Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance's Petpermint Pet Insurance Surpasses 130,000 Sign-Ups in 7 Years

Pomeranian Leads Among Dogs,
Korean Shorthair Tops Among Cats

Meritz Fire & Marine Insurance announced on July 28 that the cumulative number of sign-ups for "Petpermint," its dedicated pet insurance brand, has surpassed 130,000 cases in the seven years since its launch.

Since the launch of Petpermint in October 2018, the total number of policies signed up through the first half of this year reached approximately 135,000. Of these, about 115,000 were for dogs, and since April 2019, around 20,000 were for cats.

Among dogs, Pomeranians accounted for the highest number of policies with 14,896. This was followed by Toy Poodles (14,738), Maltese (13,825), and Bichon Frise (10,705). For cats, Korean Shorthair led with 6,252 policies, followed by mixed-breed cats (1,404), British Shorthair (1,237), and Munchkin (1,200).

The most common name for insured dogs was "Bori" with 1,861 cases, followed by Coco (1,557), Kongi (1,465), and Dubu (1,234). For cats, the most popular names were Coco (211), Leo (187), and Bori (185). "Bori" was found to be a popular name among both dogs and cats.

For both dogs and cats, more than 50% of the insurance policies were signed in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions.

The most common reason for insurance claims for dogs was otitis externa, with 16,521 cases. This was followed by gastroenteritis (14,495), vomiting (10,325), and otitis media (9,415).

In terms of the amount paid out, approximately KRW 7.3 billion was paid for patellar luxation. This reflects the characteristics of the domestic environment, where small dogs are mainly kept indoors. Significant amounts were also paid for cruciate ligament injury/rupture (KRW 2.39 billion), gastroenteritis (KRW 1.98 billion), and otitis externa (KRW 1.97 billion).

For cats, the most common reasons for claims were vomiting (1,033 cases), gastroenteritis (766 cases), and conjunctivitis (662 cases). The largest claim payouts were for foreign body ingestion (KRW 180 million), vomiting (KRW 170 million), and gastroenteritis (KRW 150 million).

For cats, vomiting and neurogenic gastritis/enteritis are presumed to occur frequently due to grooming-related "cat hairballs." Cystitis is also common, which is attributed to cats' tendency to drink little water.