Trupanion Study Finds Link between Pet Health and Drinking Water

In areas across the U.S. with higher levels of water hardness, cats' likeliness to run into urinary health issues increases according to a recent report from Trupanion

SEATTLE, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Trupanion (NYSE: TRUP), a leading provider of medical insurance for cats and dogs, released a report today that identified a correlation between urinary health conditions among pets and hard water ratings in U.S. cities as reported by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The Seattle-based company reports that cats are 40% more likely to suffer from urinary conditions than dogs based on the claims it receives from pet owners. When looking into cats specifically, pet owners of male cats are 1.5 times more likely to submit claims for urinary conditions than pet owners of female cats.

Overall, the most commonly claimed urinary conditions among cats are urinary tract infections, cystitis, urinary obstruction, and crystalluria, with treatment costs ranging on average from $77 to $1,222 annually to diagnose and treat. Canine counterparts are not immune, however, with commonly reported conditions including urinary tract infections, incontinence, cystitis, and crystalluria. When looking at dogs specifically, the company found that owners of female dogs are 2.5 times more likely to submit a claim for urinary conditions than owners of male dogs.

Trupanion compared urinary claim frequency in pets to hard water ratings in cities across the U.S. Areas with hard water contain more calcium and magnesium. The company found that male cats living in areas given an "extremely hard water" rating by the EPA had a much higher incidence of urinary health issues—especially crystalluria – and were three times more likely to have urinary complications compared to male cats living in areas with "slightly hard," "hard" or "very hard" water.

In Tampa, Florida, a city categorized as having "extremely hard" water, Trupanion has paid more than 10 times as many crystalluria (crystals found in urine) claims in male cats compared to male cats living in areas with softer water.

Other areas with "extremely hard" water include Miami, Chicago, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cincinnati.

One cat covered by the Trupanion policy struggled with urinary blockages for weeks, being seen every four or five days for treatment, diagnostics, and hospitalization. When his chronic condition couldn't be controlled, he received a perineal urethrostomy (PU), where his anatomy was surgically reconstructed. The total cost of treatment was more than $11,600, not to mention the amount of time and stress the pet owner and the cat had to endure.

"Further study is warranted to identify a connection between hard water and urinary crystals in cats. This information could help pet owners and veterinarians provide their pets with proactive approaches to screening for or avoidance of urinary conditions in their pets," said Trupanion Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr. Steve Weinrauch, BVMS, MRCVS. "Humans have known for some time that hard water can cause medical issues, it makes sense for this to impact our pets too and our data certainly seems to confirm this. But don't rush out to buy water softening treatments or bottled water, speak to your veterinarian directly for sound advice on your pet's health."

For more stats and to read the full study, visit http://trupan.in/pet-urinary-health-hard-water.

About the research
Trupanion data is generated from over 5.5 million pet data points on over 400 cat and dog breeds collected by the company since 2000.

About Trupanion
Trupanion is a leading provider of medical insurance for cats and dogs throughout the United States and Canada. For almost two decades, the Trupanion medical insurance policy has given pet owners peace of mind so they can focus on their pet's recovery, not financial stress. Trupanion is committed to providing pet owners with the highest value in pet medical insurance. Trupanion is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "TRUP". The company was founded in 2000 and is headquartered in Seattle, WA. Trupanion policies are issued, in the United States, by its wholly-owned insurance entity American Pet Insurance Company and, in Canada, by Omega General Insurance Company. For more information please visit Trupanion.com.

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SOURCE Trupanion

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