Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
10+ years in insurance and personal finance content
30+ years in media, PR, and content creation
Evelyn leads Insurify’s content team. She’s passionate about creating empowering content to help people transform their financial lives and make sound insurance-buying decisions.
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
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Pet insurance claims for anxiety have soared 93% since 2019, one insurer recently reported. But claims increases don’t necessarily mean more pets are experiencing anxiety than ever before, report author Trupanion added.
Greater awareness of anxiety symptoms, better care options, and pet owners spending more time with their four-legged friends are likely all contributors to the steep increase.
“It’s not so much that dogs are suddenly more anxious than before. It’s that we’re better at recognizing the signs,” Kris Hampton, a Canada-based certified pet trainer and counselor, and founder of Raintown Dog Training, told Insurify. “Combine that with people being more open to seeking professional help and using insurance to cover it, and it makes sense why claim numbers look higher.”
Louisiana saw the highest jump in anxiety claims
Since 2019, anxiety claims rose more than 100% in six U.S. states and Washington, D.C., with Louisiana seeing the highest spike of 150%, according to Trupanion’s data. Washington State had the highest number of anxiety claims in 2024, at 2,830, and had the second-highest increase (149%) in number of claims.
States With the Highest Increases in Pet Anxiety Claims
State
2024 Claims
% Change Since 2019
Louisiana
121
150%
Washington
2,830
149%
North Carolina
416
129%
Washington, D.C.
78
121%
South Carolina
160
115%
Nevada
177
112%
New York
1,260
102%
Most states in Trupanion’s study saw fewer than 1,000 anxiety-related claims in 2024. But Washington, D.C., New York, Massachusetts, and California all had more than 1,000 claims, Trupanion’s data shows.
Breeds with the most anxiety claims
Trupanion saw notable increases in pet insurance anxiety claims among certain breeds of dogs and cats.
Intelligent, high-energy breeds make up the majority of the insurer’s list of most anxious dogs, including:
Australian cattle dog
Portuguese water dog
Shetland sheepdog
American pitbull
Cat breeds with the most anxiety claims tend to be highly affectionate, interactive, and energetic. They include:
Siamese
Bengal
Siberian
Ragdoll
Maine coon
“A lack of appropriate enrichment and exercise can exacerbate anxiety,” said Dr. Bethany Hsia, a veterinarian and co-founder of pet services company CodaPet. “Pets, especially those with high energy levels or specific breed needs, require adequate physical and mental stimulation to prevent boredom and destructive behaviors that can stem from underlying anxiety.”
What’s driving the increase in anxiety-related claims?
Anxiety has been rising among human Americans for years, driven by the economy, politics, gun violence, and more, according to an American Psychiatric Association poll. Pets picking up on their owners’ emotional state could partially account for the increase in pet insurance claims for anxiety.
“Owners now spend more time with their [pets], often working from home, so they notice pacing, whining, or restlessness that might have gone unseen in the past,” Hampton said.
“Pets are indeed becoming more anxious, or at least are exhibiting more noticeable signs of anxiety that are being recognized and addressed,” said Hsia. “Environmental changes, lifestyle shifts, and potentially genetic predispositions create a situation where pets may experience increased stress levels.”
What’s next: Recognizing and treating pet anxiety
While veterinary medicine has improved the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders in companion animals, it’s important for pet parents to remain vigilant, experts said.
Dog owners should watch for symptoms like pacing, excessive panting or vocalization, hiding, trembling, behavioral changes, dilated eyes, appetite changes, drooling, and a change in bathroom habits, Trupanion’s report said. Cats with anxiety may overgroom, exhibit behavior changes, drool, hide, pace, or experience changes in eating or litter-box habits.
Pet parents who think their four-legged friend experiences anxiety should consult their veterinarians. Treatments are available, ranging from regular exercise and quality time with pet parents to medications and desensitization programs.
Evelyn PimplaskarEditor-in-Chief, Director of Content
Evelyn Pimplaskar is Insurify’s director of content. With 30-plus years in content creation – including 10 years specializing in personal finance – Evelyn’s done everything from covering volatile local elections as a beat reporter to building fintech content libraries from the ground up.
Before joining Insurify, she was editor-in-chief at Credible, where she launched and developed the lending marketplace’s media partnership’s content initiative and managed the restructuring of the editorial team to enhance content production efficiency. Formerly, as tax editor for Credit Karma, Evelyn built a library of more than 300 educational articles on federal and state taxes, achieving triple-digit year-over-year growth in e-files from organic search.
Her early career included work as a content marketer, vice president and managing officer of a boutique public relations agency, chief copy editor for 14 weekly Forbes publications, reporting for large and mid-sized daily newspapers, and freelancing for the Associated Press.
Evelyn is passionate about creating personal finance content that distills complex topics into relatable, easy-to-understand stories. She believes great content helps empower readers with the information they need to make important personal finance decisions.
Edited byChris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
Chris SchaferDeputy Managing Editor, News and Marketing Content
15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.
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