Why pet insurance is cheaper for mixed breeds

Pet care can be costly. The ASPCA reports that pet owners can expect to pay around $1,400 a year on care for dogs and around $1,150 a year for cats — and that's just on average.

One of the biggest expenses for pet owners is medical care. Routine care like vaccinations and preventative medicine isn't cheap, and if your pet is seriously ill or injured, one vet visit could cost you thousands.

Thankfully, pet insurance can help with these costs. Depending on your policy, it could reimburse you for up to 90% of your pet's medical bills, making it well worth the cost.

How much you pay for pet insurance depends on a variety of factors, including your pet's age, medical history and your location. But one thing many owners may not realize is that one of these factors is whether your pet is a pure or mixed breed. While there's a certain prestige that comes with purebred pets, mixes offer their own perks, including lower pet insurance premiums. 

Find out how much coverage you can get for your pet with a free price quote here.

Why pet insurance is cheaper for mixed breeds

Some pet breeds are more expensive to insure than others. And among the cheapest dog and cat breeds to insure are mixed breeds. Here's why.

They're genetically diverse

Mixed-breed pets have parents from different breeds, giving them a larger gene pool and making them less susceptible to breed-specific health problems.

For example, brachycephalic dogs (those with shortened snouts) like pugs are prone to breathing issues. A purebred pug is much more likely to develop these genetically-inherited risks than a pug mixed with other breeds.

In addition, purebreds as a population are at higher risk of conditions like cancer. For example, a study by pet insurance provider Nationwide found that owners of purebred dogs were 1.9 times more likely to submit a cancer claim than owners of mixes.

Because mixed breeds are less likely to suffer serious health conditions, insurers are less likely to pay out money for claims for them. This is reflected in lower insurance premiums for you.

They're a more varied group

Purebred pets must conform to specific physical and behavioral traits outlined by the American Kennel Club or the Cat Fanciers' Association. This leads to standardization that makes it easier for pet insurance providers to determine the likelihood that a particular purebred animal will require costly medical treatment.

Because mixes can have any number of breeds in their lineage, they vary widely in terms of size, behavior and health. This makes them statistically less predictable, making it harder for insurance companies to calculate how risky they are to insure. Since they can't say with any degree of certainty how likely a mixed-breed animal is to require expensive medical treatment, insurance premiums for these pets tend to be lower.

Get a free pet insurance quote here to learn how much you could be saving.

Purebreds may not be spayed or neutered

While there are plenty of mixed breeds that are un-spayed and un-neutered, there's often more pressure on owners of purebreds to keep their pets "intact." Purebreds can be in high demand for breeding, and some show dog owners feel their pet has a better chance of success if they're not spayed or neutered.

But spaying and neutering provide several health benefits for pets, in addition to helping control the pet population. According to the ASPCA, spayed and neutered pets are less prone to some forms of cancer and tend to be better behaved than those that aren't spayed or neutered.

Intact male pets, for instance, are more likely to roam away from home in search of a mate, putting them at risk of traffic injuries and other accidents. They're also more prone to aggressive behavior, which can lead to fights and injuries. This higher risk leads to higher premiums.

The bottom line

There's a lot to love about mixed-breed pets. With their unlimited combinations of looks and personalities, each one is a truly unique creature. The possibilities are endless, making it easy to find just the right furry friend for your life. And, thanks to their overall better health and varied characteristics, they're also less expensive to insure.

But getting a mixed breed is just one way to save on pet insurance. To reduce your cost even further, shop around, compare quotes from several providers and look into discounts. By taking a multi-pronged approach, you can maximize your savings while getting your pet the best coverage you can afford.