still drive it, but yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Yep. You can climb. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:20

Yeah. Yeah, okay. Then that makes sense as well. Because yeah, you don't often think about I mean, it's been so many years since we've taken out our policies now that I wouldn't even think about like waiting periods. Um, if someone's looking at insurance and maybe they've just got their first dog or whatever, or they've haven't had pet insurance before, what advice would you give them? Like what do you what would you say? These are the top things that you need to be aware of that you should be looking for in a coverage. Yep. Because I think is it about is it about eight years old or something that you can't insure 'em. What's the age that you can't insure a dog from? Nine.

SPEAKER_01 35:06

Yep. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 35:38

People going, I wasn't covered for anything because that was pre-existing, and yeah, all that sort of yeah. Okay. Yep.

SPEAKER_01 35:47

Yep, so get in early, number one. Yep. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:06

Yeah. And I guess it's the same with uh human insurance as well. Like we can do the same with ours. We can go, well, we want the higher excess, so that brings our client like our limit, you know, our um total down and stuff like that. So having that ability to have that flexibility, I think, is good because most policies are like, nope, this is how it is, that's what you pay. That's and you're like, okay, it's all set in stone. But I think um flexibility is always good.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

Yeah. Yeah. Bringing changing that, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 38:00

Yeah. Which yeah, which is a good way of doing it, makes perfect sense. Um, okay, so we've covered obviously a lot. There's a lot of great information there. I want to finish by asking, and we have a bit of a silly question here. If dogs could choose their own insurance plan, what do you think they'd insist on being covered? Treat? I love it. If I'm into doing a zooming, I'm covered. I love that. Zooming. I think I think there's something there. I think you guys need to include some sort of zooming coverage in your policies and be like, this that could be like something that just stands you out from everyone else. Because we all know what Zoomy code's like. It would be fun. Thank you so much, Nathan, for all that. Like it just giving us that insight, you know, into what's actually happening in in pet insurance and and sharing that sort of, you know, it's some of those stats were really interesting. It wasn't what I was expecting at all. Um, so it's it's really good to know that because I think, as I said before, like it gives owners a chance then to educate themselves and go, okay, now these are the things we need to look at. Um, because I and I have these conversations very, very often with our clients, especially when they've gotten pubs. Get pet insurance because you will, I guarantee you will need it. Um, you know, it's just one of those life things that like our human, you know, health insurance and stuff. You've just got to have it because you never know what's going to happen. But thank you so much. Um, I will put all the links to knows in uh in the show notes so everyone can can take a look at at um you know what these guys have on offer. Um, but thanks for for being part of the show, Nathan. Yeah, glad to hear it. Thanks, Nathan.